南方+“叹校”深圳曼校②：“一校两院”双培双升，A Level+AP展现多元发展路

Royal Mile Academy

The 'Last Mile' To Your Dream University

South Plus: As the founder of the ‘Royal Mile’ Global Elite Academy program at MIS, could you please share the original intention?

Mr. Gao: As we all know, MIS Shenzhen is the city's first international school that offers authentic British education and British boarding management. Over the past seven years, we have been committed to bringing the authentic British education to Shenzhen, so to speak, we are 'porters of authentic British education'.

However, in terms of specifics, there are subtle changes in each academic department, each educational stage, and even each academic year: we make timely adjustments based on the national conditions of Chinese education, the demands of Shenzhen parents, and the characteristics of students at different stages. This embodies the integration of international education from abroad with the local educational environment.

Three years ago, we launched the Royal Mile program, and this year we’re entering the fourth year. British education is not just about fancy uniforms, impressive campuses, and stylish foreign teachers as many people might think; its core logic lies in holistic education combined with academic achievements. Academic achievements should be the external manifestation of holistic education; when holistic education is done well, academic excellence naturally follows. Therefore, one of the goals of establishing the Royal Mile program is to make MIS a more China-suitable British school.

To put it simply, the full name of ‘Royal Mile’ is MIS ‘Royal Mile Global Elite Academy’. British schools offer a 14-year educational journey, starting from the EYFS (Early years foundation stage) to Year 13. If, in the end, students do not gain admission to their ideal universities, then from a results-oriented perspective, the "return on investment" of so much time, effort, and money would obviously be unsatisfactory.

Royal Mile students

Therefore, the first original intention of the ‘Royal Mile’ program is to help students sprint the ‘last mile’ of their academic journey in their four high school years, so that they can enter their dream universities. It should be noted that not every student can get into Oxford or Cambridge, and not everyone is suited to such universities; the right fit is the best. At the same time, we also have some students who excel academically and have comprehensive development; they have the potential to aim for Oxbridge. These students need systematic and targeted cultivation. ‘Royal Mile’ is to help such students accelerate their journey to the world's top universities, give them the last push in the ‘last mile’, achieving their goal of ‘aiming for Oxbridge, securing G5 universities’.

South Plus: The ‘Royal Mile Global Elite Academy’, an upgrade in MIS, naturally has higher requirements for students' competencies. What kind of students can get into ‘Royal Mile’? And what is the selection process like?

Mr. Gao: I have been in the international education industry for over 20 years, working in different countries and various types of international schools, nurturing diverse students into all kinds of prestigious universities worldwide. Due to my experience, or perhaps I have seen so many student, I have noticed that when Oxford and Cambridge admit "Oxbridge students" from China and those from the UK or other countries, their admission officers have different expectations.

Simply put, looking at the Oxbridge students admitted from China over the past 20 years, the majority can be summarized in a few words: excellent in math and science. In recent years, there has been an increase in students specializing in humanities and social sciences. Therefore, the profile of Royal Mile students also aligns with Oxbridge's expectations of Chinese students: excellent in math and science, proficient in liberal arts.

So, our selection process is about finding outstanding candidates to fit this profile. Firstly, like other international schools, we have initial written tests in English and mathematics. Here, we differentiate the test papers based on students' backgrounds, such as bilingual math papers for public school students and fully English papers for international students, to "tailor the exams to their abilities."

In the second round of interviews, there are two components: an "unsupervised group discussion" for English proficiency and a "mock Oxbridge interview" for subject competence, each lasting 30 minutes, totaling an hour. This is quite rare among international schools in Shenzhen and even nationwide.

It provides a comprehensive assessment of students' English proficiency, critical thinking, leadership, collaboration skills demonstrated in group discussions, as well as their passion for and potential in specific subjects.

The fundamental purpose of the selection exam is not to stump students but to better and more comprehensively understand them. Therefore, participating in our selection process is also an opportunity for students to experience our teaching philosophy, which is what I always emphasize as "learning before class", starting from the selection process.

Ivy Academy

Challenge Yourself To Unlimited Potential

South Plus: MIS is renowned for its authentic British education. Why introduce an American-oriented program within the British curriculum?

