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The King's School Shenzhen International

China, Shenzhen

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English
Fees RMB 205,000 - 309,800
Ages 2 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 230
Type Co-educational (boarding)
Opened 2022
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum EYFS (Early years foundation stage), Cambridge (Primary), Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Levels
Taught languages Mandarin, English
Strengths STEM, Performing Arts, Languages
Clubs Arts and Creative, Academic and Intellectual, Community and Service
Stages Early Years, Primary School, Secondary School, High School, Sixth Form
Introduction

The King's School Shenzhen (Qianhai campus) opened for the first cohort in late October 2022 and is sited in Shenzhen's Qianhai Shenzhen–Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone. The school operates a 12-year Cambridge-based programme (including A-levels for senior students) and runs a separate King's kindergarten that uses the UK Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The campus was planned as a full boarding prep/senior school (boarding capacity cited by the school) and includes specialist rooms, sports provision and a dormitory building; it also runs robotics and drone/technology activity programmes and UK exchange links with the Canterbury school. The school's published recruitment/launch materials state an initial planned intake of about 200 students across 13 classes in its first year. All items above are taken from the school's official website.

No.375 Yuewan Road,Nanshan District,Shenzhen

The Essentials

The King's School Shenzhen International has 230 pupils, instruction in English.

Location

The school's main campus is in Qianhai, Nanshan District — address listed as No.375 Yuewan (月湾街375号), Shenzhen. It sits inside the Qianhai/Month Bay area, a short drive from central Nanshan and within reach of local metro and bus links (nearest metro references list Liyumen/Qianhai area).

Stages

The King's School Shenzhen serves ages 2–18: a Pre‑Prep/Early Years section (EYFS) for about 2–6 year‑olds, a Prep/Primary and Middle phase (roughly Years 1–8 / ages 6–14) and a Senior/High School for Years 9–12 (ages up to 18). Grade-year groupings and curriculum routes (EYFS, Cambridge IGCSE, A‑Levels) are described on the school site.

Type

The school is co‑educational and offers day places across the whole age range. Boarding is available from around Grade 4 upwards (lower‑year rooms are four‑person, older students 2‑person rooms per the school's boarding description).

Additional learning support

The school publishes a range of pastoral and academic support services: a Health & Well‑Being provision, English support and an academic support / pastoral care structure are mentioned on school materials and news items. For children with specific additional learning needs, the school describes inclusive support and structured academic/pastoral teams — parents are advised to discuss individual needs with admissions to confirm precise provisions.

Country affiliation

The Shenzhen school is an overseas branch of The King's School, Canterbury (UK) and states an operational link with the UK parent school. It is therefore affiliated with that British foundation rather than to a Chinese national chain.

Religious affiliation

The Shenzhen campus does not advertise a local religious denomination on its public pages; it operates as the international branch of The King's School Canterbury, a historic UK school with Church of England roots, but the Shenzhen materials focus on academic and pastoral provision rather than explicit religious observance.

School day structure

The school publishes an academic calendar and term dates but does not publish a single, fixed daily start/end time for every division on its public pages. Municipal guidance for Shenzhen schools sets typical earliest start times (for reference: primary not earlier than about 08:20, lower secondary not earlier than about 08:00), so exact daily timetables (arrival, break and lunch times) should be confirmed with admissions for the relevant year group.

Bus service

The school operates a paid school‑bus service for both the Early Years and the Main School; the admissions information and FAQ note that routes are arranged according to demand and currently cover parts of Nanshan, Bao'an and Futian. Specific stops, route maps, pick‑up/drop‑off times and fees are managed by the school and are provided to families when places are offered. }
Diving Deeper

Boarding Arrangements

The King's School Shenzhen International operates a boarding program at the Qianhai campus. Junior boarders live in four-person dorm rooms and senior boarders in two-person dorm rooms. A dedicated boarding team of four classroom teachers and three boarding tutors oversees daily life, with tutors residing on the same floors as boarders. Boarding life follows a structured routine with after-dinner activities, access to study spaces and library resources, and an evening study period supervised by teachers; the canteen provides three meals and three snacks daily.

Food Options

The in-house canteen is run by the school's catering team. It serves three meals and three snacks daily (breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning snack, afternoon snack, and evening snack), prepared to be delicious and nutritious.

