St. Paul's College (SPC; ) is an Anglican day school for boys in Hong Kong. It was established in 1851, the oldest continuously operated school in Hong Kong. The college first opened in 1851 with only one tutor and nine pupils. Today, it has more than 1,200 pupils in the secondary section and nearly 600 pupils in the primary section.

St. Paul's comprises an all-boys primary school section (Primary 1–6) and secondary section (Forms 1–6). The secondary school campus is situated in the Mid-Levels area, part of Hong Kong Island's Western District, whilst the primary school operates in a dedicated campus at Pok Fu Lam in the Island's Southern District.

The College Council enjoys a special status in Hong Kong, in that it is a statutory body incorporated by a local ordinance, the St. Paul's College Council Incorporation Ordinance (Cap 1102, Laws of Hong Kong). The aim of the college is to "provide a liberal education to Chinese youths in the English language upon Christian principles.".

History

Establishment St. Paul's College is the earliest Anglo-Chinese school. Its founder, Rev. Vincent John Stanton, was the first colonial chaplain of the former Colony of Hong Kong, appointed in 1843. In 1841, Rev. Stanton, raised funds in England to start an Anglo-Chinese school in Hong Kong.

The original purpose of such a fine establishment The Church of England Anglo-Chinese School was to train a body of native clergy and Christian teachers for the propagation of the Gospel in China...[and] to aid in the diffusion of Christian principles among the Chinese'. Thus, the school opened for the purpose of teaching English to Chinese boys in 1849. St. Paul's College was officially founded in 1851, located at Glenealy in what is today the Central District.

The school opened with James Summers as headmaster, Rev. Edward T. R. Moncrieff as the tutor with nine boys. The number of students soon swelled to 33. Rev. Moncrieff, the school's only tutor at the time, traveled to India, where he was killed in 1857 in the Indian Mutiny.

The college was suspended from 1857 to 1861. It reopened under sinologist John Fryer and was led by him for the ensuing two years.

Bishop Burden turned the building into a school mainly for English-speaking boys, which operated from 1873 to 1878. During this time, St. Paul's College and St. Joseph's College competed in the earliest inter-school football matches ever played in the colony. The college again became an Anglo-Chinese school, under the headmastership of A. T. Fryer in 1878. The college was suspended in 1899, and the building was used as a training school for Chinese Catechists under the leadership of Rev. P. A. Bunbury.

Early 20th century The Church Missionary Society took over the school building, and St. Paul's College reopened with Rev. A.D. Stewart as headmaster in 1908. Rev. Stewart's brother Col. E. G. Stewart highlighted the primitive facilities of the school at this time in his article about St. Paul's history. "Some of us can remember the old south wing - two enormous classrooms on the first floor and one on the ground floor - the rest of the space taken up with wide verandas and staircases, the whole constructed of ancient and somewhat worm-eaten wood, which must have caused a headache to the insurance company; the bad lighting and amazing discomforts which would not be tolerated by modern schoolboys."

During this time, the enrolment soared to 300 and extensions became necessary. In 1911, the and were erected. In 1914, St. Paul's Girls School (renamed St. Paul's Co-educational College in the late 1940s) was founded by Kathleen Stewart (sister to Rev. A.D. Stewart and wife of Rev. Ernest Martin. Headmaster Rev. A.D. Stewart retired and his brother Colonel E. G. Stewart took charge in 1930.

Japanese occupation In December 1941, the school closed abruptly when Japan invaded Hong Kong in the Pacific War. Col. Stewart, along with some school staff and students, risked their lives for the defence of the colony. After World War II, Colonel Stewart was awarded Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honours in 1948. He was appointed Royal Hong Kong Regiment, honorary colonel.

Post-wars years and the Bonham Road era After the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the school was briefly merged with St. Paul's Girl's College, and renamed St. Paul's Co-educational College. The school resumed its individual status in 1949, known as St. Paul's College once again, when its campus on Bonham Road was completed. St. Paul's Co-educational College remained co-educational. Rev. G.L. Speak was appointed principal in 1959.

During the Hong Kong 1967 leftist riots, Form 6 pupil Tsang Tak-sing was expelled from the school and prosecuted for distributing leaflets promoting Communism and public order crime. Tsang was sentenced to two years in prison. He later went on to become a deputy in the National People's Congress of Communist China, a member of the Central Policy Unit and, on 1 July 2007, the Secretary for Home Affairs in the Hong Kong Government. Ha Wing Ho was appointed principal in 1969.

St. Paul's College bloomed quickly in the late 20th century. In 1979, the completion of St. Paul's College Alumni Association Tse Yu Chuen Swimming Pool marked the completion of one of the greatest building projects of the decade. Its construction was made possible by funding from parents, older boys and the Alumni Association.

In 1992, St. Paul's College was the first aided school to opt for the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS). However, the scheme was eventually suspended when the government policy changed. Under DSS, the school would have been given maximum freedom with regard to curriculum, school fees and entrance requirements.

