Q: Some parents might look at this environment and say, 'This is wonderful, but with all this play, are they really learning the academics?' How would you respond to that very valid concern?

Kate："I completely understand that concern. Most of us were taught in a very different way, and I can reassure them wholeheartedly. Centuries of research from around the world, and our results, are overwhelmingly clear.

Play-based learning not only builds strong foundations for literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving, but it gives the child those intangible tools - confidence, independence, responsibility - to succeed in their careers and life. These foundations of a high level of future learning and attainment are woven into the fabric of play.

We are not alone in this. There is a range of historic and ongoing research from pioneers like Vygotsky, Piaget, Froebel and Malaguzzi and modern-day researchers and neuroscientists. All agree that play-based learning is a direct pathway to inquiry-based learning.

The proof is in our graduates. We can track students from our Early Years programmes right through to graduation, and the results are undeniable. They consistently achieve outstanding IGCSE and IB results and move on to the world's top universities. Some have even topped nation-wide rankings in China.

I recently received a letter from an ex-student who was about to start university thanking me for the strong start to his learning journey that he experienced in our early years.

But the academic scores are only part of the story. The deeper outcome is the kind of person they become. I am reminded of a moment in the Maldives, watching a five-year-old girl skillfully using a cleaver to open a coconut. My instinct was to intervene, but a local colleague urged me to watch. She was completely capable, focused, and understood the risk. She didn't need my help; she needed my trust.

That is the essence of what we do. We trust children with appropriate challenges to build capable, confident learners. Our graduates leave us not just with excellent qualifications, but with the resilience and love of learning to succeed in an unpredictable world. They do not just receive information; they know how to research and use it."