London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Troubled Mount Kelly School ordered to vacate Hong Kong campus

Troubled Mount Kelly School ordered to vacate Hong Kong campus

Court order on the door of the school in Jordan, where its early childhood sections are located, says it must vacate site by September 23

A troubled British private school in Hong Kong has been ordered to vacate its Jordan campus by next Thursday, after struggling to pay HK$3.5 million (US$449,780) in rent and management fees.

The court order on Monday was fixed to the front door of Mount Kelly School in Kwun Chung Street, the site of its nursery and preschool, as well as its babies and toddlers section.

It stated that the landlord, Sanney Ltd, had obtained on August 30 a judgment against the school’s former operator, Mount Kelly International – later renamed PM Education Operation – for recovering possession of the premises.

Mount Kelly School owes more than HK$3.5 million in unpaid rent and management charges, according to the writ of summons issued against it.

The Post has contacted Mount Kelly School for comment.

The Education Bureau said it had reminded Mount Kelly School to notify affected students and parents as soon as possible, with the site to be vacated by September 23.

“The bureau will continue to liaise with the school to follow up on the situation and provide appropriate support to students in need,” a spokeswoman said.

The father of a former Mount Kelly pupil told the Post he had moved his child to another school after face-to-face classes were suspended in early June and moved online for the remainder of the term.

But he had already paid HK$75,000 in May for a place next term, after the school gave assurances, in an email seen by the Post, that it “will be able to continue as normal for the rest of the school year and for the new academic year in 2021-22”.

“She was there for four years but then we decided, even though I had paid already for this year, I could not trust this school any more,” he said, adding that management had not given them a refund.

A court order requires Mount Kelly School to vacate its Jordan premises


The father, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it had been stressful to find a new school for his daughter because they started the application process late.

“She was wait-listed at the schools that we had in mind because they were already full … Normally you have to apply much earlier in the year, around January or February.”

Face-to-face classes at Mount Kelly School resumed on August 24 despite operational difficulties, which included failing to pay staff and owing rent on its campus property.

The school has another campus in Tsim Sha Tsui for its offices and its primary and secondary section.

Earlier this month, the school said it had decided to seek a winding-up order – liquidation – against PM Education Operation.

Last month, the school’s former financial controller, who was fired on July 7, was arrested on suspicion of stealing nearly HK$600,000 from the institution.

Dean Penney (left), assistant head of Mount Kelly School, and Edward Wong Pak-yin, its co-founder.


In June, the co-founder of the school, Edward Wong Pak-yin, blamed its financial woes on “messy” management and a loss of more than 30 per cent of its pupils amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He admitted Mount Kelly School had failed to break even for the past year, and had been falling behind on its expenses “by millions of Hong Kong dollars” for months.

But he denied that the school, which offers a British curriculum and charges parents between HK$154,990 and HK$195,000 annually, would be forced to close, pledging to keep it open while restructuring took place.

The school is a sister institution to the main Mount Kelly School in Devon, England.

Since revealing plans to open the school in Hong Kong in 2016, the former operator has been plagued by controversy.

It received a warning from the Education Bureau in November 2016 after it was found to have started recruiting pupils before completing registration applications. The school also took months to find a campus before it could formally open in 2017.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×