Posted by
2020
15 yrs ago
We are thinking of moving back to HK. Are there waiting lists for the good international primary schools, particularly on HK island? Of course, I could call them all one by one and ask; but it would be great if someone who has gone through this recently could give an overview. Our child is 5 years old. Thanks.
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Agreed with cara. Apply for several schools. The waiting lists often stretch for years.
AFAIK The only schools with no waiting list system are ESF schools. Applications for those are taken in September of the year before entry.
You will most likely find a spot but maybe not initially in the school you want.
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Ok I'll clarify. What I meant is that you can't put your kid on a waiting list for an ESF school years in advance the way you can with, say, Kellett or FIS. There is no provision for applying at birth or anything like that, while at Kellett if you apply at birth you'll probably be at the head of the line apart from corporate debentures and sibling priority.
ESF schools have centralized admissions for Year 1 and Year 7. The application period is September of the year before school start. You cannot apply earlier than this.
Once applications are in, kids are asked to come for an interview in the first quarter. Based on these and random selection, a certain number of kids is offered a spot.
If there is no spot, there is a waiting list.
For children who arrive in HK too late for the September application period, they can apply at another time and also end up on the waiting list if there is no immediate spot.
Another way ESF is different is that it does not have a corporate debenture system like many of the schools. All applications are equal. On the other hand, at, say, Kellett a corporate debenture holder will get the spot first (apart from siblings).
In the end, of course, this doesn't change much of anything for 2020. The time to apply for all schools is now.
I would also note that in the British system, kids turning five in 2010 are in year one now, while in, say, HKIS, they are in year one next school year.
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I wouldn't quite say impossible, but definitely hard. I've never met anyone who didn't manage to get a spot after a few months, even mid year. However many didn't get their first choice right away.
The trick is to apply for several. Since so many do, the waiting lists are artificially inflated. A kid can only go to one school but is on 3-4 waiting lists. And even after admission many parents leave them on other waiting lists "just in case" or because they really wanted another school. If one kid leaves mid-year, this often creates a domino effect with 3-4 kids moving off the waiting lists as the parents suddenly have a spot but their kids may be somewhere else now.
"all other schools consider Aug to Aug birthdates. "
It varies. For example Kellett and FIS do calendar year. However FIS has year 1 for 6 year olds while Kellett has it for 5 year olds. Then again to get a spot in FIS year 1 it is extremely useful to do a year of reception there at 5.
Here's a list of a few schools to get you started.
- ESF Schools.
- Hong Kong International School. HKIS
- Canadian International School. CDNIS.
- Chinese International School. CIS.
- French International School. FIS. International Section runs English curriculum.
- German Swiss International School. GSIS.
- Kellett School.
- Hong Kong Academy. HKA.
- International Montessori School. IMS.
- Singapore International School.
- Woodland Pre-Schools. The Harborside School takes 5-6 year olds in a first primary years program. This can be useful if you are in a holding pattern.
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You can forget about schools like CIS and SIS since these require a high level of Mandarin. Australian Intl School has a different school year so that might also help.
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Most schools have a waiting list, especially on HK Island. Yrs 1 & 7 appear to be the most difficult years to get into.
Although ESF do not have a Corporate Debenture they do have a Corporate Surety scheme which enables companies to secure school places for expatriate employees before their arrival to HK. This might be an option for you to consider. The alternative with ESF could be a very long wait.
New schools to consider although not HK side are International College, Norwegian International School, Harrow International School opening Aug 2012.
SIS, CDNIS and French would be easier to get into but as your child is young you could perhaps keep them in a Kindy and wait for a place to come up. Luck of the draw really, it could be a week it could be a year. Good Luck!
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i would add Hong Lok Yuen IS, in Tai Po, though quite far from HK Island...and you can go with CIS, they take many native English speakers into what they call 'transition' Mandarin classes...no worries there
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FIS has a long waiting list unfortunately. However you never know.
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FIS is one of the easier schools to get into. Apply to the French section then transfer to International.... so much quicker.
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Pretty sure the French section has a French requirement, at least the French stream
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I know the following both have at least one P1 space available:
- Southside Academy (Repulse Bay), only 1 space left I think, this is a kindy offering a K3-P1 class that is absolutely excellent. The P1 kids get to follow the Sylvan method to learn math & reading in a small group setting every day.
- IMS (Braemar Hill) this is a great primary (I love the Montessori method!), they have spaces because they've just moved into a new & bigger campus and are expanding. Small class sizes, very friendly indeed.
Both schools MOI is English. IMS has 45 min of Mandarin per day in a group suiting your child's level.
Apart from these 2, it is really hard to get a place in the other international schools in HK.
If you are interested in Southside Academy, I suggest you secure the place before Xmas, because otherwise it might be taken by a child currently in a younger class who will 'move up' next term.
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Does anyone know which is better southside academy or beachside woodlands? What is the difference?
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The main differences, I would say, are that Southside goes up to P1 and uses Sylvan method while Woodland Beach does not have a P1 class. You could probably argue about quality and methods for ages but both have excellent reputations. I don't think you can really say one is better than the other.
The third school in Repulse Bay, Woodland Montessori, is owned by Woodland just like Beach but uses the Montessori method (not purely, but in essence) instead of "traditional". Just as with the other two, this school has a great reputation.
There are no bad choices among the three preschools in Repulse Bay.
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