Art

Biology department

The Biology Department consists of 5 staff, 2 ex-patriate teachers, 2 local Chinese teachers and a laboratory technician. We have two well- stocked laboratories including brand new microscopes and oither chemicals and equipment required to teach all the courses which we offer.

In Biology, we teach IGCSE, AS and A level Biology, AS and A level Psychology all from CIE examination boards.

Students have been successful in Biology at all levels and many have gone on to study Biological Sciences at Universities in UK and US.

Chemistry department

All incoming students at G1 and G2 level study Chemistry and sit the IGCSE examination at the end of the G2 year. Chemistry is an option at A level, students being prepared for the CIE AS and A2 examinations. At the beginning of the 2008-9 academic year a one-semester foundation course will be offered for students who wish to enter American universities in the following Spring.

The department currently has eight full-time Chemistry teachers, four of whom are ex-pats, the remainder being Chinese. Two other members of the teaching staff also teach some Chemistry. The amount of teaching experience ranges from 1 year to 37 years. There are two full-time laboratory technicians. Most of the Chinese staff teach mainly at IGCSE level and most of the ex-pat staff teach mainly at A level. Most classes have both a Chinese and ex-pat teacher. The amount of instruction given in English increases throughout the age range of the students. In the G classes 4 of the weekly lessons are given by a Chinese teacher and the fifth lesson is taught by an ex-pat, who will consolidate, in English, the work done by the Chinese teacher. In the A classes the ratio varies and the work is split up by topic.

Chinese department

Commerce Department

Economics was introduced into the school curriculum in September 2004 at the AS level. There were about 40 students with myself as the sole teacher. IGCSE and AS Business Studies were offered as options in 2005, and AS Accounting in 2007. The department has grown steadily along with the school: there are now about 520 students taking commerce subjects.

Economics remains very popular with five AS classes and three AL classes. This is expected to increase in the next academic year, necessitating the recruitment of an additional expatriate teacher. There are currently two expatriate Economics teachers and two local Chinese Economics teachers, both of whom are fluent in English; they are also extremely well qualified, having graduated with honours in Economics at overseas universities.

IGCSE Business Studies is a popular option at the G1 and G2 level. As well as providing an introduction to the elements of business organisation, it also covers aspects of Economics and Accounting. Hopefully, this should enable students to make more informed decisions when deciding on their subject options at the A1 level. We try to make the subject come alive at this level. Students use their knowledge to plan their own business and make presentations to the rest of the class; local newspaper articles are used for data response practice. Last but not least we also organise field trips to see local businesses in action, and study how they are organised. Much of this also applies at the AS level. There are currently three classes in A1 and one in A2. As with Economics, this is expected to rise next year.

AS Accounting was introduced in August 2007. Next year we are expecting two classes in AS Accounting, and one at Advanced Level. These classes will be taught by local staff who have degrees in accountancy from overseas universities.

As the department has grown, so has the number of teachers. There are now ten members of the Department, teaching various combinations of the three subject areas. There are three expatriate teachers, and, as mentioned above, we expect to recruit an additional Economics teacher. There are six local teachers, all of whom work closely with the foreign teachers.

One of the main reasons for the popularity of Commerce subjects is that many of our students wish to go on and study the subjects at a higher level, and then pursue a career in business and finance. They have applied and been offered places at universities all over the world, but United Kingdom remains the most popular choice of country with some gaining entry to Oxford, Cambridge, UCLA, and LSE.

English Department

The English Department offers two major courses during the fours years spent at SCIE. The first course offered is IGCSE English as a Second Language, which is a two-year course taught to students when they enter SCIE in G1 level. On completing this course, students take the official CIE exam to gain an IGCSE English as a Second Language qualification. Most UK universities will accept a Grade C or above in this exam as their English entry requirement for foreign students. If students fail to get Grade C at the end of G2 they will continue to study IGCSE English as a Second Language in A1 and resit the exam.

Students who are able to advance to A1 level with grade C or above are offered IELTS preparation classes. A2 students who have not achieved their required IELTS score also need to attend IELTS preparation classes. The remaining A2 students will pursue one or other of the following: Those who have elected to study Business/Economics for A Level Examinations will enter our “Business English Course”. The remainder will pursue our “Advanced English Course”, which includes the writing and production of our school newspaper, SCIE Post.

The English curriculum for IGCSE follows the Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language textbook which is endorsed by the University of Cambridge, and is supported by our own resources. For the A-level classes, we use recognized IELTS support material as well as material brought in from the countries of origin of our foreign teachers (UK, Australia and USA).

Our syllabi have reading and listening components which are mostly taken by the local teachers, while the writing and speaking components are predominantly taken by the expatriate teachers. In order to monitor the students’ progress and to discuss teaching material there is ongoing consultation between the teachers.

There are currently ten teachers in the department, five local and five expatriate teachers. There are six teachers taking A level (A1 and A2) and six teachers taking IGCSE (two teach both levels). All staff have tertiary qualifications, some with master’s degrees. They come from various backgrounds such as journalism, teaching ESL and foreign languages, interpreting and teaching at the intensive English course held in England over the summer break.

There are a number of Extracurricular Activities that are organised by the English department throughout the year whose aim is to encourage students to use as much English as possible outside the classroom in an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere. These include the SCIE Drama Club, a Radio Broadcasting System, an English Debating Competition and a Speaking Competition. The school’s English Club is run by and for students but is facilitated by teachers in the English Department.

In the school library, the English department have an increasing number of books which students are encouraged to read in their free time and which are also used for class projects by our teachers.

Geography department

History department

Information Technology Department

Information Technology was brought together as a department in 2007 so that SCIE could offer IT and Computing as part of its expanded course offering. The department consists of three local teachers and an expatriate Head of Department, as well as two full-time support technicians. We serve the dual role of teaching Computing and IT as well as providing institutional support for IT, including a school-wide network and two dedicated computer classrooms.

We currently offer IGCSE Information Technology and AS Computing, with plans to introduce AS Information and Communication Technology next year.

Mathematics department

Physics Department

Since its inception in 2003, with a cohort of 18 physics students, the Department has grown rapidly, and currently there are 179 students in 9 classes at AS-level, and 112 students in 7 classes at A2-level. A further 222 students, in 9 classes are enrolled in the IGCSE programme.

A-level results continue to be highly satisfactory. In June 2007 the A-level pass rate was 99%, with 54% achieving A or B grades. At AS-level, the pass rate was 93%, with 70% achieving A or B grades.

A good pass in physics is an essential requirement for many university courses, and many of our graduates have achieved places in the Scientific, Mathematics, Engineering and other related fields at some of the best universities in the UK and elsewhere. Currently five of our former students have gained places at Oxford or Cambridge, and currently six final year students have received conditional offers from the above institutions to commence studies in October 08.

This College has arguably some of the best equipped A-level physics laboratory facilities in the country. All the standard apparatus, most sourced from outwith China, which would be expected in a top class Sixth Form College anywhere in the world, is available for student practicals, demonstrations, etc. Datalogging and projection equipment is widely used as standard in lesson presentations, and students have ample opportunity to gain ‘hands-on’ experience. The Department is well served by a full-time technician.

Currently the Department is staffed by an expatriate Head, a local Assistant and 7 teachers, of whom 3 are expatriate, and 4 are local. Due to increasing student numbers, a further expatriate teacher will be recruited for the 2008-09 academic year, which will enable the number of lessons conducted solely in English to be increased.

Physical Education department

Psychology