Principal's Message

Dear KGV Families,

I hope this message finds you well. With Y11 students starting study leave on Wednesday, we are moving closer to examinations. These begin with our first IBDP exams on Monday, and it has been good to see a significant number of Y13 students return to school to take advantage of revision sessions. Alongside the exam preparations, our Y13 BTEC and IBCP students are finalising their work ready for final submissions. We wish Y11 and Y13 a successful time over the next few weeks, and I am sure their hard work will pay off.

We are proud of the high level of academic success our students achieve, and are equally proud of student success across a whole range of experiences and competitions at KGV. The achievements of our athletics team at the ISSFHK competition is a wonderful example of such remarkable outcomes. As well as placing second overall in the Junior and Senior teams, the boys were Champions for U14, U16 and U20, as well as runners up for U12 boys and U12, U16 and U20 girls. These achievements, including an incredible 5 gold medals in relays and 7 records broken across a range of events, reflect the depth of talent in the KGV community. Such success could not happen without the dedication, professionalism and expertise of our PE staff and team coaches. Congratulations to everyone involved.

We also continue to look to broaden opportunities for students to engage in sporting events and competitions, including sports tours. Some of our netball players are currently enjoying a tour to Singapore, with football teams visiting Shanghai. It is fantastic being able to reintroduce such opportunities, and we will continue to look to broaden these events across other sporting activities.

A quick reminder the next school week is slightly shortened, with Friday 1st May being a public holiday. Have an enjoyable weekend ahead.

Best regards,

Mark Poulsum

Year 12 & 13 Message

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are now entering a very significant period in the school calendar as our public examination season begins in earnest. It has been heartening to see so many of our Year 13 students returning to campus this week to take full advantage of our staff-led revision sessions. This level of engagement is exactly what is needed for the "final push".

On Monday, our Year 13s will sit their first IBDP exams. We also have many BTEC and IBCP students currently finalising their portfolios and preparing for final submissions. Alongside our Year 11s, who began their study leave this Wednesday, we wish all our students a calm and successful few weeks. Their hard work and resilience have brought them to this point, and I am confident that their dedication will be rewarded.

Navigating the Digital World Together

As we partner with you to support our students’ academic success, we also want to ensure we are aligned in supporting their wellbeing within the digital landscape. At KGV, we strive to foster a culture of kindness and respect, yet we know that the "online world" our children navigate can sometimes stand in contrast to these values.

Digital platforms often provide a sense of anonymity that can lead young people to engage in social media behaviours—such as exclusionary language or cyberbullying—that they would not consider in a face-to-face setting. We are also aware of the growing influence of online subcultures that can promote harmful or divisive rhetoric. Our goal is to ensure that all our students understand that their digital footprint and online conduct are reflections of their character and have real-world impacts.

We value your partnership in staying curious and vigilant about the content your children are accessing. Open conversations at home about the importance of being an "upstander" rather than a bystander are vital in helping our students navigate these complexities with integrity. By working together, we can ensure our community remains a safe and supportive space for every student, both on and off the screen.

Have a lovely weekend.

We had everyone together one last time for our assembly on Wednesday. In the assembly, there was an Interhouse update, and we covered preparation for exams, organisation and processes, with an emphasis on developing habits and taking small, regular steps towards goals. We reflected on a very successful Y11 formal and thanked the students who organised it. We farewelled a number of students who will not return to KGV for Year 12.

Next week is a 4-day week, with a public holiday on Friday, 1st May.

Year 10 students now step into 1:1 conversations with their tutors. This is where the tutor can focus on the individual challenges and wins for each student and ensure we are supporting them where needed.

As I write this message, we have 90 students sitting their foreign language Chinese exam in the Hall. Year 11 are now on study leave and can choose to study in the LRC at school or from home. Their teachers are available during regular timetabled periods, so long as students let them know ahead of time. If coming into school, students must be in full uniform and swipe in as usual. They may leave when they are ready or when they have completed an exam, but we have told them that once they arrive at school, they need to remain until they are finished for the day.

The detailed exam timetable is available here.
All exam regulations are here.
In the event of severe rain or weather, e.g. Red or Black rain, advise your child to monitor their email. We will communicate any changes to the routine asap.

Please help your child to get organised with their equipment and calendar to ensure they are at school at least 20 minutes before each exam with all the correct equipment.

Exams next week are:

• Monday: 1st Language Chinese
• Wednesday: 2nd language Chinese and Foreign language Chinese
• Thursday: Art practical
  

Years 7 | 8 | 9

Dear Parents and Students,

Please find below important updates regarding the upcoming public holiday, transportation survey, and reminders for Year 9 and supporting our senior students.

