Secondary Campus Weekly Update 3 Nov 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Last week was vibrant with a range of activities around our campus that truly showcased our students' talents and spirit. A particular highlight was the Young Musician of the Year event, where we witnessed a phenomenal display of musicality; well done to all our talented students, and a heartfelt thank you to our music department for organising such a fantastic showcase. House Friday took a spooky turn with Halloween-themed fun, featuring an excellent KS3 spooktacular dance-off and the hugely successful Box of Hope Halloween bake sale.

Over the weekend, our students also excelled at the World Maths Championships held at the Korean International School, with seven of our representatives receiving invitations to compete in the Final in Melbourne, Australia—an outstanding achievement!

This week, we look forward to welcoming many families for our KS5 parent events, as well as some of our KS3 parents for the Year 7 Parents' Evening. Additionally, next week marks Anti-Bullying Week, and we have a range of activities planned, including encouraging students to wear odd socks on Monday to kick off this important initiative. More information relating to this can be found below.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!

Young Musician of the Year – Mr. Sayce

This year’s Young Musician of the Year competition has been the biggest ever with over 70 students from all year groups taking part from start to finish. The skill level this year has been outstanding to see through all four categories, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Virtuoso.

In the initial stages of the competition, the calibre of musicians and playing standards have never been so high with so many returning players and so many new competitors it made the virtual round incredibly hard to judge for the music team.

The students who made it to the semi-finals for each category are below:

This is the first year since the COVID pandemic where live semi-finals have been able to take place and the events were a resounding success. The semifinals took place during lunch times on the 20th, 21st, 22nd & 23rd of October with two finalists being chosen by the judges for that day. Our school House Champions and musicians within the staff were delighted to watch and hear the fantastic display of musicianship each day and decide on the two students who would perform in the final.

“This is such a hard decision to make. I want them all to win” - Mr. Ankers (Windsor House Champion) judging the Virtuoso Semifinal.

Students who were chosen to represent their category in the final were:

The final of the Young Musician of the Year Competition took place on Monday, 27th October and was very well attended by students, staff and parents, all of whom gave a wonderful amount of support to those performing. The standard of performing has never been higher in the final and our massive congratulations are given to the winner of each category.

Beginner Category Winner
Samantha, Y7

Intermediate Category Winner
Lucas, Y9

Advanced Category Winner
Ruskin Y11

Virtuoso Category Winner
Linus, Y9

FOBISIA Advanced Orchestral Choral Festival Update – Mr. Sayce

The 24th, 25th and 26th of October saw 8 students from NAIS HK join with 12 other international schools from across Asia in a joint orchestral and choral festival. Over 200 students came together to sing and play Karl Jenkins’ A Mass for Peace under the professional direction of Jonathan Mann, an outstanding professional Welsh conductor.

Students worked tirelessly for three days to rehearse a full concert of music to an incredibly high standard. With the emotion and advanced musicality of the performance coming through from the very beginning, students performed at the highest levels with the ‘cream of the crop’ from other schools.

The concert took place at Kellett school and was filmed and professionally recorded, this is available for you to watch here:

FOBISIA Orchestral & Choral Festival 2025
(This link should be accessed through your child’s NAIS email address)

House Halloween Spooktacular – Mrs. Procter

Our student led House Halloween Spooktacular was a fantastic success, with bake sales, creative costumes and House dance offs.

It was a tight contest last Friday, with KS3 making an excellent start to the Holloween Dance Off. The judges could not decide on winners for KS3 and requested a dance off between Balmoral and Windsor. The judges concluded Windsor the champions for the KS3 dance off, with a special shout out to Marshall in Balmoral and Felix in Windsor. KS4 saw another tight battle between Windsor and Balmoral. However, at the last moment, with their creativity and dedication to the KS4 dance off, with Ruby and Alfie leading the way for their House it was decided that Balmoral should be declared the overall winners of this year’s Halloween House Friday dance off champions. Congratulations Balmoral!

World Maths Championship – Mr. McIntosh

Nord Anglia Hong Kong participated enthusiastically in the qualifier for the World Maths Championship (WMC) held at Korean International, showcasing their impressive mathematical skills. The competition involved multiple rounds of challenging problem-solving tasks, testing students' reasoning, speed, and accuracy. Several schools from across Hong Kong took part, creating a highly competitive environment. Nord Anglia Hong Kong performed exceptionally well throughout the event, with seven of our students earning the coveted golden tickets to advance to the finals in Melbourne, Australia. Their outstanding achievement reflects the dedication and talent of our students, as well as the strong support from their teachers.

STEAM Update – Mr. Rees

ASK MIT Program
Students have been participating in ASK MIT, a global initiative where Nord Anglia students submit questions to experts at MIT. Recently, a school in Switzerland asked how LEGO could be made more environmentally friendly. Mechanical engineers Daniel Braconnier and Kaitlyn Gee explained the challenges and solutions in LEGO’s manufacturing process. Our students then had the chance to submit follow-up questions and are eagerly awaiting responses!

Anti Bullying Week (10th November – 14th November)

‘The Power for Good’

Next week, our school will be proudly supporting the UK national Anti-Bullying Week 2025 (10th - 14th November). This is an important opportunity for us to come together as a community to reinforce our core values of kindness and respect.

