ESF Tsing Yi vs St. Catherine - how to choose???

jbread

It is a really difficult decision and i don't know which to choose.. My 2yrs & 3 months old  son can speak both cantonese and english. Luckily he got an offer from both ESF Tsing Yi and St. Cat. I like both...
just that one thing i am worrying is that what will happen if he can't get into the ESF primary school, will it means either i have to send him to England, or go to other expensive IS in HK? I am targeting 蔡繼友 and 陳守仁 for his primary school, and the ESF primary school of coz. I hope he can speak English & Mandarin fluently, cantonese i am not so worry as all of my family (apart from me) speak to him in cantonese.

ESF - will be strong in english and happy learning, nice campus
St. Cat - got offer for English/mandarin class, can get into local primary school, but i don't like the campus

We will most likely be sending my son to England for secondary  / university..

Dear moms, what will be your choice?

FattyDaddy

jolalee 發表於 14-2-27 15:08
In a way it is fair, in a way it is unfair, depending on how you look at it...

Fair to those who believe a doctor's child is no different from a shop assistant's child, unfair to those who believe a doctor's child ought to be better than a shop assistant's child {:1_1:}

jolalee

fanfanbb 發表於 14-2-19 10:54
For me ESF is an international school but St Cat is a local school.  Language environment, style and ...

That's because ESF is mainly based on a "lottery" system.
- Every applicant receives a number (1 to 4000 etc)
- Their screening process separates them into the pass or fail category
- For those who passes, they will get a place in the order of priority & their number

So, say a kid that passes, with sibling priority, #4 will go first, same as kids with priority #6, #10... until all passing kids with priorities are done. Then, the kids without priority will go next, in accordance to their number, say #2, #5, #15.... It is very possible that your doctor friend holds #3867... then it doesn't matter if his son is a genius and passes, as long as he has no priority no spot will be offered...

In a way it is fair, in a way it is unfair, depending on how you look at it...

fanfanbb

原帖由 natalieppp 於 14-02-19 發表
Which campus? Kinder or primary?

Kindergarten but haven't asked which campus

natalieppp

原帖由 fanfanbb 於 14-02-19 發表
For me ESF is an international school but St Cat is a local school.  Language environment, style and ...

Which campus? Kinder or primary?

fanfanbb

For me ESF is an international school but St Cat is a local school.  Language environment, style and tuition fee is very different.  Depends on what you want.  But I guess ESF is more difficult to get in in recent years.  Just heard a doctors couple failed to secure a place for their kid.  

jbread

thanks for all of ur advice. afterall, i guess there is a 90% that we will put him into st catherine . we have a eng/mandarin class offer which i think is the pros too. n i can arrange english class for him to attend if need... tks

MrsChikChik

Esf kindergarten have priority for esf primary interview. If you target esf primary school, you should let your child stay at esf kinder.


---------------------------------------------
From the school:

Whilst many of the children from this kindergarten, move onto the ESF Primary schools or ESF Private Independent Schools (P.I.S), please note:

• Application to ESF Year 1 is a separate process from the kindergarten application. ESF Primary application details can be located on the ESF website: www.esf.edu.hk, and P.I.S applications from the respective schools.
• No child attending this kindergarten is guaranteed an ESF Primary school or P.I.S interview or placement, although there is currently priority for interview.
• Attendance of a minimum 2 terms in kindergarten is required to be eligible for the priority.
  

Children start all types of ESF Primary Schools in the September of the calendar year during which they have their 5th birthday i.e. a 2 year kindergarten placement prior to then.

http://www.esfkindergartens.org.hk/schools/tsing-yi/primary-school-link.html

oooray

回覆 fabei 的帖子

My personal experience is that without continue your primary education in IS, 2 years in ESF kindergarten could bring your child nothing in academic (except happiness). It could give your child a good foundation to develop their English skills in primary school (not most K2 graduates are good speakers or writers; as least mine was not at that stage).

