We deliver Oxbridge-style tutorials to students aged 9–18 across Asia, bringing Oxford and Cambridge’s world-class teaching to young minds. And we make it genuinely fun.
“We bring Oxford and Cambridge’s world-class teaching to young minds across the world. And we make it genuinely fun, and useful for life.”
Meet the founder
McQueenSum
Founder
At Harvard College, she studied under
Nobel Laureate in EconomicsAmartya Sen
Nobel Laureate in EconomicsEric Maskin
Harvard’s “Justice”Michael Sandel
Oxford PhD & Clarendon Scholar in Education, with over ten years of teaching experience. Research Associate at the Centre for Global Higher Education.
Master's at Columbia (Teachers College) in media & learning technologies. Undergrad at HKU in International Business & Global Management with a second major in Philosophy (full scholarship).
Early work with Khan Academy and HarvardX (edX). Assistant Lecturer at HKU. President of the Rotary Club of Neoteric Hong Kong (2026–27). HKDSE top scorer, 6×5**.
10+years teaching
600+school students taught
1,000+university students
100+university teachers trained
The Agora difference
We are not your ordinarytutorial centre.Our students are trained to:
i.
Write like a scholar
Real essays, arguments and stories, not exam drills. Strong enough to enter the John Locke Global Essay Prize.
ii.
Speak like a leader
Debate, oracy and presentation, taught until your child can hold a room, with the TED-Ed stage included.
iii.
Think for themselves
We teach how to learn, so your child grows into an independent, motivated mind that goes far in life.
iv.
And actually love it
Bright, playful classes children look forward to. The result is a child who can think, write and speak for themselves, truly ready for the future.
On the TED-Ed stage
100 students. 30 schools. One red carpet.
Two voices. One shared idea. And a room full of people who couldn't look away.
0students on stage
0partner schools
Student journeys
Don’t settle for ordinary.
Two of our students’ journeys at Agora. Our mission: to inspire, and to transform.
From a local primary school
Joined our weekly tutorials as a primary-school girl full of questions
Earned her place at one of Hong Kong’s finest secondary schools
Writing, discussion and speech, theme by theme, for years
Admitted to HKU Medicine (MBBS), on scholarship
Exchange studies in the United States
“Agora laid the foundation for me to see the bigger world.”
Who was she before Agora?Before Agora
A hardworking and clever student. But English was never spoken at home, nor at school.
She was sure her English simply wasn’t good.
Then she entered one of Hong Kong’s elite schools, suddenly surrounded by classmates who spoke English every single day.
99/100 in English. Ranked 1st. Even her English teacher had thought it impossible.
From a local secondary school
Joined Agora in secondary school
Two years of writing training and weekly debate, round after round
His school grades began to climb, and kept climbing
Shortlisted for the John Locke global essay prize, among 100,237 entrants
Debates like a British politician, and the classroom listens
Today, he holds the room.
Who was he before Agora?Before Agora
A very ordinary boy, convinced his English was weak.
One of the world’s most competitive essay prizes for pre-university thinkers, with entries from more than a hundred countries. It is the kind of writing that real enrichment makes possible, and exam drilling never does.
100,237 entries worldwide · 17.5% shortlisted · Agora students at double that rate
Our Teachers from Oxford & Cambridge
Our teachers teach your children as they would teach their own.
6+ years
Nina
Based in Melbourne
Native English speaker · 6+ years with children & teens
What Hong Kong parents and students say about learning English with Project Agora: families from international schools, top local schools and across Asia.
“
Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me — this is no exaggeration: you’re like an angel sent from above who rescued me from a sea of frustration and confusion.
Student · London School of Economics, Law ’26“
I was just notified yesterday that I’ve been awarded the Jardine Scholarship. Once again, I am deeply thankful for your help through my application and interview preparation!
Student · University of Cambridge, Economics ’26 · Jardine Scholar“
After attending Project Agora’s classes, my child made significant progress. We’re so grateful for such an amazing centre!
Parent · Royal Veterinary College ’28“
Thank you, Project Agora teachers, for your love and guidance for my daughter all along the way. Your help has been instrumental in getting her into a UK medical school.
Parent · University of Exeter, Medicine ’29“
Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me — this is no exaggeration: you’re like an angel sent from above who rescued me from a sea of frustration and confusion.
