Karnataka: Harrow School campus to be ready by May, gears up to welcome first batch of students

The Harrow International School campus in Bangalore will be ready by May, in time to welcome its first batch of students.

Harrow International School, Bengaluru (HISB) is under construction on a 60-acre campus in Devanahalli, a suburb of the garden city (pop.10 million). HISB is the outcome of a collaboration agreement between two heavyweights — the Delhi-based Amity Education Group and Harrow School (estb.1572), one of Britain’s most venerated public (i.e, private, exclusive) schools.

The first batch of students will start in August. In the first year, HISB spokesperson expect 150 student enrollments in classes VI-XI.

In an interactive session with parents held on March 11 in Bangalore, Andrew Leale, Headmaster of HISB, assured parents that the timeline for campus construction will be met and that the academic year would commence as planned in August 2023. For student admissions, the entrance test and interview will be completed by May.

Leale highlighted some significant campus features: an 800-seat auditorium for dance and music productions, excellent sports facilities including an Olympic size swimming pool, a full size Astro Turf football pitch, state-of-the-art tennis courts, basketball courts, cricket nets, etc.

HISB is a co-ed day-cum-boarding class VI-XII school. Students can choose to be day boarders or live on campus. While younger children living on campus will be provided twin sharing rooms, those in classes X to XII will have single rooms.

“Our vision is not just achieving outstanding academic results but also character building and leadership development,” said Leale adding that the school will have more international teachers than any school in India.

Responding to a parent on whether the campus will be built in the Victorian architecture style, he said that while it is intended to look in that fashion, the focus is on achieving golden standard of education, similar to Harrow School, UK.

The school will maintain a teacher-student ratio of 1:7 or 1:8. “Children between the ages of 11-18 are bound to make mistakes. There must be connections in place to support them in need. They will be divided into smaller groups where a house tutor will be assigned, just to have 5 children to look after. A triangulation of relationship between teachers, housemasters and parents will ensure children’s wellbeing,” he added.

Fee structure: Over 25 academic subjects are offered, enabling students to customize learning according to their interests and aspirations. The fees at this school range from Rs 15-25 lakhs, with bursaries for founding students and a range of highly competitive scholarships.