Hong Kong  - A British private school that has produced world leaders, poets and business leaders is to open a campus in Hong Kong, a media report said Friday.

Harrow School - whose alumni include World War II British prime minister Winston Churchill and India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru - is to open a school on a former military site in the Tuen Mun district, the Standard newspaper said.

But in a break with tradition, the school is to be coeducational unlike Harrow School in west London, which is all boys. The school's old boys also include the poet Lord Byron and pop singer James Blunt.

The Hong Kong school would have places for around 1,200 primary and secondary students with boarding offered in the senior section.

It would be Harrow's third school in Asia after its first international branch was established in Bangkok in 1998 and its second Asian school was set up in Beijing in 2005.

No details about fees were announced although the cost of sending a child to Harrow School in London for a year costs 28,545 pounds (48,790 dollars).

Founded in 1572, Harrow has gained a reputation for being one of the most prestigious independent schools in England and for the tailcoats and boater hats worn by its students. (dpa)