SCIE was registered as a centre of Cambridge International Examinations of UCLES in April 2003 and the school was inaugurated in September 2003. The College is founded principally along the lines of a British A level College and is approved by the Shenzhen Education Bureau.

SCIE¡¯s aim is to enable students to gain the necessary A level qualifications for university entrance, mainly in the UK. Currently, almost 50% of SCIE students have been opting for universities in the United States of America and 50% mainly in the UK.

SCIE has a selective student intake by examinations in Mathematics and English language as well as by interview. The academic standard of our students is very high. All of our students, including the first group who graduated in 2005, have had 100% success in gaining entry to universities in the UK and elsewhere. It is encouraging that we have managed to place a few of our students in Oxbridge every year since our first graduates in 2005. The details of our first four graduate cohorts can be seen in the appendix.

SCIE¡¯s first campus consisted of a few classrooms and labs catering to approximately 100 students: about 40 at A1 level (year 12) and the rest (at another campus) at IGCSE level (years 10 & 11). After a number of moves, sharing our campus with other school, we eventually established our own campus in 2006 in Futian District in the heart of Shenzhen. The campus is located within easy walking distance of accommodation, supermarkets, shops, restaurants and entertainment. Hong Kong is readily accessible by bus and train: takes about one hour and a half depending on the traffic.

We function as an entirely independent body and conduct our own academic programmes, which are regulated under the Cambridge International Examinations Board in the UK. At the start of this academic year 2008-2009, our sixth year, the College student roll has grown to around 600 and reached full capacity. There are currently eight A2 classes and eight A1 classes, five G2¡¯s and four G1¡¯s.

The Staff has grown in tandem with the increasing student population. From only five expatriates (3 at A level) and around 10 local staff at the start of the school, we now have a Staff roll of 85, with 35 or 41% expatriate. The majority of our highly qualified expatriate Staff is very experienced in the International arena, and has spent most of their careers teaching A-Levels in their specific subject areas. Many of the local Chinese Staff have gained their degrees and Masters in other English-speaking countries and are also very well qualified and experienced.

We are also fortunate to have a few retired Chinese University Professors who have joined us in the Physics and Chemistry departments. This, combined with an excellent quality of student intake, has resulted in some of the highest grades at AS and A-Level in any comparable School or College in China. The results are quoted elsewhere for your interest. Every year since its inception we have been fortunate enough to have a few students accepted to Oxbridge, LSE, University College London and many other prestigious universities

The courses offered at SCIE have also expanded. From being a purely Maths/Science College in 2003, SCIE now has 12 subject choices at the IGCSE level and 14 at A level in the 2008-09 session. The emphasis has changed from mainly Science based subjects to Commerce subjects: Economics, Business Studies and Accountancy. Now the Humanities subjects are being introduced: Art, Computer Science, Geography and History at A level. In the last two years we have also offered Psychology at AS level. Students now have a broad choice in a comprehensive range of subjects at both IGCSE and A level.

We look to the future with great enthusiasm, and with the conviction that SCIE will grow from strength to strength. Our students have proved themselves worthy of the challenge and have gained places at some of the most prestigious universities throughout the world. The accomplishments so far have not been achieved without great effort and persistence on the part of Staff, students and management alike. Throughout our development we have always tried to work as a team with clear goals and aims, and have gained much experience in this process. We continue to learn and progress as we evolve. In our short history we have established a good infrastructure and many unique teaching practices and operational systems which have achieved a remarkable measure of success. This has gained for SCIE a notable reputation in Shenzhen and beyond. In the future we hope to enhance this reputation further with SCIE as the unchallenged leader of academic excellence for International Education in China.