by LYIS
The LYIS team recently enjoyed a captivating visit to The Independent Schools Foundation (ISF) Academy in Hong Kong. Our time with Head of School Dr. Oliver Kramer, a valued LYIS member, provided a profound look into a school that masterfully blends deep cultural heritage with the frontiers of educational innovation. A leading bilingual IB World school in Hong Kong, Asia, and internationally – the data backs it up: in 2025, 94% of graduates matriculated in a world top 100 university. Its teacher retention rate stood at 94%.
Leadership as Stewardship
From the outset, Dr. Kramer’s leadership philosophy was clear: his role is one of stewardship. Having inherited an institution in an excellent state, his goal is not to radically overhaul but to ‘nurture’, ‘enhance’, and ensure he hands over an even stronger school to his successor. “The reputation and the brand speak for themselves,” he noted, emphasising that his work is about building upon the solid foundation laid by the ISF community over the past 20 years. This long-term perspective is guided by a clear five-year strategic plan aligned with international accreditation cycles.
The Unifying Goal: “One School”
A primary focus for Dr. Kramer is nurturing “whole school thinking.” ISF is a large, complex institution with over 2,500 students and multiple capable departments and subsidiaries, including its experiential learning company BELL and the pioneering Shuyuan and CK STEM programmes. His mission is to ensure these brilliant strands operate as one cohesive unit, united under ISF’s core mission and vision, rather than as independent entities. Such an approach is not always easy in any school, but doing so ensures consistency and shared purpose across every grade and department.
The Heart of the Academy: The Eight Virtues + One
What truly defines ISF is its foundational commitment to its core values, The Eight Virtues + One. These eight traditional Chinese virtues: commitment, respect, care, passion, courtesy, integrity, harmony, and balance, culminate in wisdom. We are not talking about simply posters on the wall. This goes far deeper in the mission integrity and is an active ethos of the school or how the school “walks the talk”. They guide student behaviour, inform teaching practices, and are even integrated into staff development and growth, ensuring the entire community lives and breathes these principles daily.
Experiential Learning at the Highest Level
ISF’s commitment to experiential learning is extraordinary. Its Experiential Learning Program (ELP) is a cornerstone of school life and education at ISF. The Academy runs ELPs twice a year for students from Grade 3 – 11, offering a wide range of immersive experiences that align with their core values and the IB learner profile. Through exploration of physical environments, cultural diversity and community service projects locally and abroad, students hone life skills and broaden their understanding of the world.
The Shuyuan programme takes interdisciplinary learning way beyond the confines of traditional classroom walls, offering students unparalleled opportunities. Dr. Kramer shares with me an example where a select group of students recently travelled to the University of Oxford to undertake a research project comparing ancient Greek and Chinese philosophy, fully supported by a full-time university fellow during their visit.
Similarly, the STEM programme focuses on achieving incredible depth in specific fields. The school boasts molecular biology laboratories with equipment so rare and advanced that “very few (if any) schools in the world have machines like that.” Students identify new bacteria, present their findings at global academic conferences (yes, academic conferences!), and are seen to contribute to genuine scientific knowledge.
Future-Proofing Students and Staff
Although I must confess that the ‘future-proof’ is an often overused phrase, the Academy is fiercely committed to preparing students for the future, and it is evident. This includes a serious investment in artificial intelligence, with a pilot programme empowering dozens of teachers to explore and implement AI tools in their teaching (and) organisational work.
Furthermore, wellbeing is a key strategic priority. The school is a pilot institution for Melbourne University’s New Metrics programme, an ambitious project to develop tangible criteria for measuring student and community wellbeing, moving beyond the difficult void many schools find themselves in, with abstract concepts sometimes hard to define, to meaningful data.
This future-focused mindset also applies to sustainability. The campus features solar panels and a remarkable “rocket” food composter that drastically reduces waste, educating students from a young age about conservation and global responsibility.
A Unique Position in the Educational Landscape
ISF occupies a unique niche. It is neither a traditional international school nor a local school. It is an independent private institution deeply rooted in Chinese language and culture, while maintaining a powerful global outlook and bilingual programme. This unique model is consistently helping to bring up students who are confident global citizens, proud of their cultural heritage, and prepared to leave their mark on the world.
Our visit concluded with a sense of immense optimism. Under Dr. Kramer’s thoughtful stewardship, supported by a dedicated leadership team and driven by its unwavering commitment to its values, ISF Academy is educating students that the school hopes will be innovative and compassionate global stewards, who will never lose track of their wisdom along the way.
A special thank you to Dr Kramer and his team for making us feel so welcome.
