Pao School's residential programme is rooted in the spirit of whole-person education. Living on campus as part of a caring community allows students the opportunity to put into daily practice our school's core values of compassion, integrity and balance as well as grow through experiences not found in a traditional day school. Students, parents, and staff alike view the residential programme as a transformational part of the Pao School experience.
Central to the development of the whole person is providing opportunities for students to put into practice the character traits essential to a Pao School education. Students have plenty of opportunities for leadership, including opportunities in the residential programme.
Prefects take ownership of peer leadership within their Houses, collaborating with House Parents in the daily residential schedule, which includes study hall management, wake-up/lights-out routines, room inspection, attendance, and the upkeep of personal appearance standards.
Student Government is a peer-elected group that seeks to serve the entire community by:
Our commitment to the development of the whole child extends to our Wellness Programme, which offers services and support from a team of dedicated health professionals. Students and staff have access to our Wellness Centre, staffed by licensed doctors and nurses 24 hours a day.
A central aspect of our school mission seeks to develop our students' full potential and therefore a safe and nurturing environment for our students. To support our mission, we have a team of licensed school counsellors who offer counselling services for all students to support their social and emotional wellbeing.
Pao School also accommodates a small number of students who opt to forgo our residential programme. Day students receive the same excellent academic programme in the day, and are an integral part of the Co-Curricular Programme after school. Day students are under the care and guidance of a Housemaster/-mistress and tutor who focus specifically on the needs of day students and their families.
The tutor*, as it is known at Pao School, is a ubiquitous role at most US and UK boarding schools. Parents entrust their child to a boarding school by 'sending them away,' and in doing so they delegate local responsibility for their child to the school. At a boarding school, the tutor role is most like that of a parent. Boarding school environments are busy and complex: Tutors guide students through the peaks and valleys of the experience. Like a parent, the tutor is the reliable figure in the child’s life at school and builds a relationship through daily interaction, ideally over many years.
*The title of tutor is commonly used in UK boarding schools, whereas the term advisor or mentor is more commonly used in US boarding schools. In Chinese public schools, they are called ban zhu ren (班主任). An equivalent title at our Primary School is the homeroom teacher.
Most tutors at Pao School are teachers who live and work in our boarding Houses. Living in the Houses provides students and tutors additional opportunities to interact both in a residential and academic setting. The additional time students and tutors share in the boarding Houses often means tutors come to know our students best. Additionally, several outstanding Pao School veteran teachers who live off-campus tutor students in our day programme and Senior Secondary Houses.
A tutor is a staff member who supports the Housemaster/-mistress by caring for a small group of students within the House. Tutors have scheduled time to meet regularly and talk through topics related to daily life, character education, or any other matters they and their students may wish to discuss. Tutors are the primary interface between students and their parents. Tutors also communicate closely with the Housemaster/Housemistress, teachers, coaches, and other Pao School staff. Many students view their tutor as their primary role model and develop close relationships with this person, and all students see their tutor as another caring adult in their life.
Pao School organises four Xueyuans vertically across different ages and classes. All students belong to a Xueyuan for the duration of their time at the school. A Xueyuan is comprised of students and staff from all Houses and year groups who compete in a variety of sports, play-acting, and other activities. The competitions are not only good fun, but also foster a sense of community and school spirit. This system promotes healthy development of social skills and individual identity.
