Just starting the process , very confused help please

[Bhthibodeau]

We will be moving from the United States to Hong Kong next year -- in time for the 2014/15 school year, so luckily this is not last minute- My husband is a pilot and we wanted to live in DB butI'm not sure that is going to happen with the school information I am reading about---

My son is now 5 he is in kindergarten, however he will be repeating kindergarten in the fall , not for academic reasons but mainly for maturity and social issues. So when we move to HK he will ready to start what we call 1st grade in the U.S. I am not sure what they call it in HK it is so confusing-- but it seems like they will make him skip and entire grade due to his age..? am I correct in saying this.. I can't see a child going from kinder straight to 2nd grade.. that would be missing so much academically-- can someone offer any insight? we would love for him to go to Discovery Bay International however I have friends with Children at Carmel on HK Island--- my biggest concern is that they do not require him to move ahead before he is ready--- so is 1st grade P1? and is 2nd grade P2? and kinder is just K---?

Help

 

[nutmegger]

When we applied from the U.S. this year, all the schools we applied to in Hong Kong said our kids could apply based on the grade they were in and not on their age (including ESF). The strict birth year cut-offs seem to apply to kids who have not begun in school already. Although there may be the odd exception, most schools will not make your child skip a grade.

 

[Bhthibodeau]

Thank you that is good to know - can you please tell me what 1st grade in the states is equivalent to in HK? Is it P1 or P2 or something else..?

 

[Editor1]

Hi Bhthibodeau,

We reached out to our school expert, Anne Murphy of ITS, and she replied with the following answer:

International schools in Hong Kong, in particular private independent schools such as Discovery College and ESF Schools, are quite strict about the birth year cut-off dates and when a child is starting school (they base the entry date on the year the child was born).

So for instance, in September 2013; applications open for Year 1 entry 2014 for children born in 2009. If your child is called for an interview and the teacher that interviews your child feels that for any reason either emotionally or socially a child is not ready, then they may suggest for you to hold your child back a year – but to be honest this is seldom the case.

You are very restricted to schools on DB. The only means of even getting an interview at Discovery College would be to nominate your child under an INR: http://www.discovery.edu.hk/cms/ima...vidual_Nomination_Rights_Application_Form.pdf

This is similar for Discovery Bay International School: http://www.dbis.edu.hk/userfiles/fi...atory notes-Prem Schl Dev't Levy-Apr 2011.pdf

Another option would be Discovery Mind Primary School in DB North & (Tung Chung - (new school opening in September 2013).

I would also suggest applying to ESF Schools.

 

[Bhthibodeau]

Thank you for the reply - however my son won't be starting school he will have already done P1
( the United States calls that kindergarten ) we are having him do P1 twice -- so he will only be ready for what you call P2 ( we call first grade) when we arrive in HK -- will they make him skip an entire year just because his birthday is 5/07 ?

 

[nutmegger]

In general P2=Year 2=Grade 1. However, the terminology varies from school to school in Hong Kong, so be sure to check before you fill out each application. There's a helpful chart on this link:

http://www.sirva.com/en-us/Content/PolicyMatters/Overcoming Hong Kong School Admission.pdf

While I can't speak to all HK schools, we did apply to ESF Kennedy for my daughter born in 2006. She is currently in Kindergarten in the US, so she's old for her grade. Based on the ESF birth year guidelines, she would be in Year 3 in 2013/14. However, they had no problem when we applied for Year 2 (U.S. Grade 1) instead.

Similarly, some schools that we applied to had an Aug. 31 cut-off. Even though my son's birthday is in Fall 2003--making him young for his grade--we were able to apply for 5th grade in 2013/2014. Admittedly, this is all anecdotal and some schools may be less flexible; however, we didn't have a single school ask us to have our kids skip or stay back a year to fit their system. Good luck!

 

[penguinsix]

Many of the schools follow the UK model, which means Primary 1 (Grade 1) starts at age 5. HKIS, which is American-based, would have Grade 1 start when you are 6. So my six-year-old at HKIS is in First Grade and his best friend, a month younger, at ESF is in Primary 2 (Grade 2). Academically my First grader at HKIS is doing the same work as the Primary 2 kid at ESF. (By the way, Kindergarten here is often called 'reception')

The schools are pretty strict about cutoffs, but if you can make an argument that "we've been enrolled already and there are issues" you may find a sympathetic ear. It's going to come down to a school-by-school decision. Redshirting is not as common here as in the US so you may have to fight a bit.

However, that's not your problem.

The real problem is getting in to a school, any school. You have time, which is great, but the application process can be difficult. You should plan on applying to six-eight-ten different schools, and hoping one of them accepts you. There are people turning down assignments to HK because they cannot get their children in an international school, and other families 'splitting' with one parent back home with the kids in school and the other here working and waiting for a space to open up. As such, your housing decisions should really be somewhat dependent on a) your work commute and b) your kids school commute. Discovery Bay is great for getting to the airport, but if you have to attend an international school on HK Island it's a very long commute for your children. I would recommend reassessing your location for housing.

One advantage with HKIS, the American school, is that you will have some priority in admissions if you have 2-years of experience in an American style school. However, the campus is in Repulse Bay and Tai Tam which is about as far as you can get from the airport.

 

[Bhthibodeau]

We are actually considering the Carmel School - we are not very concerned about getting to work as I am a stay at home mom and husband is a pilot so he won't be going to the office everyday --

It still amazes me that they would have a child skip an entire year of school based on a birthday -- it was my child's teacher that recommend a second year of kindergarten or P1 as they say in HK -- I am in no way comfortable with him going to P3 when he should be going into P2 ( or as we say in the US 1st grade)