From Three Pupils to 1,000: Forty Years of DBIS on Lantau

In the early 1980s, the Cha family, owners of Hong Kong Resorts International (HKRI), unveiled their vision for a self-contained community on Lantau Island. Understanding there would be high demand for quality international education, HKRI decided to create a school to serve Discovery Bay's requirements. The result was a school that would outlast every headship, every building campaign, and a global pandemic to become, as John Catt's School Search describes it, the oldest international school on Lantau Island.

Origins

The school opened in January 1983, just a month after the first residents moved into the area. Initially housed at the Discovery Bay Residents Club, its first three students, Ann and Jean Evans with Edda Hansen, were taught by Ms Anne-Marie Naughton and founding Principal Mrs Wendy MacCallum. Supporting them was Office Manager Ms Connie Ting, who went on to become the school's longest-serving staff member.

Student enrolment increased dramatically by the start of the new academic year in 1983, and the school relocated to a custom-built campus that now forms the heart of its current estate. The school opened at its present site in September 1983. Although many considered it a state-of-the-art facility at the time of opening, the building has been repeatedly modernised and remains one of the best-equipped schools in Hong Kong.

Growth and Leadership

In 2005, after 23 years of service, Ms Naughton retired. Her contribution, alongside the Senior Leadership Team, formed the foundation of DBIS's growth as a provider of Early Years and Primary education. The next chapter began in 2006 with a new Principal, Mr Grant Ramsay, who oversaw the development of two additional buildings: the Discovery Centre and a new home for the Secondary School. The Secondary School grew progressively, and by 2013 the school was accepting students from Nursery to Year 11.

Mr Paul Tough took over as Head of School from Mr Ramsay in 2014. His five-year tenure focused on individual experiences and cutting-edge pedagogy, and he established robust educational practices that remain in place today. The Sixth Form was established during Mr Tough's headship, and the Class of 2019 became the school's first cohort of A Level graduates.

Mr Stuart Bridge joined as Head of School in 2020 and oversaw the further expansion of the Sixth Form and, with it, record-breaking IGCSE and A Level results. The school continues to expand under its current Principal, Mr Marc Morris, who joined in 2023. January 2023 was a milestone month: the school celebrated its 40th anniversary and welcomed its sixth principal.

Curriculum and Identity

DBIS provides an education based on the English National Curriculum, enhanced by its international setting. It is one of a small number of schools in Hong Kong that offers A Levels and IGCSEs alongside a BTEC pathway. GCSEs are taken in Years 10 and 11, with A Levels and BTECs in Years 12 and 13.

DBIS was the first school in Hong Kong to introduce forest and beach schools to its early years curriculum, a programme that has since expanded into primary. It was also one of the first schools outside the UK to offer the Mini and Junior Duke Awards to primary-aged students. Mandarin is taught throughout the school; French and Spanish are available as options in Secondary.

DBIS joined FOBISIA in 2010. The school is CIS-accredited. Although known as one of the few British schools in Hong Kong, DBIS describes its offering as "an international curriculum with British characteristics."

Present Day

The school runs from Nursery to Year 13 across three dedicated campuses in Discovery Bay: Early Years, Primary and Secondary, and a Sixth Form centre. Facilities include an artificial turf pitch, heated pool, Globe Theatre, drama and music suites, science labs, and STEAM and design technology suites. Students hail from approximately 50 nationalities. The school's current roll stands at around 1,000 pupils.

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