Dear Parents,
As the term continues to gather momentum, I am delighted to share a few updates from across Harrow International School Shanghai. It has been a busy and rewarding period, with exciting developments in our pupils’ daily experience, new opportunities for learning and a significant milestone in the school’s wider educational connections.
At the heart of everything we do is our Harrow Shanghai family. The partnership between pupils, parents and staff is central to our success, and I remain committed to ensuring that we listen carefully to your views, communicate openly and continue to strengthen the experience we offer every child.
Listening to our community: food, nutrition and sustainability
I would like to begin by thanking all the pupils and parents who recently took part in our food and nutrition survey. Food is an important part of every child’s daily life at school, influencing their wellbeing, energy and readiness to learn. It is therefore something we take seriously, and your feedback is invaluable in helping us make informed decisions.
We are equally committed to sustainability, environmental responsibility and the preservation of our natural world. In recent years, our No Meat Monday initiative has provided an opportunity to raise awareness of these important issues and encourage pupils to consider the environmental and social impact of their choices.
As part of our ongoing review of the pupil experience, we invited both pupils and parents to share their views on the continuation of this initiative. The results were consistent, with a significant majority expressing a preference for meat options to be available at lunchtime throughout the week.
Having listened carefully to this feedback, we will, with immediate effect, trial the availability of meat options on Mondays alongside our existing menu choices. We will review this arrangement at the end of the second term, taking account of the experience of our pupils and the views of our community.
Importantly, our commitment to sustainability education remains unchanged. We will continue to explore these issues through classroom learning, dedicated seminars and pupil-led events, ensuring that environmental awareness remains an integral part of life at Harrow Shanghai.
Thank you once again to everyone who participated. This is an excellent example of how constructive communication between home and school can lead to thoughtful, responsive decisions that put our pupils first.
A significant milestone: joining the HMC community
I am particularly pleased to share some important news from this week: Harrow Shanghai has received approval to join the Heads’ Conference (HMC), one of the most respected associations in international education.
Founded in the United Kingdom in 1869, HMC was the world’s first association for head teachers and has developed into a distinguished global community of leading independent schools. Its membership represents a recognised mark of quality, innovation and excellence in education, bringing together schools across the British Isles and around the world that share a commitment to academic ambition, outstanding pastoral care and an enriching, holistic education.
This approval represents an important milestone for Harrow Shanghai. It recognises our place within a wider community of educational excellence and creates valuable opportunities for our pupils and staff to benefit from collaboration, shared expertise and international connections.
Through HMC, we will have access to a wider network of sporting and co-curricular opportunities, academic initiatives and partnerships with affiliated educational organisations. Our teachers will also benefit from professional development, shared resources and opportunities to exchange ideas with colleagues in leading schools internationally, with the ultimate aim of bringing fresh perspectives and outstanding practice directly into our classrooms.
For me, this is about much more than membership of an organisation. It is about ensuring that Harrow Shanghai continues to look outward, learn from others and provide our pupils with the very best opportunities to flourish. It reinforces our ambition to combine the traditions and values of a great British education with the opportunities and outlook of an international school community.
Celebrating a love of reading: Booktober
As October draws to a close, it has been wonderful to see our school community come alive with the joy of reading and writing through our Booktober celebrations.
Across the Lower School, pupils have been exploring much-loved British authors, enjoying guest readers during Friday story times and participating in extended literacy activities that have brought stories and language to life. These experiences help nurture curiosity, imagination and confidence, while encouraging children to discover the pleasure that reading can bring.
In the Upper School, we have also launched the Harrow Book Society, a new extracurricular reading initiative designed to foster a lifelong love of literature. The society offers opportunities for pupils in Years 6–9 through the Junior Society and Years 10–13 through the Senior Society.
I particularly enjoyed congratulating our founding members at their inaugural meeting this Thursday. Each received a membership card, book and pin to commemorate the occasion and mark the beginning of this exciting new chapter.
Reading opens doors to new ideas, cultures and perspectives. By creating opportunities for pupils to read widely, discuss ideas and share their enthusiasm for books, we hope to cultivate not only stronger readers and writers, but also thoughtful, articulate and curious young people.
Booktober has been a wonderful reminder that learning extends far beyond the classroom and is enriched when our whole community celebrates it together.
Looking ahead: our Harrow Shanghai family
These developments reflect a common purpose: to keep improving the experience we provide for every pupil. Whether we are responding to feedback about lunchtime provision, building international educational partnerships or inspiring a love of reading, our decisions are guided by the same principle: our pupils must remain at the heart of everything we do.
I would also like to express my sincere thanks for the warm welcome, trust and support you have shown me in my role as Head Master. I have greatly valued the opportunity to meet so many members of our parent community and to hear your thoughts, aspirations and hopes for your children.
A successful school is built on strong relationships, mutual respect and open communication. I want every family to feel that they are part of Harrow Shanghai, that their voice matters and that we are working together towards the same goal: enabling every child to achieve their academic potential, develop their character and discover their individual strengths.
I look forward to many more opportunities to meet with you, hear your feedback and celebrate the achievements of our pupils as the term progresses.
Thank you for being such an important part of our Harrow Shanghai family. I wish you and your families a happy and restful end to October, and I look forward to all that we will continue to achieve together.
With warmest wishes,
Christopher McAllister Head Master