Governance and Ownership

The school is part of The King's School network and has a sister-school relationship with The King's School Canterbury in the United Kingdom. The visit of The King's School Canterbury's Head and International Director to announce the Incoming Executive Principal signals ongoing cooperation and alignment between the Shenzhen and Canterbury campuses.
Fees

Annual tuition at The King's School Shenzhen International ranges from RMB 205,000 to RMB 309,800 for 2026/27.

Application and enrolment fees
- Application fee: RMB 2,000 (one‑time, non‑refundable).
- Placement / enrolment deposit: RMB 25,000 (paid on acceptance; held against future charges and refundable according to the school's terms and conditions).

Tuition fees (annual and typical term structure)
- Kindergarten (K1–K3): RMB 205,000 per year.
- Grades 1–3: RMB 236,500 per year.
- Grades 4–6: RMB 262,000 per year.
- Grades 7–10: RMB 288,800 per year.
- Grades 11–12: RMB 309,800 per year.

(Note: the school issues fee notices and offers payment in installments; historical practice shows a larger first installment followed by a second installment for the remaining balance, and an incentive for a single annual payment.)

Billing schedule and payment terms
- The school issues a formal fee notice with specific due dates. Families who pay the full year by the first deadline historically receive a discount (commonly a 2% annual‑payment discount). Installment schedules (for example a larger first payment followed by a second payment) have been used in prior years. Exact instalment amounts and deadlines are set in each year's fee notice.

Boarding / accommodation fees (where applicable)
- Boarding (weekday accommodation) is published at approximately RMB 100,000 per year (weekday: Sun–Thu); schools may invoice by semester (about RMB 50,000 per semester in past notices). Weekend boarding or additional nights is charged separately.

Other costs
- School uniform: charged separately (one‑off purchase on enrolment; prices vary by year group). Textbooks, exam fees, optional trips, certain extracurricular providers, lunch and transport are additional and charged as incurred. School lunch and other ancillary charges are commonly invoiced separately (monthly or per term).

Refunds and withdrawal
- The placement deposit is described as refundable subject to the school's published terms and conditions; withdrawal and refund adjustments follow the school's fee and refund policy as set out in the acceptance paperwork and fee notice.

Payment methods
- The school has required bank transfer for major payments in prior years (annual payments and first‑installment deadlines are often fulfilled by bank transfer); exact accepted payment channels and account details are provided on the school's fee notice. Other online or card options are not publicly detailed in the available fee notices.

Summary of gaps: public sources publish annual tuition, application fee and placement deposit and indicate installment arrangements, a discount for full‑year payment, and boarding charges; however, a definitive per‑term split for every year group for the current academic year was not found in openly published fee tables and is set each year in the school's formal fee notice.
Academics

The King's School Shenzhen International teaches EYFS (Early years foundation stage), Cambridge (Primary), Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Levels for students aged 2 to 18.

Curriculum

The King's School Shenzhen teaches ages 2–18 (kindergarten 2–6; primary/ prep approximately 6–14/Grades 1–8; senior/high school 15–18/Grades 9–12).
Early years (2–6) follow the UK Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework with bilingual staffing.
The primary/Prep phase combines elements of the Cambridge/ Cambridge Global curriculum with aspects of the Chinese national curriculum and school‑developed courses across maths, English, science and foundation subjects.
Senior school (Grades 9–10) delivers Cambridge IGCSE (offered as the standard two‑year programme or an intensive one‑year pathway), and Grades 11–12 proceed to AS/A‑Level study; students may also undertake an extended research project (EPQ/IPQ) and receive university‑entry guidance.
Instruction is primarily in English (Chinese language and China studies are taught in Chinese) and the school supplements the academic programme with co‑curricular activities and subject specialist teaching.
Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

The school presents a structured pastoral-care model adapted from The King's School, Canterbury and identifies pastoral care and wellbeing as a core element of school life. The Deputy Head for Pastoral Care (Mrs Carrie Cameron) leads homeroom teachers, tutors and the House system that are described as central to day-to-day student support. Co-curricular activities are explicitly linked to health and wellbeing in the school's programme. Boarding provision includes dedicated boarding tutors and supervised evening study to support students outside lesson time. (Sources: school pastoral pages and staff/news items).

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

The school states it operates an inclusive policy and has a Learning Support department that advises teachers and parents on additional learning needs. On entry pupils undertake baseline testing to help identify learning difficulties, and the school describes use of differentiation in class and, where appropriate, individual learning plans (ILPs). The school says it will refer students to external specialists (for example an educational psychologist) if needed and that interventions are discussed with parents. The website does not list specific categories of special educational needs it can support nor does it describe operating as a specialist SEN institution. (All points taken from the school's Q&A and learning-support descriptions).

