What We Stand For

Vision: For every learner to be the best they can be.

Mission: Exceptional learning opportunities that emphasise achievement, personal fulfilment, service to others, learning skills and responsible global citizenship.

Values: West Island School expects students, alumni, parents and staff to share and be guided by our core values:

Commitment	Being responsible for ourselves and others through service and action
Community	Uniting people for peace, friendship and our common humanity
Compassion	Acting with empathy and kindness towards ourselves and others
Consideration	Accepting and understanding others to avoid prejudice and intolerance
Courage	Reaching beyond our comfort zone

Aims: Our learners are inspired and motivated to develop global citizenship as a mindset and responsibility to:

Experience a broad and flexible curriculum that can be personalised to individual interests, talents and abilities
Collaborate in authentic inquiry that is personally meaningful through local and global contexts
Master learning through a sustained process that asks us to produce, review, evaluate and refine
Embrace challenge and support for all aspects of learning: physical, social, emotional and cognitive
Appreciate the different perspectives in our community creating strength from diversity
Engage in open and effective interactions beyond the classroom experiencing multiple languages, countries and cultures
Grow determination and resilience by reflecting on individual challenges and character strengths
Take action for collective well-being, sustainable development and shared guardianship of the planet
Take ownership of their own learning

Safeguarding and Child Protection

ESF upholds every child’s right to learn and live in conditions that protect them from harm.

At ESF we prioritise Safeguarding and Child Protection. Through our actions, we promote the optimum development of our students' intellectual, physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. Wherever possible, we aim to prevent harm through our safeguarding actions, and if harm has occurred, we respond through our child protection procedures.

All ESF staff are trained in preventative and protective measures, with each school having at least two dedicated Child Protection Officers on site to lead on this critical aspect of student life.

Our policy and procedures are based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Hong Kong law, and additional guidance from international sources such as Keeping Children Safe, and the International Task Force on Child Protection.

Our policy is built on four core tenets:

We respond: All our actions are proactive and responsive, guided by strong policy to ensure we do all we can to safeguard and protect our students.
We support: We work in hope, towards a future without child maltreatment, in close collaboration with our students and their families. We understand the specific context they live in, and support them in a culturally sensitive manner.
We connect: We engage and partner with local and international support services, with our communities, and with each other through the ESF Child Protection Officers Network.
We develop: The field of Child Protection is always in motion; we constantly strive to improve our approach. We refine and review our actions, with the aim to constantly better ourselves.

ESF West Island School - Child Protection Officers

Helen Devine Costa, Vice Principal (16-18) (helen.devine-costa@wis.edu.hk)
Guy Hewson, Director of Learning Pre16 (guy.hewson@wis.edu.hk)
Sara Ellison, Director of Learning Post 16 (sara.ellison@wis.edu.hk)
Saffron Brown, Mental Health lead (saffron.brown@wis.edu.hk)
Steve Rudall, Director of Learning (Years 10 -11) (steve.rudall@wis.edu.hk)
Mike Williams, Vice Principal (Years 10 -11) (mike.williams@wis.edu.hk)
Helena Murchie, Vice Principal (Years 7 -9) (helena.murchie@wis.edu.hk)

By enrolling their children at ESF, parents agree to work in partnership with us and abide by the ESF Safeguarding and Child Protection policy and procedures.

Download ESF Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the centre of who we are at ESF.

We are a community of over 18,000 students and staff from more than 70 nationalities and cultures, with a history stretching back over 50 years. We recognise the importance of creating an environment where everyone is treated equally, with dignity and respect, and appreciated for who they are.

This is integral to our vision, mission and values as a leading international school organisation, committed to developing and inspiring every student to be the best that they can be.

Each school within ESF holds a shared vision to create a welcoming learning and working environment, including online, where everyone is valued and supported, so that each and every person in our community can thrive. We believe this is a key driver of our excellence and empowers our students and our staff to reach their fullest potential.

We are aware of our critical role in shaping the future generation of global citizens and are committed to constantly assessing and challenging our own diversity, equity and inclusion practices to ensure we are doing our very best for our students, staff, parents and the wider community.

Our commitments:

To provide students with an equal opportunity to access education and the support they require to enable them to flourish and truly be the best that they can be.
To embrace diversity and celebrate the uniqueness of each student through our personalised learning approach in all ESF kindergartens, primary, secondary and all-through schools.
To educate students and staff on the importance and impact of positive diversity, equity and inclusion policies, practices and behaviours through normalising speaking up, identifying learning opportunities, and holding regular training, awareness events and campaigns.
To promote equitable practices in all of our operations and be fair in the way we deal with all aspects of recruitment and employment.
Not to tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, including online, against any student or member of staff such as in relation to gender, pregnancy, breastfeeding, adoption, marital status, age, family status, belief, race, disability or sexuality.
To constantly work on improving our focus and accountability in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion; to have personal responsibility and commitment to learning and growth in these areas; to provide regular training and professional development opportunities across all levels of the organisation; to be transparent about our efforts and our progress in reaching our goals; and to highlight and challenge our unconscious biases and be open to ideas for change and improvement.