Student · London School of Economics, Law ’26“
I was just notified yesterday that I’ve been awarded the Jardine Scholarship. Once again, I am deeply thankful for your help through my application and interview preparation!
Student · University of Cambridge, Economics ’26 · Jardine Scholar“
After attending Project Agora’s classes, my child made significant progress. We’re so grateful for such an amazing centre!
Parent · Royal Veterinary College ’28“
Thank you, Project Agora teachers, for your love and guidance for my daughter all along the way. Your help has been instrumental in getting her into a UK medical school.
Parent · University of Exeter, Medicine ’29
“
Dear Project Agora teachers, I received an offer from Cambridge last night. Thank you so much for your help!
Student · University of Cambridge, Medicine ’29 · Full Scholarship“
Thank you for your dedication to our education over the past three years. My vocabulary may not be enough to express my gratitude.
Student · University of Hong Kong, Medicine ’29“
We are lucky to have you as my two girls’ teacher. She received at least three offers from UK universities.
Parent · Chinese International School · KCL PPE ’28 offer holder“
Project Agora is the best English learning centre I’ve ever come across — my favourite of every place I’ve studied.
Student · The University of Hong Kong“
Dear Project Agora teachers, I received an offer from Cambridge last night. Thank you so much for your help!
Student · University of Cambridge, Medicine ’29 · Full Scholarship“
Thank you for your dedication to our education over the past three years. My vocabulary may not be enough to express my gratitude.
Student · University of Hong Kong, Medicine ’29“
We are lucky to have you as my two girls’ teacher. She received at least three offers from UK universities.
Parent · Chinese International School · KCL PPE ’28 offer holder“
Project Agora is the best English learning centre I’ve ever come across — my favourite of every place I’ve studied.
Student · The University of Hong Kong
“
You made this the one course I looked forward to most every week — always full of energy, always understanding each one of us.
Student · HKU, Quantitative Finance ’22 · Columbia ’23“
I’ve just received offers from two courses at Imperial! I couldn’t have gotten in without your help with my personal statement.
Student · Imperial College London“
Thank you for everything you’ve dedicated over the past three years! I will miss you very much — and those Saturday classes.
Student · University of Exeter, Medicine ’29“
You made this the one course I looked forward to most every week — always full of energy, always understanding each one of us.
Student · HKU, Quantitative Finance ’22 · Columbia ’23“
I’ve just received offers from two courses at Imperial! I couldn’t have gotten in without your help with my personal statement.
Student · Imperial College London“
Thank you for everything you’ve dedicated over the past three years! I will miss you very much — and those Saturday classes.
Student · University of Exeter, Medicine ’29
International online classes · places are limited
Book your child’sfree interview.
1Leave your detailsUnder a minute. Just tell us about your child.
2Attend the interviewA 30-minute online interview with your child.
3Begin weekly classesSmall-group tutorials, matched to the right stage.
Places go in interview order; no discounts, all year round. Not the right fit? We’ll tell you honestly.
Lessons run month to month, so there are no trial lessons and nothing to lock you in. If it is not the right fit, you can step away at any time, entirely risk-free.
It takes about a minute, and places go in interview order. The interview is free, lessons are month to month, and you can step away at any time.
Trusted by
Partners & collaborators.
Rotary Club of Neoteric Hong KongThe Harbour SchoolSPCC Summer PortalDiocesan Girls' SchoolRotary Club of Neoteric Hong KongThe Harbour SchoolSPCC Summer PortalDiocesan Girls' School
What we teach
Taught like the world’s best universities.
Oxbridge-style writing, discussion and public speaking, for ages 9 to 18, in small English-medium groups across Asia.
We flip the classroom.
No lectures, no worksheets, nothing self-paced. Your child arrives prepared. Class time is then spent the way Oxford, Cambridge and the Ivies teach: live Socratic discussion, where the students do the thinking and the talking.
One theme a month — past adventures
Harvard-style debate
Justice, ethics & bioethics, argued from Harvard’s open courses.
Publish a real book
Biographies of resilience, published as an Amazon e-book.
Uncomfortable Oxford
Students research Hong Kong’s history — then guide the public through it.
A brain-science podcast
How social media shapes the mind — essayed, then aired on Spotify.