St. Paul's College Primary School was relocated to Hill Road in 1993, which formerly housed a secondary school. The vacant block at Bonham Road was transformed into a series of special-purpose rooms including an art room, music room, staff room, teaching resource room, computer room and teachers' common room.

2000–present In 2001, the college celebrated its 150th anniversary. The school elected to join the DSS, under which the school was given more autonomy in the enrolment of students, appointment of teachers and the design of the curriculum.

In 2006, the college celebrated its 155th anniversary. John Richard Kennard was appointed as the 11th principal. Under the DSS, the new South Wing was opened by Archbishop Peter Kwong. The Wong Ming Him Hall underwent renovation in 2008, while the College Hall was renovated in 2010.

A new SPC Primary School campus was built in Pok Fu Lam. The project resulted in the SPC Primary School relocating from its current site on Hill Road. Located at the corner of Victoria Road and Pok Fu Lam Road, the new campus opened in January 2013.

In 2011, the college celebrated its 160th anniversary. The Chapel Choir and Chinese Orchestra visited London in July 2011, and performed at St Paul's Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral and St Martin-in-the-Fields. The 160th Anniversary Concert was held on 26 October 2011 at the Jockey Club Auditorium of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

In 2014, Yuen Dick Yan, Dennis, assumed the role of Acting Principal at the college. He was subsequently appointed as Principal on an acting basis in 2015.

Curriculum

Class structure There are six classes in each form (Form 1–6). St. Paul's College uses English as the medium of instruction.

The college traditionally followed a system of education similar to Britain. In 2009, the New Senior Secondary system was introduced across the Hong Kong SAR. This involved moving away from the English model of seven years secondary schooling to the Chinese model of three years of junior secondary plus three years of senior secondary. The two public examinations HKCEE and HKALE are now replaced by a single public examination called the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). In addition to the HKDSE, the college also offers the GCE A-Level examinations to provide more opportunities for students.

Curriculum For the first three years of school (Form 1–Form 3), various subjects are introduced to students, including English, Chinese, Putonghua, Mathematics, Integrated Humanities (which is composed of Geography, History, and Citizenship, Economics and Society), Integrated Science, Information and Communication Technology, Religious Studies, Music, Visual Arts and Physical Education. Integrated Science is replaced with Physics, Chemistry and Biology in Form 3.

Under the New Senior Secondary (NSS) educational structure, senior form students now choose three elective subjects in which to specialise, together with the compulsory subjects of Chinese, English, Mathematics, Citizenship and Social Development, as well as the school based Common Core, which researches on sustainability and a better city. As of the 2022-23 academic year, Chinese History, Chinese Literature, Biology, Business, Accounting and Financial Studies (BAFS), Chemistry, Economics, Ethics and Religious Studies, Geography, History, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Music, Physics and Visual Arts (VA) are offered by the college as elective subjects. As for the International Advanced Level (IAL) stream, students study GCE Chinese, English (IELTS), Citizenship and Social Development, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics in F.4, and will be able to take either Biology or Further Mathematics in F.5.

The college also runs a bridging course for newly admitted Form 1 students to improve their foundation in English and link their already-possessed knowledge with the new ones. There are also remedial classes in Chinese, English and Mathematics for students requiring additional assistance.

Extracurricular activities

The Prefects' Council The Prefects' Council is an independent organisation which is authorised by the principal to help maintain school discipline. A prefect presents himself as a role model to others. Prefects are privileged, entitled to wear the prefects' tie and read Bible at the school morning assembly, which is regarded as a prestige. The prefect's main duties include maintaining discipline at the school and promoting harmony among Paulians. The Prefects' Council runs a committee system under the direction of the head prefect and two-second head prefects. The council is also responsible for co-ordinating all functions held by the school and students' association upon request. Prefects have the right to issue warning sheets according to the seriousness of the offence. Outstanding Prefects are chosen each year based on their general routine and performance of external duties.

Students' Association

The St. Paul's College Students' Association (abbreviated as SA) is the students' organisation of the college. It is the main body which conducts matters concerning students' welfare and communication with the school. The SA is the oldest students' organisation in all secondary schools in Hong Kong.

The Executive Council (EC) is the decision-making body of the Students' Association. Executive Council committees include: Affiliated Clubs Committee (ACC) – helps all clubs in financial need and in other matters such as club registration. There are 53 affiliated clubs under the students' association. Audit Committee – monitors the income and expenditure of the Students' Association. Human Resources Committee (HR) – responsible for arrangement of the SA officials' duty for daily operation and the association's activities. Public Relations Committee (PR) – responsible for liaison with external bodies or schools. Welfare Committee – provides welfare services such as sale of tie clips, umbrella rental service, old books and stationery. Promotion Committee - coordinates the promotion work of the SA .