SIS HoS News - March 27, 2026

Dear SIS Community,

Everyone knows that Shekou International School was the first international school in Shenzhen. Many people also know that an important part of our history has been shaped at the Jingshan Villa campus, where our Early Years programme is based. What may be less well known is how the story of the school and the special character of Jingshan are connected.

At one time, this safe and secure gated compound was home to all SIS programmes. The natural environment was part of students’ everyday experience as they moved between classrooms, play spaces, and shared learning areas. Surrounded by beautiful trees and much-loved places such as the Secret Garden and adventure playgrounds, students had daily opportunities to develop curiosity about the natural world.

As SIS has grown and our older students have moved to other campuses, a core of our story remains at Jingshan, where our youngest students continue these rich traditions. Our approach to teaching and learning is based on the values and identity that we developed all those years ago. We believe that the creativity, innovation, collaboration, curiosity, and caring for which SIS students are so well known are deeply connected to the environment in which many begin their learning journey. Our specially designed campuses for Primary and Secondary students have features that suit the changing ages and stage of development. We are proud of the achievements of our students, and know that the influence of our learning environments foster qualities which are highly valued in higher education and in life beyond school.

In education, the environment is often called the “third teacher,” and the Jingshan campus is a powerful example of why. Its natural setting continues to shape learning in ways that are distinctive and valued, and it remains quite unique in Shenzhen. I am excited that we can continue to highlight this special campus and learning environment in the future. If you would like to read more about the importance of outdoor environments for young children, UNICEF provides a short article here: 

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For many families, one of the main reasons for choosing an international school is the opportunity for children to develop strong English fluency and understanding. That priority is fully shared by everyone in this school. English is the language of instruction across the school day - apart from our very successful French International Programme where French is of course the dominant language.

Importantly, this is not left to chance. Across the school we plan for a consistent approach to English acquisition. We have strong policies and detailed practices that describe what language acquisition looks like at different ages. All educators are seen as teachers of language, and students are supported through clear pathways and support as needed.

At the same time, we recognize something important. For our students, especially in the early years or in the early phases of learning English, it can be helpful to use their mother tongue at times to understand ideas, clarify meaning, and feel confident enough to participate. This does not weaken English learning. It supports it. We honor home languages and use translanguaging purposefully to enrich understanding and help students build a bridge into stronger English. The goal is to help students move into English successfully and with confidence as quickly as possible.

Across all manner of education agencies and authorities, the commonly supported approach is not “English only,” but “English primarily, with strategic mother-tongue support." This approach is well aligned with the IB’s multilingual philosophy. Families can be assured of two things at SIS. English remains the clear and dominant language of learning across the school, and students are supported in ways that help them acquire English as effectively as possible.

We can all recognize the past few years has seen a change in the number of native English speaking families relocating to China. We have been adapting teaching strategies and resources so that the experience for our students is a rich and immersive language environment, where every child feels confident to speak and can listen with understanding. We are continuously assessing our students as they acquire new languages and also adjusting how we support them, and have some exciting and ground breaking work underway in this area. I look forward to continuing the conversation about language at SIS.

If you would like to know more about how SIS and most reputable international and bilingual schools assess standards in acquiring English, you may like to check out this article and more at the WIDA website. 

亲爱的SIS社区成员：

众所周知，SIS(深圳市蛇口外籍人员子女学校)是深圳第一所国际学校。许多人也了解，我们的重要发展历程之一发生在鲸山别墅校区。如今幼儿教育项目所在的地方。然而，也许不那么广为人知的是，学校的发展故事与鲸山校区独特气质之间，其实有着深刻的联系。

在早期，这个安全且管理完善的社区曾承载着SIS所有的教学项目。学生们在教室、游戏空间和共享学习区域之间穿梭时，自然环境始终融入他们的日常体验。被郁郁葱葱的树木环绕，以及“秘密花园”和探险游乐场等深受喜爱的空间，让学生每天都有机会亲近自然，激发对世界的好奇心。

随着SIS不断发展，学生逐步分布到不同校区学习，但学校故事的核心依然扎根于鲸山校区。在这里，我们最年幼的学生延续着这些丰富而有意义的传统。我们的教学与学习方式，建立在多年前所确立的价值观与学校特色之上。我们始终相信，SIS学生所展现的创造力、创新精神、协作能力、好奇心以及关怀他人的品质，与他们开启学习旅程时所处的环境有着深刻的联系。同时，我们也为小学与中学学生精心设计了不同校区，以更好地契合各年龄阶段的发展需求。我们为学生所取得的成就深感自豪，也深知，学习环境在塑造这些关键素养方面发挥着重要作用，而这些素养在高等教育以及未来人生中都备受重视。

在教育领域，环境常被称为“第三位教师”，而鲸山校区正是这一理念的有力体现。其独特的自然环境，以别具一格且极具价值的方式持续影响着学生的学习体验，在深圳亦属难得。我也非常期待，未来能继续向社区展示这一独特的校园与学习环境。如您希望进一步了解户外环境对幼儿发展的重要性，联合国儿童基金会

对于许多家庭而言，选择国际学校的重要原因之一，是希望孩子能够建立扎实的英语能力与理解力。这一点，也是我们全校共同的核心目标。除法语国际部（French International Programme）外，英语是整个学习过程中主要的教学语言。

更重要的是，这并非偶然实现。学校在各年级系统规划英语习得路径，制定了清晰且一致的语言学习政策与实践标准。每一位教师都被视为语言教师，学生也在明确的学习路径与支持体系中不断进步。

与此同时，我们也认识到一个重要事实：对于学生，尤其是幼儿阶段或英语学习初期的学生来说，在适当情况下使用母语，有助于理解概念、澄清意义，并增强参与学习的信心。这并不会削弱英语学习，反而是对其有力支持。我们尊重学生的母语，并通过有意识的“跨语实践”（translanguaging），帮助学生建立通往更高英语能力的桥梁。我们的目标，是让学生尽可能高效、自信地过渡到英语学习环境中。

在全球教育领域，更被认可的并不是单一使用英语的方式，而是以英语为主，并在适当情况下结合母语支持的教学策略。这一理念与IB的多语言教育哲学高度一致。在SIS，家长可以放心两点：英语始终是学校学习的主要语言，同时我们也通过科学有效的方式支持学生更好地习得英语。

我们也注意到，近年来来华的英语母语家庭数量有所变化。基于这一趋势，我们持续调整教学策略与资源配置，致力于为学生营造一个丰富且具有沉浸感的语言环境，使每一位学生都能够自信表达、有效理解。我们不断对学生的语言发展进行评估，并相应优化支持方式，目前在这一领域也正在推进一些令人期待的创新实践。期待未来能与大家继续就SIS的语言学习与发展展开更多交流。