Posted by
Ausmum
20 yrs ago
I have just recently visited Hong Kong to check things out prior to our move there in November 06.
I thought schooling in Sydney was bad but some of the schools in HK seem almost impossible to get into. Are the waitlists really as bad as you here or do people generally get into the school they want? Do Corporate Debentures generally get offerred?
The reason I ask is that I am not sure whether I should be applying for a number of schools to make sure she has somewhere to go.
My daughter will start Reception in September 07 and the schools we are thinking about are GSIS, Kellett or HKIS (Junior). Our preference would definately be Kellett though.
Thanks in advance!
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Kellett has a good reputation but depending on how long you are staying you may have problems finding a place after finishing primary school - ESF used to take many but with greater demand for places there are no guarantees they will do so in the future.
GSIS has very early starting times so the further away you live the earlier the kids have to start the day!
Depending on your company you may find they have debentures for certain schools.
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Good luck with the move!
Ausmun, the main school with a waiting list problem is Kellett because it is not selective (most schools are), and you pretty much have to put your child's name on the list from conception/birth if you do not have a debenture/siblings there. That said, you can 'buy your way in' there by buying a building debenture, which is cost effective if you are going to be in HK for a while, but not if you'll only be here for a year or two.
I would not panic. I have afriend who decided to move here in late November, so toured some schools then, narrowed down her list to two and was offered places for her 3 year old daughter in both. She managed to get her application in just before the closing dates and the assessments/interviews were in January when they arrived here. Speaking English as a first language is a major help, especially for the very young ones.
GSIS has an excellent academic reputation and very handy if you plan to live on the Peak. The Principal of Kellet is very impressive. The points made by Vardie are very valid though. I must admit that I am one of the few that does not understand the popularity of the school. There is obviously something that I am missing, because half of the population of HK cannot be wrong.
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Thanks for the comments. In relation to Kellett, it is the somewhat non selective nature that appeals to me. I feel like I want my kids to be kids for as long as possible and am not wanting to push them academically too hard in the early years.
I don't think we would buy a building debenture as we are not sure how long we will be there - at least a few years though. The cost seems ridiculous too!
Sounds like Kellett might be a bit too hard to get into so I will definately put her on a few lists.
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Ausmum - the school wait list situation is a very real problem here and I doubt it will improve anytime soon. I would agree with Vardie, if you are in HK for the short term somewhere like Kellett will most likely suit you. Should you be here for the long term I would suggest that you choose an all through school or an ESF primary school as it is unlikely that your child will get a position in an ESF senior school if you choose Kellett. Kellett was an option for us, however due to the very real posibillity that it would be difficult to get a place in an ESF senior school we decided against it. We were not able to get an ESF primary school place so we went for an all through school. Although polution here is also a real problem every where you may want to consider a school that is not directly on a busy main road and consider the environment the school you choose is in. HKIS senior school is in an ideal spot. It maybe helpful for you to start putting your child down on waitlists now.
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Thanks for all this great information. I hadn't really thought about the secondary school part of it. It is unlikely that we will still be there in another 6 or 7 years but on the off chance that we are, it is probably a very real consideration.
I will start having a look at some of the schools that have secondary schools attached.
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You might want to have a look at some of the ESF primary schools on the Island if you're going to be living there - there are 5 to choose from and all are 'feeders' for ESF secondary schools.
Fees are quite a bit less than other International schools and no need for debentures etc.
The Australian International School might also suit you.
Good luck anyway!
Yardie
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cd
20 yrs ago
ESF primary are non selective in that you don't have to sit any exams or tests, but you will have an interview to assess your level of speaking and understanding of English. Even if you get turned down its not absolute as the child will be put to the bottom of the list and given a chance to improve their English skills by the time their name gets to the top again. Its also hard to judge how long the waiting list could be, HK is a very transient place, people leave with little notice throughout the year, and many families leave for the summer and don't come back. If you are a native English speaker and living in the catchment area of an ESF school you will be given a higher priority over others.
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ESF schools do not operate 'Reception' classes (Easter start) any more, Y1 classes start in August.
If you are coming here in Nov 2006 to start Y1 in August 2007 you should check out the ESF website www.esf.edu.hk as Y1 admissions have recently been centralised through the centre.
There is less 'academic' pressure on kids at ESF primary schools and less class/status issues compared with some other schools.
As Ed says, if you opt for ESF it helps to live in the catchment area of your prefered school.
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