Mr. Shi: Shenzhen, as an international metropolis, has witnessed rapid development in international education in recent years. However, compared to Beijing and Shanghai, there is still a gap in the admission rate to the top 30 universities in the United States. One of the reasons is that international schools in Shenzhen have not sufficiently invested in the AP Curriculum, which is the most suitable curriculum for U.S. universities.

The American AP program itself does not offer courses; it only provides exams. Therefore, schools have some flexibility in preparing their own curricula. Moreover, there is no absolute single standard for undergraduate admissions to top U.S. universities. Each applicant is evaluated on multiple aspects, including academic potential, community service, hobbies, character, leadership, emotional intelligence, and resilience. To gain admission to a top U.S. university, your life must be exceptionally unique and outstanding. Generally, we say that if you want a stable and predictable path, you should consider the British system first. But if you want to fully showcase your individuality, challenge your potential, and become more distinctive, you should consider the American universities.

MIS emphasizes the perfect combination of holistic education and academic excellence. We are more than willing to discover the hobbies and strengths of each student and help them become the best version of themselves. Therefore, introducing an American-oriented program inside the British school, in my opinion, is a combination of advantages, allowing more students to find the most suitable path for their further education.

South Plus: The first-year enrollment for IVY Academy has been completed. How are the students like?

Mr. Shi: We have admitted 15 students in the first year, and each of them has their own unique qualities. For example, there's a national champion in robotics competitions, an international gold medal winner in debate competitions, a national-level golf athlete, a computer prodigy, and so on. These children not only possess a spirit of innovation but also have a global perspective and world awareness. More importantly, they all have a restless ambition to pursue the world's top universities.

AP students

They are currently in the Year 10 of the British system, which is equivalent to the 9th grade in public schools. However, IVY Academy has already started offering them five AP courses. These students can choose to study up to 3 courses based on their own situation. So far, their learning progress has been smooth, with a mix of pain and joy.

Some people may ask, isn't studying in advance a form of ‘involution’? In my opinion, involution is effort that doesn't produce updates or progress, effort without results. On the other hand, effort that produces positive results is not involution; it's a form of self-evolution. Please note that the antonym of involution is not ‘lying down or giving up’, but evolution. So, in this sense, I am of course against involution, but I am not against endeavour. We want to see students undergo positive and beneficial changes through their efforts and endeavour. This is the fundamental goal of our education.

Although some students are happy and some are sad during the process, this sadness is actually a high-challenge sadness for the brain. They will gradually adapt, and this effort to continuously expand their comfort zone is growth. Children who want to enter world-class universities must go through such tests. When children open their hearts and minds and rely on their inner drive to ‘strive forward without needing a push from others’, our mission is to support and help them achieve their goals. As long as they have the ability and the desire, we will encourage and nurture them to move forward.

Chinese and Foreign Teachers

Teachers & students: learn & thrive together

South Plus: Excellent children have more choices whether it's in selecting schools or furthering their studies, but their parents have higher expectations for teachers. How do teachers from the two academies win their trust?

Mr. Gao: Royal Mile Academy has allocated special funds by the board to hire a team of renowned teachers and management personnel, upgrade the curriculum structure, and optimize the management model. The teachers we recruit also align very well with the school's educational philosophy and values.

Currently, in terms of educational background, our teachers are a ‘combination of Chinese and foreign teachers’, and in terms of personnel composition, they are also a combination of Chinese and foreign’. However, these two ‘combinations’ have their own specific meanings: Firstly, for our science courses, they are basically taught by bilingual Chinese teachers, while for humanities and social science courses, they are taught by foreign teachers. This is the first ‘combination of Chinese and foreign teachers’, where each excels in their own field.

The second combination refers to the learning and work backgrounds of our bilingual teachers themselves. One type of these teachers are beneficiaries of international education, having completed the entire international education, from attending an international school in China to pursuing their undergraduate and master's degrees in the UK, and then returning to China with mature teaching experience. These teachers are themselves successful examples.

Another type of teachers took the Chinese national college entrance examination, graduated from prestigious universities with strong professional skills. These bilingual teachers, who are proficient in English, have overseas study experience, and understand both Chinese and Western curriculum systems, will teach our science courses such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry. They combine the learning habits of Chinese students, explain knowledge thoroughly, clarify difficulties, and build a solid knowledge framework for the subject, which is an efficient arrangement that aligns with actual conditions.

