ASIA PACIFIC
which has renovated its Stanley campus to cater for a further 700 kindergarten and primary-school pupils.
Development of a new campus for the Christian Alliance International School in Butterfly Valley, Lai Chi Kok, is underway. The campus, which will offer a Canadian curriculum, is expected to open in August 2017, with additional phases due to be complete by 2020.
Harrow International School Hong Kong, the first international coeducational day and boarding school in Hong Kong, opened in September 2012 and has grown rapidly. Currently boasting a student roll of over 1,500, it is undergoing a five-year period of strategic development (2013 to 2018). September 2014 saw Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong (NAIS HK) open in the Lam Tin district of East Kowloon. The school has received permission to extent its campus to allow it to take students up to Year 11 (the end of their Cambridge GCSEs). Building work will be completed in 2017.
In August 2017, NAIS HK will open its new campus in
Tin Wan, Aberdeen, in the southern part of Hong Island. As a result, the school will be able to provide a full, all-through education to Year 13.
ESTABLISHED OPTIONS One of
the largest providers of English-medium
international education in Hong Kong is the English Schools Foundation (ESF). It was established and subsidised by the government to provide families, particularly local citizens, with access to affordable English-language education. ESF’s schools cater for different ages, from kindergarten to 18. They include two private independent schools, and they are very popular. Over 17,000 students attend, more than 5,000 of them expatriates. The ESF opened its fifth international kindergarten in Hong Kong in August 2016.
In 2014, nearly 3,000 children applied for the 1,300
Year 1 places available at ESF primary and private independent schools. Year 1 students entering ESF schools in the 2015/16 academic year were the last group to receive government subsidies, which have now been phased out. In addition, since August 2015, parents of students who are joining ESF schools have been required to pay a one-off non-refundable levy.
DEBENTURES AND CAPITAL LEVIES Several premium international schools in Hong Kong also demand some form of capital payment or debenture, either as an attendance requirement or, in some cases, as a route to application priority. Some payments are refundable when the child leaves a school; others are not. Both individual and corporate debentures are allocated. Corporate debentures are limited, to ensure that school places are available to families who do not have access to them. “With the current clamour for places, the best schools are able to
ask for substantial amounts of money from parents who wish to gain some advantage in the admissions process,” said Nicholas Brummitt, chairman of the International School Consultancy. “In effect, this gives wealthy parents (or their employers) the opportunity to buy a place at their school of choice. This situation will continue for as long as demand for places at the best schools exceeds supply.”
ADVICE FOR INCOMING EXPATS Even with the planned new developments and expansions, demand is expected to exceed supply for the next few years. But relocating families shouldn’t give up hope of a school place. “Hong Kong is fast moving, with families being relocated into and out of our city with very little notice,” says the marketing and communications manager at Nord Anglia International School, in Hong Kong. “So places do become available if you are patient and can move quickly when a place frees up.”
The bottom line for parents is whether or not their child will receive an offer of a place at a school of their choice. “The most common question I am asked by parents,” says Vicky Seehafer, director of admissions at Hong Kong International School, which teaches an American-style curriculum, “is about their child’s chances of being admitted.” With this in mind, the head of marketing and admissions
at Yew Chung International School Hong Kong (YCIS) advises prospective parents not to be afraid of asking direct questions about the admissions process. Be sure to be in direct contact with a school of interest, and avoid the scoop on social media. Often, parents like to sensationalise, especially in Hong Kong.
“At YCIS, the admissions office can give parents the support and help they need to plan joining the school at the desired time. The process of entering schools and kindergartens in Hong Kong has created a reputation of being ‘out of control’, with extensive waiting lists. To a degree, some of this is over-dramatised.
“YCIS is very aware that relocating families need
flexibility with timing. International professionals are sought after in Hong Kong, and their accompanying families must be catered for.”
Says Nord Anglia International School, “We aim to be as honest and transparent as possible about the likelihood of places in certain year groups. We can’t always give good news, but we’d rather be honest, so that families can make decisions based on the latest information. “There are a number of companies providing school placement services, but we do still encourage parents to give us a call first, so that they can have a chat with our admissions team and get a first-hand view on whether our school is a good fit for their child, and the availability of places.”
Keep Informed |
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