Chances to get to ESF without going to Kindergarden

F

Frenchy

Registered User
Hi everyone,

My son will be old enough in next september to go to Kindergarden. He is now in an international preschool, and I'm quite happy with it. It's convenient, nice, big, and he's got some friends there.
I've read the conditions to enter ESF for Primary, and it seems it's quite difficult if you've not spent the 2 years of kindergarden there first.
Going to kindergarden at ESF is quite complicated as the school is moving to HillSide and it also means a lot of other changes.
We had planned to leave him in the school he is in now till he is ready for Primary.

Have some of you experienced the same situation, got any results ? is it that hard to get into ESF if one don't fill ALL their conditions ?

Thanks for any advice !
 
If you fall in Cat 1 (non-Cantonese speaker) you should most likely be granted an interview. However, there are some schools which were oversubscribed and couldn't even grant all Cat 1 children an interviews (e.g. Bradbury). I heard this year ESF is oversubscribed by 19% (but then people apply at different schools), and 2006-born is supposed to be even busier. So it really depends on the school (and English ability), but you will have a higher priority (but no guarantee) if you attend ESF Kindy (also if you have siblings, which is why I am not to worried, since my oldest is already enrolled).
 
I don't know what it's like on the Island but ...
This year, Discovery College and CWB could not take in all their Cat. 1 students. And there were a good number from an ESF kinder. At DC, siblings and staff got priority and then ESF kindie kids (must have spent 2 years). So, there was no room for non-ESF Cat 1 students. Even a good number of ESF Cat 1 did not get in!
At CWB, there were 160 Cat 1 applicants for 120 Cat 1 places. These days, for oversubscribed schools, the only safest way to get in is through ESF kindie unless there is already a sibling there or one of you is a staff member.
 
So at the end, may be not worth all the hassle of putting him in a new school, if it does not guarantee a place in Primary... I think we'll stick to our first plan, I prefer to see my son happy where he is now, and we'll see what happen in the next 2 or 3 years !
 
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