Principal’s office: Howard Tuckett of Wycombe Abbey School Hong Kong

What attracted you to Wycombe Abbey?

I joined Wycombe Abbey as Founding Principal in 2019 and was thrilled to be involved in every aspect of the design of such a prestigious school from the ground up. I am incredibly proud that we have been able to build and establish a high-regarded British Prep school in Hong Kong for children to enjoy and benefit from. 

What are you most proud of? 

There have been so many wonderful moments since we opened. I’m proud of our success in recruiting pupils so quickly, particularly during the pandemic. We’ve also achieved incredible results in assisting our older pupils to gain places in British independent schools. Although we are still very early in the academic year, a number of our students have already received offers from prestigious UK schools, including Cheltenham Ladies College, Caterham School, Roedean, Rugby School, and Wycombe Abbey. We look forward to adding to the list of offers over the next few months. 

What does Wycombe Abbey offer that is unique?

We are a top British Prep school, teaching a British-style curriculum that is culturally relevant for Hong Kong children. The school is private, rather than international, so we are not restricted by nationality quotas. We teach Mandarin intensely, giving the subject the same amount of time on the timetable as English. Our specialist Chinese language teachers work in pairs in each lesson. Our fourteen subjects are all drawn from the British Common Entrance syllabus and are taught to the standards that Wycombe Abbey in the UK requires and our teachers are UK-trained, or similar, (South Africans, New Zealanders, Australians, etc.). 

Can you tell us about the campus and its facilities? 

Our campus in Tin Wan is set over four floors and filled with natural light. The glass-domed central atrium is used for productions, sports, and assemblies. It also holds the highest climbing wall of any school in Hong Kong. All the classrooms open out onto our library and we have specialist rooms for Art, Speech and Drama, Music, STEM, and PE/Sports. We also have two huge outdoor sports areas onsite. It is hard to describe the impact of the building – please come and see it for yourself!

Read more: Principals office: Geoff Heney of HKIS Lower Primary

What are the teaching values?

We are a kind and caring school with very high academic standards and we teach a purpose-written high standard curriculum that meets all UK requirements. We are experts at assessing each child’s academic potential and challenging them accordingly. Children are encouraged to compete against what they are capable of, rather than competing in academic development.

Why is Hong Kong great for international education? 

Well, the weather helps! We are in a lovely location on the beautiful south side of the island. There is a real culture of learning in Hong Kong with most conversations quickly turning to education. Designing, building, and running a school in such an educationally sensitive and aware city is an absolute joy.

What are you excited about? 

Everything about this school excites me! It truly is outstanding. We will keep growing our pupil numbers and anticipate the school being full during the next academic year. We will be taking on more staff accordingly. The model of the school at capacity will be three classes of twenty-four pupils, in each year group, from Year One (5+) to Year Eight (12+). Being a part of the Wycombe Abbey School Hong Kong project has been the highlight of my very long career in teaching in independent schools around the world. 

What advice do you have for prospective parents?

Come and visit us for a tour of the campus and a one-to-one conversation with me about your thoughts and wishes for your child. Our philosophy is all about using our resources to support your child within an excellent mainstream primary provision, rather than expecting a child to fit an inflexible universal model.