Plan B if we have to wait to get into an ESF School

[cha-cha]

http://www.learnhk.com/index.html

another alternative for those who live in or near discovery bay.

 

[Viv2011]

Could someone please share your opinion on KCIS and ESF. Which of the two would you choose for your child if you were given both choices and what is your reason? I really appreciate your input. Thanks!

 

[howardcoombs]

KCIS:
- better language programme (Mandarin)
- smaller classes
- easier to get into
- cheaper

HC

 

[Viv2011]

Thanks HC. Appreciate if more moms/dad could give their two cents....

 

[howardcoombs]

I hope you will get more responses, but I have a feeling there wont be too many. I'm going to make a big generalisation here based on my years of meeting other parents:

ESF parents in general do not look at other schools. They have heard of ESF, they live close to ESF, many of their friends send their kids to ESF, they hear about huge fees at the top end international schools when compared to ESF so naturally they gravitate toward ESF and they are happy (there is nothing really wrong with ESF). I would bet that 95% of ESF parents would not have even heard of KCIS.

Have you looked at and visited both? What do you think? Do you have any questions that I can help answer?

HC

 

[MommyTo3]

I do indeed think that's a big generalisation and it also depends very much on the ESF school / catchment area that you're looking at. Also KCIS does have exactly the same price tag as ESF (both in lower $60k).

From what I've heard the teaching style is quite traditional with quite a bit of home work, testing, etc. In that sense, ESF has a very different approach with the IB/PYP.

 

[howardcoombs]

MommyTo3 : you've heard wrong. KCIS is not the same as KCS nor KCC. KCS/KCC are the one with lots of homework, testing and the traditional approach.
KCIS also offers IB.

As for my generalisation ; it was in relation to ESF parents, and you've generally proven my point. You obviously know very little about KCIS and are talking about some other school.

I stand by my comments (and that includes the fees. Pls look them up for kindergarten, primary and secondary and compare fully).

HC

 

[wegetable]

Do you have an offer from both places? If not, it may come down to which school offers you the place.

KCIS - if you want your kids to learn more Mandarin. Tuition is comparable to ESF. School facility is more like a local school.

ESF - agree with Howard, parents live in the ESF catchment area and their kids go to ESF and pretty much stay. Tutition is much cheaper than other top IS. I never really heard big complain from ESF parents besides not learning enough Mandarin in school.

I always wonder, kids at such young age, does it make a big different which IS school they go to? Unless they go to a local school, otherwise, their Mandarin level will always be like a second language.

 

[zoemum]

I am an ESF parent and my daughter is currently in Year 1. Yes there isn't much homework - only a daily reader and a simple reading journal entry (just need to write the book title, date and a short comment), plus a weekly spelling 'test'. It seems like it isn't very academically focused in the lower primary. Yet the inquiry-based PYP program allows students to learn things in depth. For instance, in her current unit of learning, my daughter has to find out what things are made of (e.g. wood, metal, fabric, etc) and examine the properties of different materials (e.g. transparent, opaque, waterproof, flexible). And in the previous unit, she came home telling me the difference between a fiction and a non-fiction, and each story has an introduction, a problem and a solution (she really knows what everything means). I was pretty impressed as I didn't expect a 5-year-old to know all this. I think IB is a good program but you have to see whether it is well implemented in the school. I have heard some good comments about KCIS but don't know much about their cirruculum / IB program.

Hope this helps.

 

[MommyTo3]

MommyTo3 : you've heard wrong. KCIS is not the same as KCS nor KCC. KCS/KCC are the one with lots of homework, testing and the traditional approach.
KCIS also offers IB.

As for my generalisation ; it was in relation to ESF parents, and you've generally proven my point. You obviously know very little about KCIS and are talking about some other school.

I stand by my comments (and that includes the fees. Pls look them up for kindergarten, primary and secondary and compare fully).

HC

Wow! Sorry for possibly having it wrong. I am looking at their website plus I am regularly reading on these forums (www.kcis.edu.hk). According to their website they do not offer PYP (but only IB in Y12 and 13, not PYP or MYP). Almost all, if not all by now, ESF Primaries offer PYP. KCIS offers British curriculum in Primary, according to their own site: http://www.kcis.edu.hk/Primary/curriculumpri.htm

Their fees (for international section are here): http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupRenderCustomPage.asp?GroupID=802667&ResourceId=2428409. To me, that looks the same as ESF. But again, could be looking at a wrong website.

If I am looking and thinking about a completely different school, then yes, then my information will not be correct. I am an ESF parent, and the majority of my friends do not go to ESF but mostly other international schools in Hong Kong.