Founded in 2001, The Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Logos Academy is a direct subsidiary scheme ‘Through-train’ school that provides students with an optimized curriculum. Established upon Christian faith, Logos Academy emphasizes whole-person development and focuses on students’ academic talent, character formation and interpersonal communication. The school insists on a ‘no-screening-mechanism’ policy that will suit students best. Dr Paul Cho Hee-chuen, the principal of Logos Academy, shares with us the school’s most prominent characteristic – reorganizing contents of the local primary-to-secondary school-based curriculum, and narrows it down to 11 years of learning.

Optimisation of students’ learning time

The 11-year system (including both primary and secondary education) at Logos Academy illustrates wise time management at its best. “The school’s founding principal, Dr Yau insisted on an 11-year school curriculum and offered IB for students to choose. We have to redesign the whole curriculum by cutting repetitive contents and making the best out of learning and teaching hours,” Dr Cho said. “While some other schools are organizing post-exam activities for their students, we choose to teach them something new during this period.” 

Maintaining an effective and dogmatic curriculum has been the primary goal of Logos Academy since day 1. Their one-of-a-kind curriculum now comprises three stages: the two-year Foundation Stage, the five-year Development Stage and the four-year Mastery Stage. Students can choose to sit for either the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination (HKDSE).

Caring campus

Student assistance is a key element of the supportive learning environment at Logos Academy. Tutorial classes are conducted during lunchtime or after school to render help to students in need. “We hire external help – Chinese and English majors at university – to tutor students during the summer holiday. Our own teaching staff is also very dedicated to taking care of students’ academic needs,” Dr Cho said.

Other than academic help, teachers at Logos Academy also cater for students’ emotional needs. They will lend their listening ears to students during recess, lunch time or after school. Students are bathed in attention and care. “To help primary school graduates adapt to their newfound secondary school life, we have allocated a number of staff to offer them counselling and emotional assistance. Our educational psychology team is composed of three educational psychologists and four educational psychologist trainees. We also have 2 social workers and some guidance teachers to provide counselling help,” explained Dr Cho.

In recent years, Logos Academy has started organizing a camping activity in September, prior to the beginning of the new term, to acquaint primary school graduates with the essentials of ‘surviving’ in secondary school.

Down-to-earth principal

Dr Cho, a doctoral degree holder from the University of California, sets no barrier in communicating with his students. Students and alumni of the school need not to book an appointment to see Dr Cho, they could just, literally, barge in his room. Dr Cho explained that sometimes students voice their request in their own way, without informing the student union. Yet, he welcomes this approach. “The school’s basketball team once expressed their request to have school teachers cheering for them in the championship final match, by writing a letter. We pondered upon their request and approved it,” recalled Dr Cho, who has been serving the school in different roles for 13 years.

An Academy on a par with top schools

The use of “Academy” in its school name in English reflects a breakthrough in Hong Kong’s education landscape. The school is the first in Hong Kong that adopts “Academy” in the English school name. “Yau saw the same school naming in some prestigious private senior high schools in the United States. In his mind, he wished to found a school with a profile that can be comparable to reputable schools worldwide. That’s also our goal all along,” explains Dr Cho.

Destinations where graduates exit

The Logos Academy graduates have received ample opportunities to further studies in local and overseas tertiary institutions. Most graduates continue their studies at the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Science and Technology, as well as world-renowned universities, such as the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Oxford and Imperial College London.