English as an Additional Language (EAL)

The school publishes staff profiles and articles describing staff experience teaching pupils for whom English is an additional language and explains classroom approaches used to support language learners. Senior students are also given electronic materials to preview and review lessons to assist comprehension and language acquisition. The school's published information indicates in-class differentiation and learning-support input are used to help non-native English speakers. The website does not, however, show a separately named EAL department or a detailed, standalone EAL policy. (Information from staff/profile articles and the school's admissions/learning-support Q&A).

Mental Wellbeing

The school frames mental wellbeing within its pastoral-care provision and describes systems intended to ensure students feel safe and supported emotionally. Leadership states an aim to manage workload so pupils are “stretched not stressed,” and pastoral leaders oversee houses, tutors and boarding to support students' social and emotional needs. Boarding routines and co-curricular activities are described as offering structured opportunities to decompress and build resilience. Teachers and boarding tutors are presented as first-line contacts for students needing support; more formal referrals are handled through the Learning Support team and external specialists where necessary. (Sources: pastoral pages, news/Q&A and boarding article).
Parent Experience

History

The King's School Shenzhen International began as the school's first overseas kindergarten, which opened in Shenzhen in 2019 as an overseas branch of The King's School Canterbury. In January 2022 the school announced plans to expand into a full 1–12 campus in the Qianhai/Front Sea area, with middle and senior phases planned to open in the 2022 academic year. The Shenzhen campus has been led by senior staff seconded from the UK and announced its founding executive principal at the time of the expansion. The project is backed by a single listed investor identified in reporting as Hengyu Capital, which has been described as the school's sole investor.

Community

The school describes an active school community made up of international and local families and publishes regular newsletters and event calendars for parents. Typical community activities reported by the school and local press include regular campus open days, pastoral coffee mornings, seasonal cultural celebrations (for example Mid‑Autumn Festival), and student club activities such as a debate society. The school has used public information sessions and on‑campus open houses to involve families in curriculum and pastoral briefings.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

The school established its first Parent‑Teacher Association (家委会 / PTA) in the 2023–24 year; the school newsletter announced that the inaugural PTA meeting was scheduled for 25 September 2023 and invited parent applications. The newsletter describes the PTA as a channel to improve home–school communication and to involve parents in the school's ongoing development. The PTA invitation included a contact route (email to the school pastoral lead) for parents wishing to apply or participate. Early school calendars show the PTA working alongside the school calendar (open houses, pastoral coffee mornings and other parent events), indicating its role in coordinating parent engagement around those activities. The school's public posts and newsletters are the primary sources for these details.
Facilities

Facilities Overview

The King's School Shenzhen International comprises Pre-PreP, Prep School, and Senior School. The Pre-Prep School has over 3,000 square meters of outdoor space, one of the city's largest outdoor areas among international early years schools. The Pre-Prep includes Pre-K, K1, K2, and K3. The Pre-Prep classrooms are bright and airy with plenty of natural light and fresh air. The outdoor spaces include a sandpit, climbing frame, slide, swings, a football field, and a forest area, with weekly forest classes. The Pre-Prep campus was designed by architect Cindy Walters.

Sports Facilities

The co-curricular program includes a broad range of sports as part of the overall activities. The Pre-Prep outdoor space includes a football field. Outdoor spaces support active play and physical education, including a football field and other play installations.

Academic Facilities

The Pre-Prep provides a library, creator spaces, and art and physical exercise areas. The Pre-Prep classrooms are sunlit and airy with fresh air. The Prep and Senior School pages indicate Teaching and Learning arrangements and a Curriculum page for the Senior School. The school presents Curriculum information for its Senior School in the Curriculum section.

Extra Curricular Facilities

The co-curricular program includes sports, music, drama, art, debating, chess, and community work, with many clubs. The program offers trips and Summer Schools. Music opportunities include public performances, ensembles, orchestras, and choirs.
Reputation

Awards

• Red Dot Design Award (2023) — the school's website states the Qianhai campus won a 2023 Red Dot Design Award in Germany for its campus design; the Red Dot is an international design prize recognising product and communication design.

