KCS vs KCIS K1

DREAMER52

Which would you choose?

Littleho

I will choose KCS (school fee HK$2XX per month after deducting educational coupon). But, I don't want to take risk given that my little boy is not smart enough. So, I finally accept KCIS offer. Having said that, it all depends on your game plan.

原帖由 DREAMER52 於 11-12-7 01:16 發表
Which would you choose?

DREAMER52

So are you saying that studying at KCS is much harder than KCIS? I have an offer from KCIS and still waiting for KCS results... I am thinking what if my girl gets into KCS, I should let her try KCS and decline the offer from KCIS?

josechan

it is not just the question of "harder or not". I think you should at least consider:
Which path (local / int'l)  do you want your kid to go? Which education system do you prefer?
How much pressure you, and your kid can bear? I believe studying at KCS can be very "traditional" which needs lots of homeworks and tests and dictations. And nowadays, parents have to take parts in all these.
And of course finanical ability in long run.

For my case, after i know my girl is admitted to KCIS, i give up going to KCS interview. And i know it will be very hard to return to KCIS, being a one-dragon int'l school with strong chinese, once you gave up.

Arcana

KCS and KCIS are quite different in many aspects, such as tuition fee, class size, culture, curriculum, the way of learning, educational path…etc.
You may choose according to what your plan and expectation are.

Arcana

KCS and KCIS are quite different in many aspects, such as tuition fee, class size, culture, curriculum, the way of learning, educational path…etc.
You may choose according to what your plan and expectation are.

Littleho

Firstly, you have to ask yourself what your ulitmate target (in terms of language proficiency and type of schooling) and gauge your financial resources. I can share my thoughts/experience on KCS and KCIS since my elder son is studying both sections.

KCS vs KCIS: Key highlights

KCS
Pros:
Very cheap school fee
More mandarin exposure
Cons:
Less English exposure (K1: 40 mins; K2: 50 mins; K3: 1 hour)
Large class size (close to 40 students)
Locally born students mostly speak Cantonese amongst themselves
It is not a through-train school

KCIS
Pros:
Better English
It is a through-train school
Small class size (20-24 students)
Happy school (learn through play)
Cons:
More expensive
Less Mandarin exposure

Of course, there are many cases of KCS students going to reputable IS, but not all.

原帖由 DREAMER52 於 11-12-7 11:54 發表
So are you saying that studying at KCS is much harder than KCIS? I have an offer from KCIS and still waiting for KCS results... I am thinking what if my girl gets into KCS, I should let her try KCS an ...

Littleho

If your target is KCIS, going to KCS will risk your chance of gaining admission to KCIS in the future unless you expect your kid has a high level of English proficiency.

You have to know that there are more and more expats coming to HK and entry to international schools is increasingly harder.

DREAMER52

Your child is so lucky to be able to try the best of both worlds! Your son must be very good in Chinese and English!! I thought about doing the same (enrolling to both international and local stream) but unfortunately they won't allow us to do this in the coming year. I am still thinking about KCS because of it's strong Chinese background! But seems like everyone prefers KCIS!! I plan to put my girl to international school but at the same time i want  her to build a strong Chinese base beforehand!

Littleho

Hi Dreamer2,

It would be good to start KCS first and later to other IS. But, you are risking of not able to enter into good IS. Also, you need to wait until end of Feb 2012 for KCS will release the admission results.

DREAMER52

I guess i have no choice but to put down the deposit as a back up....

Littleho

There is only one Mandarin school for K1 while there are many international K1 kindergarten.

There are students who are studying KCS and other international schools at the same time (am and pm). My ex-colleague's son was doing Cdnis and KCS since Cdnis finish school early and the child does not need to take nap.

But, KCS's policy prohibits students to study two schools at the same time.

Another issue you have to consider is that the competition for entry into IS will continue to intensify, not just your target school. So, it is best to study in safety school which provides through-train education (from kindergarten to primary)


Hope it helps
:loveliness:

DREAMER52

Thanks so much for the info littleho! Indeed very useful!