Mr. Shi: Our planned IVY Academy will be a vibrant and diverse community. We will not only introduce the best resources from around the world through online education, but also disseminate the academy's courses to the global audience through an online platform.

Students here will not just be taught by MIS teachers; they may simultaneously engage in online discussions on the same topic with students from all five continents. Their professors could be in France, the United States, or anywhere in the world. To this end, we have specially developed a fully functional online voice classroom, leveraging the most advanced internet and artificial intelligence technologies, so that children can access a broader world within this platform.

For example, we believe that all children must learn digital learning skills, possess basic academic research abilities, and solidify their understanding of the values of Eastern civilization. Therefore, we have introduced special courses such as digital learning, research methodology, and foundational courses on Chinese and Western cultures. These courses combine online and offline teaching, as well as knowledge acquisition and thinking expansion. The teachers are masters and doctors from world-class universities in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and other countries.

South Plus: The two academies are actually part of MIS. Is there any distinction in the curriculum system, resource sharing, and activity arrangements?

Mr. Gao: Royal Mile Academy adopts the IGCSE & A-level curriculum, which is consistent with the main campus of MIS. However, the academy also draws on the content and teaching philosophy of AP and IB to create a concept of ‘Grand Subjects’. For students who have extra capacity, we provide advanced arrangements in terms of the depth and breadth of subject knowledge.

In terms of teaching and student activities, I believe there is organic integration, and as for management, we can say that it is tailored to each student's needs.

Firstly, for Royal Mile Academy students, their first identities are MIS students, therefore they must abide by all the school's rules and regulations. On the other hand, each student is assigned to one of the four clans (Note: In British private schools, they are generally called "houses", but since MIS originates from Edinburgh, so we call it "clans".) upon entering the school, which becomes their second identity. We organize a large number of clans activities every year, with different types weekly, including point-based competitions. Royal Mile Academy students participate in all of them.

Clan Event ·Tug of War

In addition, Royal Mile Academy students are required to attend evening self-study sessions in the classroom from 6:15pm to 8:15pm every day. In the UK, they do not have the concept of evening study in the classroom, and non-RM students can also study in their dormitories. Therefore, at MIS, the two systems operate in parallel, with both integration and refined standards.

The initial goal of Royal Mile Academy was to ‘Guarantee G5 university admissions and aim for Oxford and Cambridge’. Now, we have achieved half of that goal, and the next step is to sprint for Oxford and Cambridge. Recently, in the 2025 application season, MIS received five interview invitations from Oxford and Cambridge universities, and four of those students came from Royal Mile Academy. If MIS is likened to a crown, then Royal Mile Academy should be the brightest diamond on that crown, and we are confident about our future development.

Mr. Shi: In most cases, the AP Academy is relatively independent from Royal Mile Academy, but we also have a few shared courses.

For example, in the AP curriculum system, we encourage students to study A-Level math as math is very important for their future growth. The AP math only includes calculus and statistics, while A-Level covers a broader range of topics.

Meanwhile, I have proposed the concept of ‘Dual mother language’, where students are expected to learn different subjects in English at a near-native level during senior school and engage in high-level thinking and debate, rather than just learning the language itself.

At IVY Academy, we don't set any time limits on learning because I hope every student at IVY Academy will become a lifelong learner. One of the most fundamental learning methods is extensive reading. We offer courses such as Chinese reading, English reading, social science reading, and natural science reading, most of which are compulsory courses. We hope that every student will have read at least 50 million words by the time they graduate here.

Although we are called IVY Academy, our students' ultimate destinations are not necessarily the Ivy League schools. The goal of IVY Academy is to help students accurately match their own needs.

Currently, the students at IVY Academy have basically met or exceeded my academic expectations. In the future, with the new teaching and admission model of ‘One school & Two Academies’ and ‘Dual Cultivation & Dual Admission", MIS will continue to steadily move forward in the direction of becoming an academically excellent with warmth, and high-quality British boarding international school, allowing more students to shine on their dream university in different countries.