This year's powerful theme from the Anti-Bullying Alliance is 'Power for Good'. The aim is to empower our young people to use their individual and collective voice for positive change, to understand how to be an effective bystander, and to recognise the immense power we all have to make a difference.

To launch the week with a fun and visible show of solidarity, we invite all students to participate in 'Odd Socks Day' on Monday, 10th November. This is a simple and popular way to celebrate what makes us all unique! Students are encouraged to wear their most colourful, mismatched socks to school (with their usual uniform) to mark the start of the week.

Throughout the fortnight, our tutor time sessions will be dedicated to exploring this year's theme in depth. We will be using official resources from the Anti-Bullying Alliance to facilitate discussions and activities that help students understand:

• How to use their own 'Power for Good'.
• The importance of safe and effective bystander intervention.
• Strategies for building a school environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and respected.

We encourage you to talk with your child about this important topic at home. Discussing what 'Power for Good' means to them and sharing your own values on kindness and standing up for others can powerfully reinforce the messages we are sharing in school.

Upcoming MIT Monday Lecture

We are also excited to announce the next MIT Monday lecture, taking place on Monday, 3rd November in the Innovation Space on the 6th floor. This session will feature Zoë de Beurs, an MIT graduate student, who will share how she uses artificial intelligence to search for planets that could sustain life.

Lecture Description:
How can we find planets beyond our solar system? And are any of them similar to Earth? Zoë de Beurs uses a powerful telescope in the Canary Islands to uncover mysterious worlds light years away. She will show high-quality images of stars, reveal clues about how planets might be orbiting them, and explain how AI helps us discover these exciting alien worlds!

Creative Making Across the School

Students have been designing and building throughout their lessons and extra-curricular activities, and we wanted to share some of the amazing projects happening in our school:

Up-Cycling ECA: Students have been creating stylish, reusable bags from old fabrics, giving new life to materials that would otherwise go to waste.

(Images: beautifully crafted fabric bags with unique designs)

Computer Science & Technology: Students have been designing smart electronics using Arduino and Micro:bit microcontrollers, combining coding with real-world applications.

(Image: students showcasing their microcontroller projects with wiring and components)

Makerspace ECA: Students have been mastering 3D printing to produce custom badges and keychains, learning both design and fabrication skills.

(Image: students showcasing their badges they designed and printed, proudly in Nord Anglia blue!)

Sports Updates – Miss. Wiltshire

Match Reports

U16 Boys Volleyball

The U16 boys' volleyball team faced a challenging final match against TSIS under tough conditions, with only six players fit to compete. Despite the odds, the team displayed remarkable determination throughout the game.

In the first set, the Knights started strong but fell short, losing 23-25. The set was marked by several unforced errors and contentious net calls that stirred the crowd's excitement. Despite leading 23-20, the team was unable to close it out.

The second set saw a shift in momentum. Although errors continued to plague both teams, the Knights remained focused and resilient. TSIS, confident in their victory, underestimated the Knights' spirit, resulting in a thrilling comeback. The Knights secured the second set 25-22, with standout performances, particularly from Tony C, who maintained composure and delivered crucial points.

In the final set, the Knights showcased their teamwork and skill, decisively winning 15-8 and clinching the match. This impressive victory is a testament to the players' dedication and teamwork, especially given the challenge of competing without substitutes.

The Knights continue their journey, and we are proud of their accomplishments this season. Thank you for your support!

U16 Girls Volleyball - Finals

The U16 Girls Volleyball squad had an impressive run in the ISSFHK Division 2 League, dominating throughout the season. However, during the Playoffs, things didn’t go as planned.

The girls were determined to succeed, showing remarkable resilience and effort to turn the tide. Unfortunately, a lack of communication and not being fully alert resulted in some misjudgments in calls, passes, and hits. While our serving was strong and a definite advantage, it wasn't enough to secure a win. They fought hard to regain momentum in the second set, but luck was not on our side, leading to a 2-0 defeat against AISHK.

In the second match, emotions ran high, leading to some frustration. After a timeout, the girls began to settle and took an early lead. However, movement on the court was lacking, spacing wasn’t adequately covered, and communication issues persisted, ultimately resulting in another loss. With a chance to keep medal hopes alive, they found themselves up 21-19, looking poised to push for a third set. Sadly, it just wasn’t our day, and they fell short at 25-23.

Despite the losses, the girls have had an incredible season, both individually and as a team. Their growth in gameplay, sportsmanship, and team spirit has been outstanding. Winning 7 out of 8 matches in the main season is an achievement to be proud of. We are immensely proud of our girls, and in our eyes, they are true winners. Goooooo Knights!

Looking Ahead

Wednesday 5th November at 08:20 – 09:20 – Y12/13 IB Welcome Morning
Wednesday 5th November – Year 7 Parents’ Evening
Tuesday 11th November at 17:00 – 18:00 – IB Pathways Event
Wednesday 12th November – Year 10 and Year 12 Parents’ Evening
Monday 17th – Friday 28th November – Year 13 Mock Examinations
Monday 24th – Friday 28th November – Secondary Enrichment Week
Friday 21st November – Staff CPD Day (School closed for students)
Wednesday 3rd December – Winter Concert
Monday 8th December – All Schools Closed – Day after Hong Kong elections
Wednesday 17th December – School Closes for End of Term at 12:30pm

Best regards,

Fiona Thorndike
Head of Secondary