Hong Kong · History
From Three Pupils in a Residents Club to Lantau's Oldest International School
Discovery Bay International School opened in January 1983 as a community necessity for a brand-new town. More than four decades later, it runs three campuses and around 1,000 pupils from over 50 nationalities.
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 the Discovery Bay community. The result was a school that has never been separable from the neighbourhood it serves.
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, the first three students, Ann and Jean Evans and Edda Hansen, were taught by Ms Anne-Marie Naughton and founding School Principal Mrs Wendy MacCallum. Supporting them was Office Manager Ms Connie Ting, who would go on to become the school's longest-serving staff member.
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 in 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
By the mid-1990s, Discovery Bay had blossomed into a close-knit, multicultural community, and the school mirrored that. In 2005, after 23 years of tireless service, Ms Naughton retired. Her contribution and that of the Senior Leadership Team formed the foundation of DBIS's continued growth as a leading provider of Early Years and Primary education.
A new chapter began in 2006 with Principal 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.
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 was the school's first cohort of A Level graduates.
Stuart Bridge joined as Head of School in 2020 and oversaw the Sixth Form's growth and the school's record-breaking IGCSE and A Level results. January 2023 was a milestone month: the school celebrated its 40th anniversary and welcomed its sixth principal, Marc Morris.
Curriculum and Identity
The curriculum at DBIS is based on the English National Curriculum and is adapted to reflect the school's international setting. DBIS is one of a small number of schools in Hong Kong that offers A Levels and IGCSEs as well as a BTEC pathway. The school describes its approach as an international curriculum with British characteristics, rather than a straightforwardly British one.
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 pupils. Mandarin is taught throughout the school; French and Spanish are offered as options in Secondary.
The school joined the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) in 2010. DBIS is also CIS-accredited.
Present Day
The oldest international school on Lantau Island, DBIS has been at the heart of the Discovery Bay community for over 40 years. It is an all-through school, from Nursery to Year 13, with three dedicated campuses: Early Years, Primary and Secondary, and a Sixth Form centre. The school community comprises over 50 nationalities, with approximately 1,100 students across those three campuses in the tranquil suburb of Discovery Bay.
Facilities include an artificial turf pitch, a heated pool, a Globe Theatre, drama and music suites, science labs, and STEAM and DT suites. DBIS operates as a not-for-profit school, reinvesting its finances into provision for students. Marc Morris, the school's sixth principal, took the helm in January 2023 and has outlined plans to deepen extracurricular programmes, strengthen Mandarin and music, and extend university and careers guidance into the earlier secondary years.