On Nov. 29th BeGo Education successfully held a UK education event at Rose Wood Hotel in Beijing. The theme of the event was UK Boarding schools: Hundreds of years of excellence and the best of Modern Education. Harrow School featured especially during the event.
The event was attended by select parents who have shown great interest in the UK boarding schools and who are looking to find out more about their application process. To accommodate parents who couldn’t attend, the event was also live streamed. Over 30,000 viewers tuned in to see the event which includes families from across China, Malaysia and Singapore.
The speakers for the event were Alex Colville, a consultant and expert educator from the UK who was joined by the Associate Director and Head of the Academic Department at BeGo Education, Hui Yeeng Ngion. The Event also included a Panel discussion with two Old Harrovians, Weiji Ma, Senior Executive Director at Nomura International (HK) and Owen Li, the Senior Associate at China International Capital Corporation (CICC). Gaston Chee (CEO, LC Venture) moderated the Panel.
In his opening speech, Gaston Chee welcomed the attendees and appreciated them for their trust to look into their child’s education. He said that UK boarding schools are the best options for parents who are seriously looking for a sure way to graduate study success and beyond. He said it is a high time that the Event was organised to look into their application process and how BeGo Education could support the families with that.
The first speaker to the Event, Alex Colville kicked off his speech by introducing the British Education system and the UK private boarding schools. He said that UK private boarding schools represent a unique category of schools known for their academic rigour, extra-curricular activities and their practice of boarding houses, where students develop unique capabilities of self-discipline and teamwork. Himself an Old Rugbeian from Rugby School, one of the nine Clarendon Schools along with Eton, Winchester, Harrow and Westminster. Alex spoke about his UK boarding school experience and shared some insights about private boarding schools and their application process.
“Life at boarding schools can be tough but it has the benefit of self-discipline,” said Alex and when he found himself stuck at a hotel in Shandong for three months, he said it was the rigorous self-discipline instilled during his boarding days that helped him cope. He also shared how Boarding schools offer a comprehensive support for their students, with Housemasters living alongside the boys. The House Master and the personal Tutor are responsible for mentoring of the children aided by Matron, a parent figure.
Speaking about the unique benefits of private boarding schools, Alex said that the schools have more diverse student body although the highest majority of students will still be British. According to Independent Schools Council (ISC), overseas students at UK boarding schools have recently skyrocketed, accounting for 5.5% of total in independent schools which Chinese students being the most notable. He also said that boarding school students are known for their level of confidence, independence and well-developed leadership qualities.
Advising attendees as they prepare their children to apply to boarding schools in the UK, Alex emphasised that students will be required to have an above-average English Language proficiency before joining. Students will be also be expected to contribute to the school extra-curricular life and to be active members of the boarding school community. To help with a smooth transition, a private boarding school experience at a summer camp or prep school before can also be very crucial.
In one of the special highlights of the event, the 35th Headmaster of Harrow School, Mr. Alastair Land sent a video recorded message addressing the attendees and inviting them to Harrow School.
During the panel discussions that was moderated by Gaston Chee, the two Old Harrovians (OH) Weiji Ma and Owen Li shared with the audience about their boarding experience at Harrow School.
Weiji Ma mentioned how a good English proficiency, a solid academic foundation and a Harrow School summer camp helped to gain him admission to the School. Owen Li story is no different. Although he grew up in Canada, he said he still needed to prepare very well for his Harrow School application, including doing A-Level and GCSE courses support and a British history and interview tutoring to prepare for Harrow interview.
The panellists also shared their advice tips with attending parents who may be considering UK boarding school for their children. Owen Li stated that although there is no need to worry about the lack of care for the children at boarding schools, he emphasized that care must be taken not to make children feel abandoned so they can learn to create a healthy integration and a collective sense of living as soon as possible. Weiji Ma also shared that in addition to ensuring good language skills and a solid academic foundation, he believes parents should communicate with their child to clearly understand their child, choosing the suitable age to send them off to board.
Praising their boarding school experience, both shared how it gave them good academic foundation for further study and life, by ensuring they assume different roles and cultivate important skills for collective living. The two Old Harrovians ended it by sharing their fond memories of their boarding days at Harrow School with a taste of eloquence resonant of their school Harrow, one of the oldest and best boarding schools in the UK and the world.
Owen Li recalled the challenges from the methodic rigour and age-old tradition gave him a good exercise of teamwork and resilience, both qualities which still help him to this day. Weiji Ma also reflected how the collision between growing up into boyhood and Harrow’s strict etiquette education shaped his masculinity. Gaston Chee, himself a boarder at UK boarding school, also echoed the Old Harrovians’ comments on benefits of boarding school education and how it aides students to be independent and increases their chances of successful admission to college and universities application.
The last speaker of the event was the Associate Director and Head of Academic Department at BeGo. Hui Yeeng briefed the audience on the current state of boarding schools, the data on studying abroad at a young age, the increase in the number of applications for studying abroad in the UK under the epidemic situation, and the strict anti-epidemic measures taken by the government and schools. She also introduced boarding school application processes and the importance of preparing early and well in advance for UK boarding schools. She concluded by advising that parents should seek professional counselling and educational support.
BeGo Education has been supporting many families apply to UK boarding schools including Harrow School, Dulwich College (UK), Tudor, Oundle, Packwood and Shrewsbury and top universities including Ox-bridge, LSE, Imperial and King’s College many others.
Organised by BeGo Education with the support of LC Venture and Partners, the event was part of a series of events in a continued effort to ensure the public has meaningful and valuable access to educational resources and expert support, giving them an opportunity for a first-hand encounter with international education.
If you wish to find out more about the UK Boarding school application, talk to some of our consultants who are ready to help you with this.
Contact:
Ms. Cloria Yang (Chinese speaking).
Vicky Xu, (Chinese/English speaking).
Email: vicky.xu@begoedu.com
BeGo Education is a wholly-owned investment portfolio of LC Venture. Based in Beijing, BeGo Education operates a bespoke international education consultancy to supports Chinese families find a suitable international education pathway for their children in international schools in China or abroad in the UK and other destination.
To find out more about BeGo Education, visit: www.begoedu.com
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