Wycombe Abbey International School of Changzhou

The school has been managed by BE Education[1] and is a British Boarding School, from Kindergarten through to year 13. WAISCZ prepares students to study abroad at universities primarily in the United Kingdom and United States by offering both IGCSE and A-Level study programmes.[2] WAISCZ is open to both Chinese and foreign students aged 3–18. Both the primary and secondary schools are built on the foundations of the British International Curriculum.

The school moved to a new campus in February 2015, a site which includes three teaching buildings, a purpose-built Watersports Centre (swimming pool and boathouse), a theatre and drama building, a separate kindergarten (KG) building, indoor basketball and tennis courts and outdoor sports facilities comprising a full-size athletics track and stadium with a grass sports field. The school's capacity is 1,600 students, which is projected to be achieved by September 2018.

In September 2016, the school was rebranded as Wycombe Abbey International School of Changzhou and is now the first overseas affiliate of Wycombe Abbey School in the United Kingdom. It educates both boys and girls while the mother school in the UK only educates girls. As of 2016 the school had students from at least 18 countries, with Chinese making up about 80% of the student body.[3]

Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou aims to prepare children to enter the world's leading universities and to become leaders in whatever career they choose to pursue. The school is an ultra-modern, high-end private boarding school for students aged 3-18, which integrates the Chinese National Curriculum with an internationalized curriculum and western pedagogical teaching methods, including a clear focus on students’ individual growth and development.

Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou combines a holistic curriculum with its own pastoral care system, and is committed to enabling its students to achieve all-round excellence. This, in addition to a distinctive and extensive academic curriculum, will develop the leaders of tomorrow. Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou stimulates intellectual curiosity and encourages all its students to pursue innovation and individual creativity, while developing their resilience and teamwork

At Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou, each student has their own tutor who is responsible for guiding them on their academic, holistic, and boarding life at school. Living and working in the same community, staff see students in a variety of different settings outside of class, enabling them to discover the children's hidden talents and skills. This depth of understanding creates a strong foundation for a holistic education that takes into consideration aspects of a child's growth and development.

Each child is assigned to a House when they first enter the school. Each House is composed of either boys or girls of different ages who all live together in the same boarding house.

At Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou, there is a full-time boarding programme.

Kindergarten follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This British curriculum promotes learning through play-based activity.

The Primary School offers a blended curriculum The Chinese National Curriculum is supplemented with an internationalized curriculum, where a significant number of lessons are delivered in English.  

The Secondary School delivers internationally recognised IGCSE and A-Level courses. This is supplemented by personalised and professional university counselling, which prepares students to enter prestigious schools and universities around the world.

The school encourages every student to take a well-planned range of IGCSE subjects in order to develop a broad base of skills and knowledge as a solid foundation for their A-Level courses. Usually offered as an option in schools, the A-Level EPQ is a compulsory course for all students. This course is challenging but it serves to demonstrate students' academic ability and gives them a competitive advantage in their university applications.

In the Senior Secondary School, students are given every support and encouragement to establish their favoured direction of progress, as informed by their interests, talents and ambitions for the future. With a rich variety of IGCSE and A Level courses on offer, as well as the super curriculum, the school helps students to conquer all the challenges they encounter on their learning journey.

The Distinctive Curriculum is a feature of the 15-year education programme at Wycombe Abbey Changzhou and includes holistic provision. It aims to provide students with opportunities to explore, create, and learn.

Physical education and sports

Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou believes that taking part in sports is a fantastic way to strengthen the body and mind. The sports provision includes both individual and team activities to help children achieve personal growth.

Art

Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou aims to offer students a broad set of creative experiences including in Art, Design, Design Technology and Photography. Students have the opportunity to explore all of these areas and discover where their strengths and talents lie. This program can prepare them for later specialisation in art, engineering, architecture and design.

Music

Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou provides students with a systematic and structured music education from Kindergarten to Sixth Form, including singing, composition, performance, music production and other courses and community activities. It provides children with opportunities to perform, as well as developing their self-confidence and adaptability.

Drama

At Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou, children read both classical and modern play scripts; they study performance skills, write scripts and learn every element of theatre production while developing their powers of expression, creativity, imagination, empathy, and collaboration, all of which are essential skills for life.

Extra-curricula activities

Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou provides numerous high-quality activities such as overseas trips, exchanges with prestigious universities and world-class competitions, including the internationally renowned 'DoE Outdoor Expedition', virtual United Nations Conference, national and international Mathematics competitions and the World Scholars Cup, as well as adventure activities such as mountaineering, diving and hiking.

Sports dome

The sports dome at Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou is one of the largest sports domes on any campus in the world. This dome ensures there is never any need to suspend sports activities due to adverse weather conditions or air pollution. Pupils can even participate in sports at night. More importantly, it provides a safe and healthy environment for pupils where air quality is constantly monitored and filtered in real-time.

Theater

The theater, which can seat 400 people, is equipped with a complete lighting control system and a sound control room. It is a space for lectures and films, and the Art and Music Departments are also located here. There are specially designed art classrooms and professional darkrooms for photography. For music, there are rooms for small-scale performances, rehearsals and ensembles, as well as instrument practice rooms, classrooms and a performance room equipped with a variety of state-of-the-art electronic instruments.

Indoor sports center

The indoor sports center at Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou includes a gym, weightlifting room, dance room and indoor tennis court as well as a basketball court that has a seating capacity for 400 spectators.

Water sports center

Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou has a 25-metre swimming pool in its water sports center and swimming lessons are mandatory for all pupils.

Rowing center

Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou’s rowing center is considered to be one of the best rowing facilities in Asia, having its own classroom, video analysis room, multifunctional training room and a sports science lab, with 15 Concept 2 rowing machines and more than 30 high-quality carbon fiber and Kevlar synthetic fiber racing boats.

• Official website
• Changzhou Wujin Oxford International College Experimental School at the Wayback Machine (archive index)