The John Locke essay
University-level essays for the world’s top essay prize.
The TED-Ed stage
From stage fright to a talk the whole room remembers.
Three stages
9–12
Bud
A rock-solid English foundation — maths, science and stories woven into discussion and writing.
13–15
Bloom
Model-UN debates, real arguments, and a voice of their own.
Essays with an opinion of their own, strong enough for the John Locke prize.
Year two +
A confident, independent thinker. Three-year students call it life-changing.
John Locke and TED-Ed are the proof — never the pitch.
Our team
Oxbridge minds. Made in Asia.
The mentors
McQueen Sum
Founder · 10+ yrs
The founder of Project Agora, McQueen holds a PhD from the University of Oxford as a Clarendon Scholar and a master's from Columbia's Teachers College, and serves as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong. A former HKDSE top scorer with six 5** grades, she is President-elect of the Rotary Club of Neoteric Hong Kong (2026–27). Over more than a decade she has taught students into Oxford, Cambridge and the Ivy League — but she measures her teaching by curiosity and character, not just offers, and built Agora to teach English the way the world's best universities do: through real thinking, writing and conversation.
Nina
English Teacher · 6+ yrs
A native English–speaking teacher with over six years guiding children and teenagers from many different backgrounds, Nina specialises in speaking confidence, creative writing and discussion-based learning that pushes students to think for themselves and express themselves naturally. She believes language should feel alive and intellectually exciting — never rote memorisation. Coming from a bilingual creative-learning environment, she designs project-based lessons around storytelling, presentations and cross-subject themes, and is happiest when a classroom feels confident, curious and genuinely eager to take part. She will soon read Cognitive Psychology at the University of Cambridge. Based in Melbourne.
William
Honorary Lecturer · 5+ yrs
William is a Lecturer in English at CBS International Business School in Germany, where he specialises in presentation skills, oracy, rhetoric and advanced writing. Across five years teaching English for high-performance contexts, his students have included a researcher at Oxford's Saïd Business School and a Head of Humanities at a French Grande École. He holds an MSc in Applied Linguistics from the University of Oxford — where he researched the effectiveness of one-to-one tuition over videoconferencing, and of spoken AI for building English vocabulary — and an MA in Comparative Literature from Freie Universität Berlin. He has mastered German and French to C2, with working Spanish and Welsh. Based in London.
Kat
Oxford Researcher · 10+ yrs
Kat is a DPhil candidate in Education at the University of Oxford, where she also earned her MSc in Applied Linguistics, and a published first author on how children acquire language. A qualified teacher twice over — with both a PGCE and a CELTA — she has taught in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, bringing a researcher's precision to the way she builds young writers and speakers. She is fluent to C2 in English, German and Polish. Based in Oxford.
Honorary advisors
Ms. Edith Shih
Vice-Chair, HKUST Council · Trustee, Columbia Teachers College.
Ms. Helen Or
Management consultant, executive coach and foresight practitioner.
Mr. Alfred Zhang
Founder, International Mathematical Modelling Challenge.
Dr. Victor Lee
Former CEO & President, Hong Kong Management Association.
TED’s education initiative. 100+ of our students, from 30+ schools, have researched, rehearsed and delivered talks on its student stage — for many, their first time holding a room.
TEDxDBSHK
The independently organised TEDx event at Diocesan Boys’ School, Hong Kong — part of the speaking circuit where our young speakers cut their teeth.
Rotary Club of Neoteric Hong Kong
A Hong Kong club of Rotary International, the global service network. Our founder McQueen Sum serves as its President for 2026–27, connecting students to real civic projects.
The Harbour School
A progressive international school in Hong Kong known for small classes and project-based learning — a natural home for the Agora way of teaching.
John Locke Institute
The Oxford-based institute behind the world’s most competitive essay prize for school students. Writing to its standard is the benchmark our senior students train toward.
Uncomfortable Oxford
The Oxford-born social enterprise whose researchers lead critical walking tours of the city. We brought the format to Hong Kong — with our students as the guides.
Forum for World Education
A global forum convening educators, researchers and policymakers on where education goes next.
Diocesan Girls’ School
Founded in 1860, one of Hong Kong’s most storied schools — and one of the communities our TED-Ed speakers come from.
