Welcome to YK Pao School.
After 35 years of teaching in and leading some of the highest performing schools in the UK, I moved to Shanghai to join this remarkable school, first as Principal of the High School and more recently as the Executive Headmaster.
In a relatively short space of time, YK Pao School has established itself as one of the leading private schools in China for its forward-thinking educational philosophy. It is no coincidence that nearly all the major school groups working in China today are now seeking to replicate the vision of the Pao School's Founders and establish bi-lingual institutions that aim to prepare students for the international marketplace.
However, one of the distinguishing aspects of YK Pao School and unquestionably one of the great delights of working here is that we are a non-profit school. As a result, the key driver of all the decisions we make as a school is quite simply what can we do to continually enhance the quality of education that we offer to our students.
Over the last few years, YK Pao School has opened its third campus with the new Middle School at Hongqiao whilst at the High School academic results have continued to rise. In 2020 our graduating students not only achieved an Average Point Score of 36 in their IB diploma exams with 100% achieving the prestigious bilingual diploma compared to a global average of 25%, they also achieved some 30 offers from the World’s top 10 universities including a good number from both the Ivy League and Oxbridge.
Although academic excellence sits at the centre of all that we do, nevertheless the School is passionately committed to holistic education. Time and again, I have so enjoyed watching creative drama productions where students not only are skillfully acting but also are writing, directing and producing their own plays. Likewise, our musicians, of all ages, not only perform at a high standard but are composing their own works whilst the quality of the art-work produced on all 3 campuses is exceptional and many of our students will go on to some of the leading Art Colleges around the globe.
Pao School has a tradition of success that emanates from its namesake, Sir YK Pao. Indeed, the School was founded on the 90th anniversary of his birth. He was the greatest of all the post-Second World War Chinese entrepreneurs who went to Hong Kong and, from scratch, built a commercial shipping empire second to none. His life and character have been memorialized in this School, where his spirit lives on. It is no wonder that Pao School is already producing students who are successful by any measure, and who also possess a genuine depth of character.
The School seeks to produce fully rounded students who exhibit compassion to others, integrity in their decision-making, and who can balance the various demands placed on them. We want to help students to become genuinely bilingual and bi-cultural, not just with paper qualifications, but fully able to write and read at a sophisticated level in both English and Mandarin. Pao School wants to encourage its students to preserve a love and knowledge of Chinese history, culture and language, whilst at the same time preparing them for full immersion into the international world of the 21st century.
The School aims “to build a world-class school for tomorrow’s China and for tomorrow’s world“, educating global citizens and future leaders on a foundation of academic excellence and strong values.” This is no empty claim. Perhaps never before has the world been in greater need of having future leaders who can be the bridge between China and the West. We see all our students as holding the future in the palm of their hands and are committed to ensuring that they are prepared as well as possible to make the world they inhabit, in China or beyond, the best it can be.
I would encourage you to come and visit our School. Come and see our excellent facilities but above all come and meet our outstanding students and inspiring teachers. If I can be of any help, please do not hesitate to contact me.
With my best wishes,
Mark Bishop MA (Oxon), MBA
Mark Bishop, Executive Headmaster of YK Pao School
