Christ College – MALAYSIAN PROJECT GETS THE GO AHEAD
21 Jan 2016
The Chairman of the Governors of the school, Sir Paul Silk KCB, has signed an agreement with DBH Holdings of Malaysia whereby the parties will collaborate to identify and explore opportunities to establish a new school in Malaysia – a sister school to Christ College, designed in the image of the Brecon school.
Emma Taylor, Christ College’s Head, expressing her excitement at the project said, “We examine closely all opportunities to develop Christ College and build on its successes, while ensuring that the provision for the pupils here in Brecon is our top priority. The quality and style of education that British schools like Christ College offer is an internationally-prized asset. It is not a great surprise that leading British independent schools are expanding their operations across the globe.”
Christ College has established an enviable reputation for excellent academic results, high-quality pastoral care and a range and breadth of extra-curricular opportunities, and has recently been listed in the top 100 schools in the UK in the Daily Telegraph A level league tables, and in the top 10 schools in terms of value for money. These, among other achievements, have been noticed beyond Wales and even beyond the UK.
The school’s Senior Management and Governors have for some months been carefully following up an expression of interest from developers and educationalists in Malaysia. Datuk Benny Hoe and members of his company have visited Christ College on a number of occasions, and the shared wish to establish a new CCB international school in Malaysia has reached a significant milestone with this signing.
A growing number of high-profile schools have already ventured into similar territory, and Christ College is pleased to join their ranks.
Mrs Taylor remarked, “We are still very much in the early stages of this relationship but we are working well with our Malaysian partners. Simon Spencer, with the assistance of other members of the school’s Senior Management Team, will be working with the Malaysian teamover the coming weeks and months to support them in applying for the licence needed to set up a new school in Malaysia. We are planning to see the new school opened in September 2018, or even 2017 depending on the speed of the licensing process and the building works required. “
We are confident that this will have a beneficial effect on the resources available here in Brecon, and allow us to continue to improve our facilities and embark on future capital projects. The potential to improve the school experiences of pupils and staff is at the core of all we do, and central to this new venture.
“We envisage that CCB staff and pupils will be involved in exchange visits, with wonderful opportunities for further cultural enrichment. We already have excellent exchange schemes with schools in China and Japan; this new school will be in an even closer relationship with us (the intention is that even our uniforms, logos, and badges will look alike), and will foster cultural understanding and wider global experiences for our pupils.”