Yew Chung International School of Shanghai

The Co-Teaching Philosophy at YCIS Shanghai

At the heart of Yew Chung International School of Shanghai lies a pedagogical commitment that sets it apart from virtually every other international school in China: the co-teaching model. In every classroom, from Early Childhood through to Upper Secondary, two qualified teachers work together — one a native English speaker, the other a native Mandarin Chinese speaker. This is not a supplemental language programme; it is the foundational structure of every lesson.

Whole-Person Education (全人教育)

The school's guiding philosophy is whole-person education (全人教育), a concept that insists academic achievement alone is insufficient. YCIS aims to cultivate students who are intellectually curious, emotionally resilient, ethically grounded, and culturally fluent. This means that alongside rigorous academic study, the school invests heavily in character development, community service, creative expression, and physical wellbeing.

The mission statement — 'Building a Bright Future for Humanity' — is not merely decorative. It frames the daily life of the school: students are expected to develop a sense of responsibility not just to themselves and their families, but to the wider world.

Inquiry-Based and Student-Centred Learning

Curriculum delivery is deliberately inquiry-led and project-based. Teachers in both language streams design lessons that invite students to question, investigate, and construct meaning rather than passively absorb content. This approach aligns with both the IB framework (adopted in the upper secondary years) and the school's own 'YCIS Curriculum' used in primary and middle school, which blends elements of the British curriculum with Chinese language and cultural content.

Bilingual Culture, Not Just Bilingual Classes

The co-teaching model creates a school culture where English and Chinese are genuinely equal. Library collections are maintained in both languages. Assemblies, notices, and celebrations draw on both traditions. Students who arrive with limited Chinese quickly develop working proficiency through immersion, while those with Chinese as a home language gain high-level academic English. The result, over time, is a student body that can think, write, and present with confidence in two of the world's most important languages.

Values at the Core

The school articulates its values through the YCYW (Yew Chung Yew Wah) educational philosophy, emphasising trust, respect, responsibility, justice, and wisdom. These values are not confined to pastoral lessons but are woven into academic expectations, co-curricular participation, and community engagement. Scholarship criteria explicitly reward students who demonstrate these values alongside academic ability.

This coherent philosophy — bilingual, whole-person, inquiry-driven — gives YCIS Shanghai a distinctive identity that has remained consistent across more than three decades and six campuses.

IB Diploma Results and Academic Culture at YCIS Shanghai

For families weighing international schools in Shanghai, YCIS's IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) results are a compelling data point. Over the three most recently reported cohorts (2023, 2024, and 2025), the school has maintained average scores significantly above the global IB mean of approximately 30 points.

Results at a Glance

Each cohort has also produced at least one student achieving the maximum 45 points — a rare accomplishment globally.

The Bilingual Diploma Distinction

Perhaps the most striking statistic is the bilingual diploma rate: 43–50% of YCIS graduates earn an IB Bilingual Diploma, meaning they satisfy the Language A requirement in both English and Chinese. This is an exceptionally high proportion and is a direct consequence of the co-teaching model that students experience throughout their school career. The IB Organisation globally reports bilingual diploma rates far below this level at most schools.

All students who take Chinese ab initio (standard level) — typically those who arrive at the school with limited Chinese — have consistently achieved the maximum grade in that subject, a testament to the quality of Chinese language instruction across the school.

A Curriculum Pathway Built for Success

The academic journey is structured deliberately. Primary students follow the YCIS Curriculum (a blend of British and Chinese content). In Years 10–11, students take Cambridge IGCSE examinations, providing an internationally recognised foundation. Years 12–13 are devoted to the IB Diploma, with the school offering a full suite of subjects across all six IBDP groups.

Every YCIS secondary student is entitled to access IBDP study — the school does not filter students into non-IB tracks — and the systematic preparation through IGCSE ensures strong IB readiness.

University Destinations

The academic culture translates directly into impressive university outcomes. In recent years, YCIS graduates have been accepted by Oxford University, Cambridge University, LSE, Imperial College London, UCL, UCLA, NYU, University of Toronto, University of Hong Kong, Berklee College of Music, and RISD, among many others. The 2024 cohort saw approximately 34% of graduates accepted to QS Top 50 universities and 59% to QS Top 100 universities.

Campus Life Across Six Locations

Unlike most international schools which operate from a single unified campus, YCIS Shanghai distributes its 2,500+ students across six specialised campuses — three in Puxi (the western part of Shanghai) and three in Pudong (the eastern side, including the new Lingang district). Each campus is purpose-designed for specific age groups, creating environments that are developmentally appropriate rather than one-size-fits-all.

The Puxi Campuses

Ronghua Campus (长宁区荣华西道59号) serves the youngest learners from K2 to Year 1, ages 2–6. Opened in February 2018, it was purpose-built to LEED Gold sustainability standards — the first school building in Shanghai's international sector to achieve this certification. The campus features flexible 'Learning Communities' that can be reconfigured for small and large group activities, a dedicated indoor swimming pool for co-curricular lessons, specialist music and art rooms, dual-language libraries, and an upper-floor rooftop garden that brings nature into daily school life.

Hongqiao Campus (长宁区水城南路11号) houses the primary Years 2–6 (ages 7–12). Facilities include a large gymnasium, basketball courts, outdoor playground, cafeteria, computer lab, music rooms, and art studios. The campus has served the school's primary community for several decades.

