2 - 3 years old boy

[adahc]

Hi,
We may be moving to HK in September. My currently 2.5 year old son is going to a British pre school 3 times a week at the moment. I need any tip or advice of any good British pre school in HK and how to apply. I heard some horror stories about interviewing, exam and all. I hope it doesn't apply to every school???? We don't want to go heavy on acadamic aspect as the purpose of sending our son to pre school is for him to enjoy himself.
We are open to living anywhere that has a good school for him.

 

[Elise]

Hi, look at Woodlands - set up by a British lady years ago. The intensity of learning going on in kindergartens in HK leaves many expats reeling, and Woodlands has had to become more competitive in this way. The kids learn through themes. Put out some feelers to Woodlands now from UK.

 

[adahc]

Thanks a lot. Could I go an extra mile and ask you the contact detail or website of Woodlands?

 

[MommyTo3]

Just google Woodlands, Sunshine House and Tutor Time. They all have preschools all over Hong Kong. English only or bilingual. It depends where you're going to live, there are other preschools with fewer or just one location.

 

[Sleuth]

This is a longer list of schools in HK. It is last year's edition, but the new one is not on the website yet.

http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCM...aRCRD&specName=Good+Schools+Guide+(June+2009)

 

[JKemp]

Depending on how old your child will be on arrival there are several options open for playgroups as mentioned above. However, I would think about which primary school you are intending on sending your son to. This may well influence your decision for a kindergarten when your child turns 3. For example if you intend sending your child to ESF Primary School then one choice for a pre school would be one of the ESF kindergartens. Otherwise depending on which area you live in you may not get a place for the Primary school. These schools are very oversubscribed and ESF kindergartens get a priority for interview. Similarly with German Swiss and Kellett they have their own Reception class starting at 4 and priority for Primary school places goes to their own children. Although the other pre schools mentioned above have good reputations they do not get any priority for any primary schools which could be a problem for you later on. Just something to bear in mind.

 

[starbucks2]

I definitely second JKemp's view on primary schools being a nightmare to get into in HK. It is certainly worth thinking about which primary school you want to send him to when you are deciding which preschool to go to. This is of course when you are not here yet and not sure where you want to live! If you can, I'd ask your/your husband's employer to agree to pay for a schooling debenture (and, schooling allowance if possible) as part of the employment package which is bringing you to HK. We recently moved suburbs and listed our son for the local International School and he is well down the list and not even likely to get a place in August 2011 for the first year of kindy (and that was putting him down almost 2 years in advance)! Even our friends who put their son down on the list when he was 6 months old have only just received a confirmation of place now that he is almost 3. A debenture will move you up the list but they are not cheap. I believe that they can range from HK$300K up to the millions depending on the school.