The Origins of Our School

Madame Soong Ching Ling was the guiding heart of China and a leading woman of the world during much of the 20th century. She formulated policies that safeguarded women’s and children’s rights and committed herself to promoting world peace. To honour her leadership and many contributions, she was named Honorary Chairman of the People’s Republic of China.

Madame Soong Ching Ling was a passionate, principled and courageous leader with a lifelong love of children and their education. In 1938 Soong Ching Ling established the China Welfare Institute (CWI) devoting her life to the expansion of high quality Early Childhood Education in China. She established a nursery for children and later a kindergarten, exploring new methods of preschool education.

Following her death in 1981, the CWI set up another kindergarten in 1991; larger in scale, with the support of the Shanghai Municipal Government and named it after Soong Ching Ling as a living memorial to her. The name of the kindergarten was inscribed by the former Chairman of the People’s Republic of China: Mr. Jiang Ze Min.

The Kindergarten has continued to flourish and has now expanded into two campuses; one in Hongqiao and the other in Zhao Xiang, which was opened in September 2005.

A Welcome from The Principal

Thank you for considering Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten for your child.

Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten welcomes families of all countries of the world who wish their children to be educated in an international and multicultural environment. Our school strives to be an international kindergarten of the highest quality, a world-class model, and an Early Childhood establishment that others respect and aspire to, as we draw on the best of western and eastern educational programmes and cultures.

The vision of our Kindergarten is to develop children with open minds and kind hearts, active thinking and wide international understanding. We invite your children to join our multicultural family and we will in turn help shape them into self confident, creative, caring, cooperative and independent citizens.

At our Kindergarten we work to follow our great founder, Madame Soong Ching Ling’s philosophy of “giving children the most valuable things”.

Within our nurturing environment we strive to sow the seeds of compassion and understanding so that our pupils may go out and live successfully in our modern world thanks to the strong educational foundation and life skills they have gained at our school.

Our website only offers a glimpse of the Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten. We would be delighted to invite you to visit both our campuses to see us at work and play.

Madam Zhu Su Jing
Principal of Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten.

Education and Curricula

Our mission statement:

The International Division of Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten is committed to providing young children with the best possible early learning and foundations for living in our international environment and a rapidly changing world.

Our education ethos is broad, balanced and relevant; focusing on child-centred education and care. We offer rich learning opportunities via our exceptional facilities and physical environment, Chinese lessons and the unique international aspect of our school. The advantages of cultural and linguistic diversity are promoted throughout the school ethos, which is a blend of Eastern and Western educational philosophy and practice. Partnership between home and school is valued and a child's individuality is nurtured.

Aims of The School

Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten is committed to continuing research and development in the pursuit of excellence.

This is the commitment we make to our parents and therefore we must ensure it is lived through the daily experiences of their children in our schools. We acknowledge that children must have opportunities to be:

• Creative thinkers,

• Communicators,

• Problem solvers and

• Collaborators.

The teaching and learning policies of our school are therefore structured around the intention to develop:

• Independence,

• Self-reliance,

• Communication skills,

• Creativity and

• Application of knowledge in multiple situations.

To ensure that these abilities are developed consistently our school is committed to 7 key principles.

• Curricular breadth and balance: all areas of work and activity have equal worth and are given appropriate amounts of time and attention.

• Consistency: teaching approaches result upon agreed principles so that all pupils' skills and understanding can develop incrementally as they get older.

• Sensitivity and respect: all teachers recognise that the personal, social and emotional needs of all children are paramount and the school has clear policies on how this understanding is interpreted in practice.

• First hand experience: all teachers work is based on the fundamental principle that real learning arises from children being actively involved in relevant tasks that are based on their own experiences of the world.

• Caring and personal: everyone involved with our school recognises the need to know well every child and his/her parents.

• Elegant: both our campuses conform to high aesthetic standards, and are furnished and decorated to reflect a child-friendly and elegant sense of visual harmony.

• High absolute expectations: we have the highest expectations of ourselves, of the children in our care and of our professional standing in the community. We expect a lot and we ensure that our declared principles are lived through the daily experiences of everyone involved.

Extra Curricular Activities

We are happy to offer after school activities to children in the following classes: Montessori (2nd Year); Reception and Year One from 3pm - 4pm. Below is an example of some of the classes that we may offer:

• Zumba

• Art

• Dance

• Tennis

• Drums

• Lego

Information about cost and timing is available from the Administration office.

Parent Teacher Partnership

A close partnership of cooperation and communication between parents and teachers is a great advantage for all children. Our kindergarten offers a very open policy for parents to become involved in their child's education.

• Teachers make regular comments in every pupil’s Communication Booklet and allow children to take them home each day. Parents are also welcome to write/reply in these booklets at any time.

• Regular newsletters are written by both the school’s Coordinator and class teachers detailing school events and concerns, as well as wider community issues. All information concerning your child is presented on the notice boards outside your child’s classroom door.

Recording and Reporting Children's Progress

Teachers make on-going observations and keep detailed progress records for each pupil at school.

In addition, written progress reports are sent home to parents twice a year: at the end of the Autumn and Summer terms and twice yearly parent/teacher interviews are also organised.

Parents are also invited to request interviews with their child's teacher by appointment to discuss progress and well-being.

Parents and Teacher Association (P.T.A)

All parents are automatically eligible to attend the monthly group meetings organised by the Chairperson of the PTA. All parents receive regular up-dates of these meetings either in Chinese or English.

Volunteer parents also compose the committee, and all parents are warmly invited to play an active role in the Association.

The purpose of the PTA is to support the Kindergarten in a positive way and to propose /discuss any issues relevant to its pupils’ education and well-being for the Kindergarten’s consideration and reflection.

In addition, the parents organise fundraising activities and events throughout the year including the Winter Fair, Scholastic Books Subscription Club and Annual General Meeting and Welcome Barbecue.