Preparing grade 9 for the High School journey

When entering grade 9, Huili pupils will be one step closer to their life aspirations. To help them map out their goals for the future, Huili School Shanghai's holistic education will address the needs of the whole child. 

This unique provision will offer assistance in areas such the curriculum and academic support, co-curricular activities, health and wellbeing and university guidance and career planning. 

From grade 9, pupils will have the opportunity to study new courses such as global perspectives, computer science, drama and economics. They will work with a wider range of peers across the disciplines they pursue. They will also have a greater say in which subjects they will study and will have the opportunity to study them in greater depth.

Mr Shaw, Assistant Head of High School, has extensive teaching and leadership experience from secondary schools in the UK and overseas. He takes on the role of IBDP Coordinator and is overseeing the wellbeing programme. 

After Junior High, the wellbeing curriculum shifts its focus toward using and acquiring more of the coping strategies that will help pupils to meet academic demands and the challenges of life as an adolescent. 

Mr Shaw

Mr Shaw is developing the wellbeing programme for grade 9 and is supported by wellbeing professionals who are experts in their field. Huili already has an impressive values-based pastoral system. 

The mentoring programme will continue to provide a level of 1-to-1 support rarely seen in schools. Further mentoring programmes will support subject choices and the overall development of pupils while facilitating positive working relationships between pupils and teachers.

Personal wellbeing forms the basis of academic achievement and in an ambitious and high achieving environment such as Huili, they are entirely dependent on each other. 

Academic success does not occur overnight and is a product of a daily insistence on high expectations and standards in all aspects of school-life. Mr Shaw looks forward to supporting the pupils in pursuit of their goals, whether that be in the classroom, on the sports field or on stage.

From grade 9, university guidance becomes more prominent and personalised with more one-on-one consultations with our team of university guidance professionals. 

Huili School Shanghai's Head of Higher Education and Careers, Miss Casallo, is experienced in guiding pupils through the university application process. She has worked with hundreds of pupils in both China and in the US, using an innovative and thoughtful curriculum designed to develop emotional and social skills through self-discovery, independent learning and self-awareness.

She works closely with pupils, helping them to craft effective personal statements and prepare for admissions interviews. Her work gets results, too. She has had pupils gain acceptance at top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, UC Berkeley and Cornell.

Huili's Higher Education and Careers Department will start by assessing pupils' academic and extra-curricular interests, discussing their aspirations and goals and helping them to identify the life pursuits that they love.

Miss Casallo also emphasises the importance of the parent partnership in the guidance process. It is very important to have a strong, transparent and trustworthy relationship with parents early on in Junior High and leading to High School. 

Huili parents will have the opportunity to attend formal sessions throughout the year to help them understand more about the overall college application. This will include up to date information from admission officers, webinars offered from different colleges, deadlines, summer research and internship opportunities, etc.

The school also holds regular coffee mornings and parent workshops, in which Miss Casallo answers questions on the admissions process. In grades 11 and 12, she will meet with parents and pupils individually, helping to draft a plan to attend their preferred university.  

Grade 9 is a pivotal time for planning for our pupils’ next four years of study. Huili will provide all the guidance and support your child needs to achieve their goals and enjoy success at university and beyond.