Studying International school in Hong Kong before studying to UK should be a wonderful learning experience but it is also a money burning business.
Graduates from ESF kindergarten (and also other International kindergarten) will be facing the same problem of uncertainties of Year 1 place. No one can exempt, as it is the rule of this game.

If you do not want to pay for higher tuition fee in primary stage (even though ESF primary or CKY are pretty expensive to me; and taking the increase of tuition fee every year inflation), think twice before taking the kindergarten offer.
Going to local school would miss the happy and high quality education in IS but of course it could save a lot of $$$.
It is just a compromise between fish and bear paw.

picture

and your primary schools should be something like Kellet School (that follows British curriculum) and not ESF/ CIS or other IB schools.

picture

if i were you, targeting UK secondary and university, I would definitely choose st Cat.  British curriculum is not inquiry based or active learning.  I have the impression that British curriculum is also ... "stuffing ducks", very traditional, tests, exams, homework, drlling...etc

alicebear

Hello Fabei, i am a ftm too, my girl is 15 months old now and our target is on ESF. As you didnt let your child go to PN, what have you been doing to teach him/her English? It seems quite difficult for me to provide such a good english environment to my daughter. Would you share your experiences and also advise what I should do now to prepare for entering ESF/ or IS schools? Sorry I am new here with the IS curriculum, thank you!

MrsChikChik

If eventually you are sending her to UK, i think you should choose ESF as she can learn fluent english speaking there versus you will only be good at english writing if you choose St Cat.

vichuie

I like st cat a lot.  If you think Chinese is important, st cat shall be a good option.  Esf may not prepare her well on that.  

Good luck

FattyDaddy

fabei 發表於 14-1-25 16:12
if i dont want to pay the NR, is that mean the chance of gettjng primary school is very slim?...

No, read my reply to you earlier, in the past, about 90% of ESF Kindergarten pupils did proceed to ESF primary schools (including the two PIS) without the need to buy NR.

But as I had also pointed out, ESF's policies are undergoing changes and how that will affect the admission rate remains to be seen. What is already known is that ESF is opening a new kindergarten in Tung Chung next year, so there will be an increase in the number of their kindergarten pupils without a corresponding increase in their primary school places,

fabei

thanks for all the advice.

if i dont want to pay the NR, is that mean the chance of gettjng primary school is very slim?

steplovebb

Send the kid to ESF and learn Chinese outside

品格at ESF is OK
Don't think international school is so free that the conduct is not important
At school they are trained to be polite and caring ( I found the posters at the classroom showing these concepts)

hkparent

原帖由 FattyDaddy 於 14-01-25 發表
本帖最後由 FattyDaddy 於 14-1-25 02:46 編輯

The point to consider is not whether you will study in UK but whether you will work overseas in future. Chinese is important if you will go back to Hk for work.

FattyDaddy

fabei 發表於 14-1-25 01:23
Hi FattyDaddy, I just worry if esf primary school don't accept my girl where should we go...can't g ...

Besides ESF's Foundation Schools, if you are prepared to accept their Private Independent Schools (i.e. Renaissance and Discovery College), then the chances are quite good.

In the past, around 60% of ESF kindergarten pupils went on to a Foundation School, and another 20% to 30% of them ended up in one of the Private Independent Schools. But (and thats a big but), as a result of ESF's subvention being phased out, they are changing their policies so in future these figures may no longer hold.

Lets say you choose ESF kindergarten but unfortunately your child could not proceed to an ESF primary school 2 years later, there are still other international schools to consider, some are easier to get in compared to ESF. If worse comes to worst your child receives no offer from any international school at all, there is still the option of re-joining a local kindergarten at K3 and there will be one year to adapt your child back to the local stream.

So coming back to my original suggestion, try to foresee where in the world your child will probably be spending most of his/her life, if it is going to be Hongkong or the greater China area, then why bother going the ESF way with all it's potential hiccups while the St Cat or LH route is more straight forward.