SPCC Summer Portal
St. Paul’s Co-educational College’s summer enrichment platform, where Agora courses have featured.
IMMC
The International Mathematical Modelling Challenge. Its founder, Mr Alfred Zhang, sits on our honorary advisory board.
The Hong Kong Economic Journal — Project Agora featured in its education press.
Good questions
Questions parents often ask.
How are classes conducted?
All classes are live online, once a week at a regular time. Each group usually has three to seven students with one teacher (sometimes two), so every child gets to speak and be heard in every lesson. Small groups are the whole point. Our classrooms are also internationally connected: Agora is one of the world’s first to bring Asian students together in globally linked, Oxbridge-style classes.
Do you have face-to-face lessons?
We do, but they filled up in our first year of launching, and the waiting list has closed as well, so we are not able to take new students there for now. If face-to-face is the only format you would consider, we may not have anything for you at the moment, and we are sorry about that. All new families currently join us online.
What do the courses cover?
We teach through projects. Each course runs three to five weeks and goes deep into one theme: perhaps debating in different styles, public speaking for the TED-Ed stage, or close reading and essay writing for international competitions. The themes change through the year, which keeps lessons fresh, and children genuinely look forward to them.
Who can join, and from where?
We normally admit children from age 9, in three stages: Bud (9–12), Bloom (13–15) and Blossom (16–18) — the curriculum is genuinely challenging and draws on knowledge across subjects. Exceptional 7–8-year-olds are considered case by case, and an interview is a must. A free interview helps us place each child well. Everything is online, so families join us from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Singapore and further afield. Both primary and secondary students may enter the John Locke competition.
Is the programme suitable for a quieter child?
Yes, and honestly, quieter children are often the ones who grow the most with us. In a class of three to seven there is space for every voice, and no pressure to perform. With a little patience and weekly practice, we watch shy students become the ones raising their hands first.
Is this tutoring or exam preparation?
Neither, really. We offer something closer to a university tutorial: writing, discussion and public speaking, taught in a way that helps children think for themselves. Exam results do tend to follow, but they are not why we teach.
How should I choose the best English learning centre in Hong Kong?
Look beyond the marks: ask who actually teaches, how small the groups really are, and what the students go on to do. The strongest English centres in Hong Kong can show real outcomes: published writing, public speaking on real stages, international shortlists. Not exam drills alone. At Project Agora, Oxford and Cambridge educators teach small online groups, and our students have reached the John Locke shortlist and the TED-Ed stage.
Why do families from Asia’s top schools choose Project Agora?
Because we offer what school cannot: Oxbridge-style thinking taught in small, internationally connected classes, teachers who teach your children as they would their own, and real outcomes, from the TED-Ed stage to the John Locke shortlist. Families from international schools and Hong Kong’s leading local schools stay with us year after year.
What have Agora students achieved?
In 2026, eight of our students (Secondary 1 to 5) were shortlisted for the John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize. Exactly 100,237 students entered worldwide this year, and only 17.5% were shortlisted; our students reached double that rate. They have now been invited to London for the awards ceremony and gala dinner. We could not be prouder of them.
Do students perform on real stages?
Yes, they do. We organised the TED-Ed Student Talks in April 2026, open to Hong Kong students aged 8 to 18. Watching a child stand up and share an idea they truly care about is one of the best parts of our work.
How can my child join the TED-Ed Student Talks?
We normally send invitations through schools in Hong Kong, but individual students are very welcome too. They can apply through the registration link on our event poster. The best way to hear when registration opens is to follow our Instagram or RedNote (Xiaohongshu), where we announce it first. The Talks are a non-profit event, free for every student.
Who can join the TED-Ed Student Talks?
Everyone is welcome to apply and register. We try to be as inclusive as we can, though the showcase day has practical limits, so when applications run high we may not be able to fit every student on stage. The event is non-profit and free to students, and we do our best to give as many children the stage as possible.
When is the right time to begin?
Earlier than most families expect. The students shortlisted this year prepared over months, not weeks, and confidence grows the same way. Because groups stay small, we place children in the order their interviews are completed. If you are considering it, we would encourage you to book the interview and simply have the conversation.
6+ years
5+ years
10+ years
Rotary Club of Neoteric Hong Kong
The Harbour School
SPCC Summer Portal
Diocesan Girls' School