Gubei Campus (长宁区荣华西道18号) is the secondary hub for Years 7–13 (ages 12–18). It features a modern fitness centre, extensive science laboratories, a large library, an indoor sports hall with competition-standard pool, and contemporary classrooms equipped with interactive technology.

The Pudong Campuses

Regency Park Campus (浦东新区花木路1817号) serves K1–Year 5 in the eastern district, providing equivalent early childhood and primary facilities to the Puxi campuses — gymnasium, sports courts, computer lab, library, music and art rooms.

Century Park Campus (浦东新区东绣路1433号) serves Years 6–13, offering an all-weather sports field, library, performing arts spaces, and rooftop gardens.

Lingang Campus (浦东新区临港新城银莲路1号) opened in 2022 and serves K2–Year 6. As the newest campus, it incorporates the latest thinking in educational design: a makerspace for design and technology, rooftop garden, all-season outdoor play areas, and proximity to the Yew Wah (Chuanshan) sister campus which provides access to a theatre and swimming pool.

School Services

Across all campuses, students benefit from a school bus network covering multiple routes throughout Shanghai, full-time school nurses, Chartwells-catered lunches, and a child protection framework underpinned by the school's Child-Safe School policy.

Understanding Admissions at YCIS Shanghai

Admissions at YCIS Shanghai operate within a framework quite different from most international schools globally. Understanding this framework is essential for prospective families.

Foreign Nationals Only

By Chinese government regulation, YCIS Shanghai is authorised exclusively to enrol foreign nationals. This means:

• Students must hold a non-Chinese passport
• Chinese nationals, including ethnic Chinese holding foreign passports acquired through naturalisation, are typically ineligible
• There is no pathway for local Chinese families to enrol, regardless of academic ability or fee-paying capacity

This restriction is not a school policy choice but a legal condition of the school's operating licence as a fully approved independent international school. The result is a genuinely international student body drawn from over 50 countries, with no single nationality dominating.

What YCIS Looks For

The school states that admissions decisions consider:

• Academic records from previous schools
• English proficiency — students must be capable of accessing the curriculum with the EAL support the school provides; they do not need to be fluent English speakers on arrival
• Chinese language ability — assessed but not a barrier to entry
• Age-appropriate readiness and social-emotional development

For students applying to Year 5 and above, the assessment typically includes written tests in English and Mathematics, plus a student interview. For younger year groups (below Year 5), the process centres on a parent-child interview rather than formal testing.

Application Process and Fees

A non-refundable application fee of CNY 3,000 is required at the time of submission. Upon acceptance, a refundable deposit of CNY 25,000 is payable to confirm the place. New primary and secondary entrants also pay a one-time capital fee of CNY 15,000.

Scholarships

For students entering Years 7–13, YCIS offers merit-based scholarships through the Yew Chung Yew Wah (YCYW) scholarship programme. The flagship Madam Tsang Memorial Scholarship covers 50–100% of tuition fees for exceptional candidates. Additional awards recognise academic excellence (Yew Chung Yew Wah Academic Award) and talent in the arts and sports (Yew Chung Yew Wah Professional Talent Award). All scholarships are merit-based; need-based financial aid is not publicly offered.

Sibling Discount

Families with three or more children simultaneously enrolled receive a 5% sibling discount on tuition fees — a practical benefit for larger expatriate families on multi-year postings.

Co-Curricular Life and Community at YCIS Shanghai

Beyond the classroom, YCIS Shanghai offers one of the most extensive co-curricular programmes of any international school in China. The school officially promotes 200+ co-curricular activities (CCAs), covering a remarkably wide range of interests.

Sports

Sports provision is comprehensive and available across all campuses. Activities include basketball, volleyball, rugby, football (soccer), table tennis, kendo, wushu (martial arts), competitive swimming, and gymnastics. Each campus provides dedicated sports infrastructure — indoor gyms, outdoor courts, and competition-standard swimming pools. Senior students have access to a modern fitness centre at the Gubei Campus.

Music and the Arts

Music is a particular strength. The school operates orchestras, choral groups, a brass band, and individual instrument lessons (piano, guitar, violin). Violin is notably embedded as a required element of the early years and primary curriculum, giving students a musical foundation from a young age. Drama productions, dance groups, and an active visual arts programme round out the performing and creative arts offer. Every campus has dedicated music rooms and art studios.

Academic and STEM Clubs

For academically motivated students, YCIS offers English debate, Model United Nations, mathematics competitions (including Olympiad preparation), Chinese-language presentation competitions, robotics, and coding/computer science clubs. IB students benefit from additional academic enrichment sessions to support their extended essay and theory of knowledge work.

Service and Global Citizenship

Consistent with its whole-person philosophy, YCIS actively promotes community service and environmental stewardship. Students participate in local volunteer initiatives, environmental projects, and international exchange programmes with sister schools in the Yew Chung Yew Wah network. This service ethic is reinforced through scholarship criteria that reward leadership and community contribution.

A Multinational Community

With students from over 50 nationalities and teachers from more than 20 countries, the daily lived experience at YCIS is genuinely global. Festivals, cultural celebrations, and assemblies draw on the diverse backgrounds of the community. Parent associations are active across campuses, and the school's network of alumni spans the world's leading universities and professions — a reflection of the diverse, internationally mobile families the school has served for over 30 years.