Public Holiday: Friday, 1st May

A reminder that there will be no school on Friday, 1st May, as it is a public holiday. We hope our students enjoy the long weekend.

ESF Transportation Survey

The ESF-wide survey on transportation to school remains live. If students have not yet had the opportunity to complete this, they are encouraged to do so during their next tutor time. The feedback is valuable for foundation-wide planning and sustainability efforts.

Year 9 Ocean Park Trip Forms

For all Year 9 students, please ensure that your Ocean Park permission forms are returned to the school by Wednesday, 29th April. This is necessary to finalise the logistics for the trip on Monday, 22nd June.

Exam Season: Supporting Our Senior Students

The Year 11 and Year 13 final examinations have now officially started. This impacts the use of space around the campus as many areas are designated as exam venues.

We ask for your support in reminding our younger students to show empathy toward their senior peers. It is essential to remain quiet when passing near exam venues and to respect the restricted zones marked across campus. This collective effort ensures our senior students can perform their best in a calm and supportive environment.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

Dear Parents,

If you have ordered the 2025-26 Lion KGV Yearbook and have yet to pay, please pay immediately on the ESF Parents App. The deadline was 17 April. Unpaid orders will be cancelled after today.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Due to student privacy protocols, we require parental consent before releasing student information to external organisations. Please complete this form to make a formal request. Requests will only be processed upon receipt of parental permission.

KGV’s standard lead time for teachers to prepare references is four working weeks from the date parental permission is received.

This process does not apply to references needed for higher education applications (i.e. university admissions) which are coordinated in a separate process.

Gifted & Talented Programmes
Students interested in external extension programmes for specifically designed for gifted & talented students outside of KGV should refer to this website for guidance: https://sites.google.com/kgv.hk/kgv-extension-opportunities.

Higher Education & Careers

KGV Higher Education & Careers website. This site, managed and constantly updated by our H.E. Team, hosts a wealth of information on higher education resources, events, enrichment/summer programmes, scholarships, and other opportunities. This can serve as a first step for research. Check it out.

University of Cambridge Visit @ King George V School, 24 Apr. Prof Matthias Dörrzapf of St John's College, University of Cambridge, visited KGV the second time since 2023 and shared his invaluable knowledge and experience on Cambridge education and admission with students and parents during a very interactive session. Thank you very much!

Year 13. To our students taking IB exams: Wishing you all the best with the IB exams starting next week. To our BTEC & IBCP students: Smooth sailing in completing the coursework.

To minimise email volume, we will continue using our weekly parent newsletter for updates on higher education support for Year 13.

Year 12 – Second round of tutor group meetings kicked off today. During these group meetings, students will be instructed to complete a “Plans & Intentions” form in preparation for the upcoming individual meetings for more in-depth discussion.  Meeting schedule will be announced shortly.

Year 12 – H.E. Presentation Series. Topics covered so far: Introduction to Higher Education, Personal Statement: Session 1, Introduction to Unifrog, UK applications, & Hong Kong applications, Higher education research, Oxbridge, and Medicine, Dentistry & Veterinary Meds. Other topics to be covered: USA applications, USA Personal Essay, Canada applications, Non-mainstream applications, UCAS setup, Summer Action Plan.

Year 12 – HK PolyU Campus Visit on 27 Apr. Those Y12 students who have signed up to the trip would have received directly from PolyU a QR code for the visit. We look forward to helping our students to learn more about PolyU.

H.E. EVENTS shared via KGV Higher Education Events Calendar
KGV is not responsible for the quality of external events. All information is subject to change by event organisers.

Details and registration to join the session is available here.

H.E. Visit @ KGV
4 May – Monash + Nottingham
6 May – HKU Medicine

H.K.
25 Apr – University of London Programmes in Hong Kong Info Day
27 Apr – KGV visit to HK Polytechnic University (after school). Sign-up closed.

U.K.
25 Apr – Joint University Conference 2026 (Exeter, Bath, Cardiff, Keele & Lancaster)
29 Apr – Discover the RVC – Integrated Foundation Year
1 May – University of Bath – Parent info webinar series.

EUROPE
29 Apr – Study in the Netherlands – Webinar by the Dutch University Consortium
14 May – Studying in Spain – Insights & Opportunities

AUSTRALIA
5 May – Australian University Fair 2026

JAPAN
16 May – Study in Japan, Discover 4 Top Universities

KGV Higher Education & Careers Team

27 - 30 April 2026