CCIS sits on a sprawling 10-acre campus equipped with purpose-built facilities, including boarding.
LIKE flowers, children need nurturing. You don’t shelter a flower and expect it to grow; instead, you nurture and sustain it in a supportive environment for it to thrive.
Drawing on the analogy, Concord College International School (CCIS) founding executive principal Neil Hawkins said the institution, set to open its doors in Malaysia this September, will nurture children aged five to 18, preparing them for university and for life.
This undertaking is not new to the team, as it has the solid support of Concord College, its successful sister school in the United Kingdom, founded in 1949.
It also has the backing of local property developer Sunsuria Berhad, which forged a strategic partnership with Concord College International Limited to establish and operate England’s premier international school within Sunsuria City in Sepang, Selangor.
Ter: ‘Quality is fundamentally embedded in the DNA of CCIS.’Sunsuria executive chairman Tan Sri Datuk Ter Leong Yap said providing the right education is very important for children.
“We built an education city in the Sunsuria City township, from childcare and primary school to secondary school and university. We are even putting in an incubator, making it a whole knowledge city for the local community and for people nationwide,” he said.
He added that the Concord College partnership fulfils the need for an exceptional international school.
“We want to create a place where students could not only achieve academic excellence but also develop the character, creativity and global perspective needed to thrive in the 21st century,” he said.
Concord ethos
That vision is set to be realised at CCIS through the successful Concord ethos of rigour, kindness and creativity.
“Every element of what we will do at the school has to be related to one of the three pillars,” said Hawkins, adding that the ethos also fuses eastern and western traditions.
“Rigour means expecting the very highest standards not only in academics but also in behaviour, and children expecting more from themselves.
“Kindness is just as essential because the world is full of conflict. The word ‘concord’ means harmony; it is integral to thinking in the East, and we believe in that very strongly.
“Creativity, then, is from that western tradition of solving a problem individually or collectively,” he said.
Hawkins: ‘Every element of what we will do at the school has to be related to the successful Concord ethos of rigour, kindness and creativity.’Ter, who is also CCIS board of governors chairman, added that quality is fundamentally embedded in the school’s DNA.
“We will not compromise quality for short-term gains at the expense of long-term sustainability.
“The academic achievement at Concord College is really good in the UK. We plan to achieve that here in Malaysia. We are confident we will bring out the best potential in the children,” he said.
According to Hawkins, up to 50% of students from the college are enrolled in the top five universities – Oxford University, Cambridge University, Imperial College London, University College London and London School of Economics – in the UK.
“That’s our goal in Malaysia, to replicate that to some extent.
“Another strength of Concord College is its specialised medical programme, which is part of its super curriculum.
“We’ll be looking to replicate elements of that in Malaysia to support children in their applications to medical school,” said Hawkins.
Super curriculum
In addition to offering an education based on the English national curriculum for primary, secondary (International General Certificate of Secondary Education or IGCSE), and sixth form (A-Levels), CCIS takes a step further in equipping students for the future through its career-centred activities, known as the super curriculum.
“Our curriculum is designed to challenge and inspire students, preparing them for the rigours of higher education and the demands of the modern workplace.
“The super curriculum is an enrichment programme implemented at Concord College. We take our curriculum areas and enrich them in ways that are interesting, fun and stimulating,” said Ter.
Pointing to the recent memorandum of understanding signed between CCIS and Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM), located opposite the school, Hawkins said the two parties will collaborate on various programmes, which include giving CCIS students access to departments at the varsity at age-appropriate times.
He added that as the world moves into artificial intelligence (AI), CCIS students can benefit from XMUM’s AI department.
“Our curriculum will have a strong core, but will have all these branches to help children see why we educate and prepare them for the world that they might head into,” he said.
Also supporting the rigorous curriculum at CCIS is its team of fully committed staff members.
“We are very confident in our staff. We managed to appoint some very fine leaders and teachers, which is a great endorsement of our quality,” said Hawkins, highlighting the strong pedigree and experience of CCIS founding head of secondary Dr Phil Outram, founding deputy head Brian Lees, and founding head of primary Rosanna Kirkbride.
Holistic environment
Besides academics and supercurriculars, CCIS emphasises students’ holistic development through extracurricular activities.
Hawkins said the real art of education is helping children see what they can become.
“It happens by creating an environment in which young people feel safe to explore different interests.
“Becoming more than they are is the essence of it, which reflects the ethos,” he said.
He added that opportunities will be plentiful, whether academic, sporting, dramatic, musical or for developing leadership.
“We’re trying to nurture human beings in all their facets,” he said. He also said the school’s purpose-built facilities, including boarding and its pastoral care programme, on its sprawling 10-acre campus support the children’s pursuits.
“The overall sense is of a campus that is safe,” he said, adding that the school functions as its own village and community.
“That’s really important for a good school. When children, parents or teachers are there, they should feel they are entering a community that is like an extended family,” he said.
Ter added that the alumni of Concord College, known as Concordians, share a strong bond. Students joining the Concord community will become part of a network that includes 9,000 alumni members, with 1,000 of them being Malaysians, he said.
September intake
CCIS, which can accommodate up to 1,200 students, will commence its first intake in September, with boarders arriving on Sept 1 and classes beginning on Sept 2.
Inaugural families will benefit from a generous rebate off the full tuition fee for each student at the school, with greater rebates offered for earlier applications received before the opening.
Scholarships, awarded based on scholastic potential, will be a percentage of the tuition fee, and sibling rebates will also be available.
Ter said plans are afoot to expand CCIS nationwide – with branch campuses in Ampang and Penang.
He, however, emphasised that the team’s top priority is ensuring the successful running of CCIS in Sunsuria City.
“We hope to spread the high quality of education worldwide. It has to be step by step.
“We need to make sure we hire a quality, well-trained team,” he said.
Both Ter and Hawkins, whose sons graduated from Concord College, personally attested to its quality of education.
“Just look at the track record of Concord.
“I’ve seen it both as an educator and a parent, and I’ve dedicated my professional life to Concord. It’s not just another school,” said Hawkins.
“As a grandfather, I will encourage my grandchildren to attend Concord, whether in Malaysia or the UK. CCIS in Malaysia will be as good as what it is in the UK,” said Ter.
With CCIS as the latest addition, Concord College now boasts three overseas campuses, including two others in Shanghai, China.
Concord College International operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bell Concord Educational Trust Limited, a UK-based educational charity.
For more information on CCIS, visit concordcollege.edu.my or call 019-608 6221.
