First Look: New ESF Island School
ESF Island School is on its way to having a new campus. Construction work started today at the secondary school’s site in Hong Kong Island – and the new HKD 1 billion school is due to open at the start of the 2022/23 school year.
The new Island School will have capacity for 1,200 students on a site covering more than 12,000 sq m. Since August 2017, its existing students have been temporarily relocated to a site in Sha Tin in the New Territories.
Established in 1967, Island School was the founding school of the ESF, and its 45-year-old campus on Borrett Road was in need of a major revamp. It is one of five secondary schools owned by ESF, which is the largest international schools organisation in Hong Kong.
Belinda Greer, CEO of ESF said: “Today is a big step forward in achieving our goal of delivering a brand new, state of the art school for Hong Kong. Island School is one of our oldest and best-known schools, but the work that starts today is not about demolishing the past, it is about building a new future.
“When the new Island School opens in a few years, it won’t just be one of the best schools in Hong Kong, it will be one of the most impressive in the world. ESF is a world class education system, but we have ambitions to go beyond that – to be world leaders. This new school is the embodiment of the scale of those ambitions.”
Read our review of ESF Island School here.
Once completed, the new Borrett Road campus will feature an eight-storey building with classrooms, a performing arts centre, an indoor swimming pool, a sports hall, basketball courts, modern labs, sky gardens, a cafe, innovative learning environments and creative studios.
Stephen Loggie, principal at Island School, said: “This is a landmark day for our school community and for ESF. The project has been many years in the making – so for us to reach this important milestone is of real significance for the current students – and the generations who have preceded them.”
“We are enjoying our temporary home in Sha Tin and we are delighted that the local community have embraced us so warmly. However, Borrett Road is our true home – and we cannot wait to get back.”
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