Victoria Shanghai Academy


Victoria Shanghai Academy is a private independent bilingual international school in Aberdeen, Hong Kong. VSA is the first through-train International Baccalaureate school in Hong Kong and has been described as a leading bilingual IB school in Hong Kong.
VSA was founded in 2004 by.

History

In 1984, the Victoria Educational Organisation established C.S. Victoria English Primary School in School Street, and then Victoria English Primary School in Taikoo Shing in 1996. In 1999, C.S. Victoria English Primary School moved to Eastern Hospital Road, Causeway Bay and was renamed Victoria English Primary School.
In 2001, the Education Bureau granted a construction cost subsidy for a new campus at Shum Wan Road.
In 2003, Victoria English Primary School started implementing the International Baccalaureate curriculum on a trial basis. The following year, it received preliminary IB certification. Victoria English Primary School officially became an IB World School in 2005. In the same year, the upper primary school of Victoria English Primary School moved to a temporary campus in Wan Chai and opened a secondary school to provide IB secondary school and preparatory courses.
In 2006 and 2007, the secondary school passed the IB certification for the secondary school curriculum and preparatory curriculum respectively, becoming the first IB World School in Hong Kong to offer all 3 courses. In 2007, the primary school buildings were merged and moved to the Sham Wan campus together with the secondary school. An opening ceremony and open day were held at the school building in May 2008.
In 2012, VSA joined the Council of International Schools.
In 2022, a campus expansion project that commenced in 2020 was completed, adding 9,000 square metres to the campus. Secretary for Education Christine Choi attended the opening ceremony on 2 December. An affiliated school called Victoria Park Academy was opened in Nanshan, Shenzhen with as the Head of Academy.

School administration

;Heads of Academy
  • 2004–07 : Sherrill Shiu
  • 2007–13:
  • 2013–15 : Diana Wong
  • 2015–18: Judith Guy
  • 2018–25: Maggie Koong
  • 2025–: Victor Koong
;Primary Principals
  • 2001–07: Ying Cheuk Yung
  • 2007–09: Diane Fisk
  • 2009–16: Susan Smith
  • 2016–: Ross Dawson
;Secondary Principals
  • 2010–15: Richard Parker
  • 2015–18: Judith Guy
  • 2018–22: Christopher Coates
  • 2022–: Shirla Sum
;Notable board members
  • Adrian Cheng
  • Henry Cheng
  • Ng Ching-fai

    Accreditation

VSA is accredited by the Association of China and Mongolia International Schools, the Council of International Schools, the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools, the International Baccalaureate Organization, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Alliance for Sustainable Schools.

Curriculum

VSA is an International Baccalaureate authorized school offering 3 IB courses: Primary Years Programme for primary school, Middle Years Programme for secondary school, and Diploma Programme for the last 2 years of secondary school. The school is bilingual, and classes are taught in Mandarin using Traditional characters and English. Students may also choose to study French or Spanish. VSA also offers its own VSA Diploma for students who do not choose to study or do not meet the requirements for the DP.

Campus

The 2022 expansion project added "world-class" facilities to the VSA campus, including:
Sustainable design was adopted in the new campus buildings, including floor-to-ceiling glass, rainwater irrigation and solar photovoltaic systems, and green infrastructure.

Extracurricular

VSA's guiding statement is "Value, Strive, Act"
. At VSA, the Response to Intervention approach is used to support students with special learning needs. VSA offers school bus services.
VSA has four houses, each named after a major river: Amazon, Danube, Nile, and Yangtze. The former school mascot is DANY the dog, an acronym formed by the first letter of the four houses. The current school mascot is Finn the Shark. The school colors are blue, red, and white. The leading and well known clubs in this school are A.I. For Good, The Victorian, ceteris paribus. Especially A.I For Good, they have done a huge contribution to the school's development towards the digital age.

Activities

VSA publishes a yearbook. The student publication is named The Victorian. Students can learn to perform Chinese martial arts and traditional Chinese dances, including dragon dance, and play Chinese drums. School clubs also include huaju, an orchestra, AI For Good, Western dance, education on Napoleonic military tactics, naval warfare and maneuver warfare.

Sports

The VSA Sharks participate in the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation and the International Schools Sports Federation Hong Kong. Sports at VSA include association football, athletics, badminton, ball hockey, basketball, bowling, fencing, futsal, golf, netball, sailing, swimming, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball.

Student achievements

As of the 33rd Hong Kong Outstanding Students Awards in 2018, VSA has produced a total of 3 winners.

Notable alumni

  • Kaylin Hsieh, épée fencer
  • , singer and YouTuber
  • Katii Tang, swimmer
  • YaLocalOffgod, fashion designer and entrepreneur

    Victoria Kindergartens

Victoria Educational Organisation, one of the founding organizations of VSA, runs several kindergartens in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
Campuses in Hong Kong include:
  • Belcher
  • Harbour Green
  • Harbour Heights
  • Ho Man Tin
  • Lower Kornhill
  • Middle Kornhill
  • Ocean Pride
  • South Horizons
  • Upper Kornhill
Campuses in Mainland China include:
  • Hangzhou
  • Shanghai
  • Shenzhen
  • Suzhou