Ten years ago, Harrow Shanghai began to take shape on a construction site. When the first pupils walked through its doors, some were afraid to go to the toilet on their own. Some struggled to keep up on the sports field. Some stood by the swimming pool, making excuse after excuse to avoid getting into the water. Others became so nervous when speaking in front of an audience that they could barely get a word out.
Ten years on, here they stand: an all-round athlete, a student monitor, a key member of the swimming team, and a young person who is still in the process of becoming himself.
Today, we are not here to talk about “excellence”. We want to explore a different question: how does growth really happen?
It cannot be summed up simply by saying that “a child has worked hard”. It is about a specific fear meeting a specific act of support, and gradually growing into a tangible outcome.
Andrew Z.｜From a Timid Boy to an All-Round Athlete
On 5 September 2016, Andrew joined Harrow Shanghai as one of its founding pupils. Back then, he was so timid that he was “even afraid to go to the toilet and would only dare to go if a teacher accompanied me”.
Over the past ten years, the school has gradually helped him move beyond his shyness and onto the sports field, into the swimming pool and onto the football pitch. Whether football, basketball, swimming or chess, the school gave him opportunities to try each activity and take part. During his primary school years, the Head Master also provided him with targeted one-to-one support, helping him build his confidence step by step.
Ten years on, he has grown into an all-round athlete.
The moment he remembers most vividly is the football final at the 2025 Harrow Games. Their opponents were strong, and the pressure was intense, but no one backed down.
“Some charged forward to win the ball back, while others held the defensive line and provided cover. We trusted and supported one another. True courage is not about feeling no fear at all. It is about feeling nervous inside, yet still gritting your teeth and facing the challenge head-on.”
In the end, they were crowned champions.
Dele D.｜How One Word from a Coach Taught Him to Play to His Strengths
Dele began PE lessons in Year 2. He performed well in most sports, but football was a different story. As a child, he was a little overweight and not particularly agile, so he often struggled to keep up during training. In one away match on a Saturday, his team were completely outplayed and lost to several teams in succession. After that experience, he lost confidence in football altogether, convinced that he was “bad at every aspect of the sport”.
The turning point came during an otherwise ordinary training session. His coach said something that Dele still remembers today:
“There is no such thing as a ‘good player’ or a ‘bad player’. What matters is whether each person can make the most of their strengths.”
His school coach’s words helped him understand that, by identifying and building on his strengths, he could keep improving.
Today, he is a student monitor at the school. Sport has taught him things more valuable than simply “winning”: resilience, perseverance and hard work.
“The result is not always the most important thing; the process is. As long as you continue to put in the effort and work hard, there is always something to gain, whatever the outcome.”
A decisive football match last year gave him the best possible answer to his doubts. A win would secure his team’s promotion to the top division of the Shanghai International Schools Football League. He scored a superb goal that all but sealed the victory.
“Seeing all our hard work finally pay off helped me regain my confidence.”
Andrew T.｜From “Making Excuses to Avoid the Water” to 17 Medals
Andrew did not begin formal swimming lessons until 2022. By then, his peers were already swimming considerably faster than he was. At first, he did not enjoy swimming at all. On the day of his first training session at a swimming club, he was so nervous on the way there that he kept making excuses because he didn’t want to go.
It was the school that gave him his first real opportunity to compete in an official event. At Round 4 of the SSL last year, he swam the 400-metre freestyle for the first time. He was nervous and afraid of making mistakes, yet he achieved a personal best of 5:40. He has since improved that time by another ten seconds. Earlier, at Round 3 of the SSL in February 2025, he was so nervous and mentally unprepared when he first competed in the 200-metre freestyle that he struggled to settle. His two friends, Edward and Eddy, stayed by his side and encouraged him throughout.
“Even when the results were not what I had hoped for, they were always there for me, giving me the courage to try again.”
Today, he has won 17 medals, and whenever four swimmers are available, he takes part in relay races. Yet he believes that the most important rewards have never been the medals themselves.
“Winning is simply the result of hard work; it never comes easily. Whatever goal we want to achieve, effort is essential.”
He trains about five times a week, plus one gym session. When he feels so exhausted that he wants to give up, he reminds himself that perseverance brings its own rewards.
Perhaps his proudest moment, however, did not take place in the swimming pool. At the 2025 Harrow Games, his team finished first in the football competition among all AISL schools.
“All the schools were strong. My teammates and I ran hard, worked tirelessly towards the same goal and encouraged one another along the way. Those two days were when I first understood that teamwork is far more powerful than going it alone.”
Daniel T.｜From “I Can’t Do It” to Becoming Himself
In Year 3, Daniel was asked to give a speech in front of his whole class for the first time. He was so nervous that he did not know what to do. Later, during a group art project in Year 5, he felt that his artistic skills were not good enough. At first, he left most of the work to his teammates because he believed he had little to contribute.
A teacher’s encouragement gave him the push he needed. “I knew I probably wouldn’t do a very good job, but I decided to give it a try anyway. My work probably wasn’t the best, but I was glad I had actually tried instead of sitting on the sidelines watching others do it. Sometimes, the most important thing is having the courage to give something a go.”
Over the past ten years, Harrow has given him the freedom to explore different interests, from music, rowing, science and computing to a wide range of projects and leadership opportunities. He has never been expected to fit into a particular mould of what a “good pupil” should be.
As a result, he has developed his own understanding of leadership. Rather than seeing a leader as someone who stands above others and gives orders, he believes leadership is about helping a team move forward together.
“Everyone is equal, and everyone can be a leader in their own way. When people’s ideas are listened to and everyone has a role to play, they are more willing to contribute.”
Perhaps this is what he most wants to say:
“Harrow never told me who I should become; it gave me enough opportunities to figure that out for myself.”
Ten years ago, each of these pupils arrived at Harrow with something they didn’t dare to do: going to the toilet alone, playing football, getting into the water, or speaking in front of an audience.
Ten years later, each has found their own way to show what they now dare to do.
Throughout those ten years, Harrow has never sought to tell them who they should become. Instead, whenever hesitation arose, someone reached out a helping hand: one-on-one mentoring from the Head Master, a word from the coach, a teacher’s encouragement, and one opportunity after another on the field of play.
Ten years in the making. Growing into ourselves.
Happy 10th Anniversary, Harrow Shanghai!
Ten years of walking together. Thank you to our founding students for becoming uniquely yourselves here!