Interview of YK Pao High School Principal Mark Bishop

Mark Bishop,Principal of Y K Pa o High School and Head of Song jiang Campus,joined the School in August 2018. Hewas educated at Charter house School and then Oxford University where he began studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Post graduation from Oxford, Mr. Bishop spent the early part of his career in a number of schools in the UK, including Royal Grammar School, Guildford and Cater ham School. He then served as the Head of Trinity School for ten years before joining PerrettLa ver as an CEO.

Q:What attracted you to Y K Pao School?

A:What’s so interesting about Y K Pao School is that it’s trying to combine the best of a Chinese education with the best of a Western education. So for me the real attraction was being able to help educate young people who will be at the forefront of what happens in the 21st century

A: One of the things I’ve been most impressed by the school is their absolute commitment to holistic education, that educates not just to get very good exam results, important as that is, but actually to be preparing young people for a world beyond university.

And they are doing that in a number of ways. They are doing that by a really impressive residential programme. They are doing that with an incredibly broad curriculum, very unusually broad curriculum.

The thing I love most is the fact how students are willing to come forward and suggest their ideas for the school.

Within just a few weeks of arriving I talked with a Year 9 girl. She comes from a background where English is not spoken at all at home, and yet her English is now absolutely fluent. She reads hundreds of books, she started her own blog about books she has read, and she came in with two or three ideas that were really interesting. She expressed them clearly and fluently and respectfully. It was one of the most impressive encounters I’ve had with students in the 35 years of teaching.

Q:What are your priorities?

A:My priorities this year, and indeed every year while I’m Principal, is to enhance the quality of teaching.

Children only have one chance of education and it’s so important therefore that they are on the receiving end of really high quality teaching.

One of the things that has changed most about education is that education is no longer simply about the acquisition of knowledge. It’s now much more about what you do with that knowledge. So students need to be able to be flexible, They need to have critical thinking skills. They need to be able to analyse and assess. And it’s those skills that actually the companies are crying out for. Companies want students who can solve problems, not who can just pass exams. So teaching here will be much more interactive. Students will be challenged to think. They will be challenged to be speak with each other and debate with each other. And it’s those skills that we are trying to create

Q:What role does pastoral care play at YK Pao School?

A:It’s absolutely vital that students not only are challenged at school and are successful at school, but that they are happy at school as well. They need to know that they are known and valued as individuals by the teachers.

Now a boarding environment not only makes it easier but also gives us the time to really do that. So the fact that teachers are around in the evenings, the fact that teachers can sit with students and give them individual help and support really makes a significant difference.

Q:How is Pao School preparing students for universities?

A:There is no question the Chinese students, their sense of ambition, their commitment, their determination, their hard work, those are all skills where they are well ahead of their Western counterparts. The areas where I think they still need to develop are these more interactive skills which is difficult to develop in your second language, but the ability to stand up and make a compelling and engaging presentation; to learn about risk taking, an intelligent risk taking, is again a skill that I would want to see our youngsters develop here.

One of the things that we are really determined to do at YK Pao School is to ensure that we are preparing our students for an international university experience. We are well aware that for many Chinese students that is a challenge. There is a high drop-out rate of Chinese students at international universities. For students to learn how to use their free time is very important. So we start with very fixed routines, but as they go up in school we begin to take that scaffolding down so they learn then to use that time and use that freedom responsibly.

Q:What could parents do to support the school?

A:There is no doubt that the most successful schools in the world are built on a close partnership between parents and teachers. In the end I will say to the YK Pao School parents that we all want exactly the same thing which is to make this school the best school it can possibly be. Having a close relationship with parents, a partnership with parents, is fundamental to all that we are doing. And we are incredibly fortunate that our parents are, not only supportive of their own children, but actually supportive of the school as well, and they show that in a variety of ways around the campus.