On November 20, Mr. Kurt Gao, Dean of the Royal Mile Academy at Shenzhen Merchiston Castle School, was invited to Chengdu to attend the annual awards ceremony hosted by Pearson Edexcel. On behalf of the school, he accepted two prestigious honors—the "Star-Chasing Award" and the "Outstanding Pearson Learner Award." The substantial trophies and gleaming medals not only represent high recognition of the academic achievements and educational quality of this century-old British private school that has been rooted in Shenzhen for eight years but also serve as authoritative testimony to the outstanding performance of Merchiston students.
△Dean Kurt Gao received the award on behalf of MIS from Director Jacky Gao.
△MIS RM's Dean Kurt Gao celebrated a triumphant return.
The ceremony brought together numerous education experts and scholars from China and abroad. Mr. Jacky Gao, Director of Pearson Edexcel Greater China, personally presented the awards to Dean Kurt Gao. It is worth noting that Shenzhen Merchiston is the only British-style international school in the Greater Bay Area to receive these two honors, further highlighting the school’s unique influence in the field of international education.
As a globally leading international qualification awarding body, Pearson Education grants the "Pearson Outstanding School Award" each year to only a select few institutions that have achieved exceptional academic results. The criteria for this award are particularly rigorous—only schools whose students have received the "Outstanding Pearson Learner Award" in the annual examination series are eligible for consideration.
An outstanding school nurtures exceptional students, and exceptional students, in turn, bring honor to the school. Shenzhen Merchiston’s success in securing these awards reflects both the school’s teaching strength and the top-tier academic performance of its students, such as Hyde, who achieved a perfect score in A Level Further Mathematics in the 2024/2025 Pearson Edexcel examinations, earning the "Outstanding Pearson Learner Award."
△ "Outstanding Pearson Learner Award"
△ Star-Chasing Award
△MIS Royal Mile Academy Achieves Outstanding Academic Results
Winning the "Star-Chasing Award" and the "Outstanding Pearson Learner Award" marks another significant milestone in Shenzhen Merchiston’s journey in international education. Last year, the school received the "Rising Center Award" at the Pearson Edexcel China Annual Conference. This year, it has taken a step further by securing two even more prestigious awards, demonstrating its continuously growing educational capabilities.
Even more encouraging is how Merchiston’s academic excellence is being translated into impressive admissions outcomes. As of November 25, during the 2026 application cycle, Shenzhen Merchiston has already received six interview invitations from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. This strong start reinforces its leading position among comparable schools in the Greater Bay Area and showcases the school’s ever-increasing educational prowess.