讀傳統嘅幼稚園有無機會入到EFS 小學?

cat_house

as captioned.   

courtbas

If your child could speak fluent english than it should be OK.  I think english proficiency is all they test for Primary school admission at ESF.

Blythe_miki

some mum said their children attend victoria kindergarten and get into esf junior.

Newton

courtbas 寫道:
If your child could speak fluent english than it should be OK.  I think english proficiency is all they test for Primary school admission at ESF.

What I heard is: even if kids speak fluent English, since they can attend traditional primary with their fluent Chinese, they will still be placed low on the list. ESF is more a school for kids who definitely cannot fit in local school. Type of kindergarten is how they compile the waitlist.

Victoria is considered as international school.

Blythe_miki

Victoria does not have a real international environment, just a few westerner teach English, not a pure international kindergarten, their English standard are limited

Pure int'l kinder. is like:  Starters, ESF kinder., Small World, Highgate, Sunshine Hse...

Victoria student usually go to local junior.  

Newton

I claim no expert on the this but the information I gather actually is from a guy who works inside ESF posting in another forum and supported by the others.

I have read through the official website long ago but still I will trust that guy more. (If I come across the post again, we re-post it here).

Your definition of international kindergarten is a bit odd to me. I guess if a school conducts majority of activities in English and the curriculum is akin to western style, it is already qualified as international kindergarten.

Newton

Go to: http://manila.asiaxpat.com/forums/momsdads/threads/58205.asp

to see what insider said...

In particular:

"On the other hand, ATTENDANCE AT A NON-ENGLISH-SPEAKING-ONLY KINDIE will set you waaaaaaaaaaayyyyy back on the waiting list!! If you want your child to go to an ESF primary school, be SURE they attend a TRUE international kindie (not just one that "says" international in the name) that is taught ONLY by native English speakers."


"I also have a close connection to the ESF International Kindergarten in Tsing Yi, and at last count almost 30 children from that kindergarten alone had been denied a place at ESF primary schools. There are also two other ESF kindergartens in Sheung Wan and Clearwater Bay, and I imagine many of those students are not being accepted either!"


And when read the attached posts, make a distinction between "native" and "fluent".........

Newton

Another one:
http://manila.asiaxpat.com/forums/momsdads/threads/45774.asp

In particular:

"Apparently, the Foundation Office has the following policy for admission to all ESF schools:
~ Native English Speakers
~ Siblings of current (and maybe past?) students
~ The teeming masses (i.e. anyone who attends a kindergarten that is not purely English-speaking and truly international, even if it has the word "international" in the name [for example, St. Catherine's International Kindergarten in Kowloon Tong, which teaches in English, Cantonese, and Putonghua]). And, for that matter, anyone who attends a REAL "international" kindergarten but whose English abilities are not "good enough." These people all get stuck at the bottom of the waiting lists, which are currently several hundred people long for each year... at least at the school my son attends."

"There have been several instances, now, when ESF EMPLOYEES have sent their children to local kindergartens and then failed to get them in to ESF schools. The logic behind this, apparently, is that the children are bilingual because they attended local kindergartens, so they are not high-priority for admission to an ESF school. They should, technically, be able to attend local schools because of their kindergarten experience."

courtbas

The reality is why not give it a shot.  I think everyone deserves a chance, whether they go to a local or international kindergarten.  ESF has a lot of applicants every year and the chance of getting in, sometimes, largely depended on luck.  I know a western kid who failed the interview because he basically refused to go into the interview room.  So much about being a native speaker with the highest priority on the list.  You never know what will happen.  Who knows.  Just give it a try cat_house.  Let's not be discouraged by what people "think" and "heard".  It maybe true but there is nothing to loose to try.

cat_house

courtbas,
Thanks for your remark.

My baby is only 20 months.  The reason I am asking this question is that he is now admitted by a local nursary which comments from parants are good.  I am considering if I should let my baby to continue studying in this kindergarden after nursary, or I should look for another kindergarden if he will apply EFS primary.

courtbas

Hi cat_house,

ESF places a lot of emphasis on the child's english proficiency.  Whether you send him/her to a local or international kindergarten, you have to make sure that your child attain a high standard of english.  I am not familiar with local kindergarten so I cannot comment on their english standard.  However, if you send him/her to an international kindergarten, there is a very high chance that his/her english standard is high.

cat_house

leehoma001,

Thanks for your response. May I understanding what is the "necessary English standard" means?  What is expected during interview?

Newton

leehoma001,

It is not about what you believe how the internal operation of ESF should be. It is about how actually ESF implements the selection process. It is entirely legitimate to screen out those from traditional kindergarten based on the type of school they attend since it is one of the possible criteria to predict if kid are proficient in English or not. However, noone actually makes such a claim. The guy only said that kid will be way low on the waiting list if he attend non genuine international kindergarten.

Regarding the other points, I claim no knowledge at all but if I have to choose who to believe, I will chose to believe an insider.