• The Plan (Italy) award — the school's website refers to The Plan Award (2023) in two places: one page says the campus was shortlisted for the Italian THE PLAN Award, and another page refers to a The Plan Award in 2023. Because the school's own pages use both “shortlisted” and wording that implies a win, the site's information about The Plan Award is inconsistent; I have listed it here because it appears on the school website, but the site does not present an unambiguous single statement of a win.

Note: I have included only awards and accreditations explicitly reported on the school's official website. The site also mentions items such as being a finalist in the 2022 China School Awards (Pastoral Care) and various student competition results, but those are either finalist/student-level recognitions rather than school wins or are awarded to students rather than to the school itself, so I did not include them in the list above.

Accreditations

• Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) — The school states it received official certification from Cambridge Assessment International Education in June 2023; this means KSS is authorised to deliver Cambridge curricula and assessments (e.g., Cambridge Pathway/A Levels) and to register students for CAIE examinations.

• Council of British International Schools (COBIS) — the school reports that it was awarded COBIS Compliance Status (a formal recognition following inspection) in November 2023; COBIS is a UK-based membership and quality-assurance organisation for British international schools and Compliance Status indicates the school met COBIS's inspection criteria.
Admissions

Admissions

1. Book a campus visit or virtual tour and create an admissions account. The school uses OpenApply for event booking and the application portal; parents should choose the correct campus (Pre‑Prep or Main School), pick the exact year group they are applying for, and use an email address they will keep because that login will be used for the whole application. (See booking fields and campus list on the OpenApply portal.)

2. Complete the online application form in OpenApply and upload required documents. Typical items the system asks for are the applicant's legal name and date of birth, parent/guardian details, current school reports, passport/ID copies, and immunisation/health records — make sure scanned documents match the form field requirements and that names match legal ID. Allow time to translate or certify any documents not in English or Chinese before upload.

3. Pay the application fee (if required) and submit the application for processing. The school's published fee schedule shows a one‑time application fee and a refundable deposit as part of first‑year charges for new intakes; expect to be invoiced after an initial application is accepted. Parents should confirm the current amounts and refund terms with admissions before payment because fees and refund conditions can change year to year.

4. Assessments and interviews are scheduled once the application and documents are complete. For entry to Years 1–6 the school's FAQ says the admissions assessments include CAT4 testing plus an interview; for Years 7–8 the school lists CAT4, a writing test and an interview. For kindergarten/early years there is usually an observational session or parent‑child meeting — read the specific test guidance so you can prepare the right ID, school reports and any required samples of work.

5. Wait for the admissions decision and, if offered, review the acceptance paperwork. If an offer is made you will normally receive an acceptance letter or offer and an invoice for the enrolment deposit/first term fee — check the acceptance deadline carefully, the exact deposit amount shown on the invoice, and the school's refund policy before you pay to secure the place. Keep correspondence and payment receipts in case you need them later.

6. Complete registration tasks and prepare for transition. After payment of the deposit and any required enrolment forms, the school may ask you to complete health forms, bus enrolment, uniform orders and other pre‑start checklists in the portal; you should also confirm start‑of‑term dates and induction/transition visits for your child. If your child needs learning support, disclose this early and upload any assessment reports so the school can plan support measures before term starts.

7. Practical items to be ready: legal ID (passport or national ID), recent school reports and transcripts, immunisation records, proof of residence for the correct campus, and any educational/psychological reports where relevant. If you are applying from overseas, check visa/guardian requirements for the relevant year group (the school may also offer boarding from Year 4 and above; confirm the boarding eligibility process separately). These specifics are referenced in the school's admissions pages and FAQs.

Scholarships

The King's School Shenzhen's senior‑school navigation includes a Scholarship Programme section, which indicates the school runs some form of scholarships at the senior level; however the detailed official scholarship terms (eligibility windows, application deadlines, selection criteria and award levels) are not fully published in a single detailed page that I could retrieve. Third‑party coverage and local school reports indicate the Shenzhen campus has offered senior‑school scholarships in recent years (academic scholarships and performing‑arts/specialist awards have been referenced) and that award levels reported in local media range from partial awards (for example 10% of fees) up to full tuition awards for outstanding candidates. Because third‑party articles summarise past programmes and the school's own scholarship page does not publish full application rules in the public HTML I could access, I recommend contacting admissions to request the current scholarship policy, application form and deadlines (and to ask whether awards are means‑tested, merit‑based, renewable, or limited to particular year groups).
School Events
The school has not added events