K&C or Victoria: how would you choose for nursery and kindergarten?

waiwaiber

Registered User
Dear friends,

We are a Chinese family and speak Cantonese with English mixed most of the time. I myself received Western & English-speaking education from kindergarten upwards and actually find it easier to teach and speak to my daugther in English, especially as she mostly stays with our maid. But naturally I would like her to learn well of Chinese.

My daugther is now 2 years old and she would be going to nursery either at K&C in North Point or Victoria in upper Kornhill. I visited both schools for interviews and find them very different and hard to make a decision to choose:

K&C:
1) Teaching with Putonghua with all native putonghua-speaking staff;
2) Very caring and patient staff; and
3) Cozy environment and less students.
But,
a) The setting seems very traditional;
b) Not sure where kindergarten graduates will be promoted to, other than K&C primary school; and
c) Not sure of its English standard.

Victoria:
1) Renowned as nursery and kindergarten, it won't fall too far from expectation;
2) Kindergarten graduates usually promote to good primary schools;
3) Most parents say its graduates' English standard is good.
But,
a) Perhaps too commercial in that everything seems to please the parents rather; and
b) Have a sense of distance with the school.

Please advise how I could make a decision, especially those who are parents of students who are studying in both schools. Thanks a lot.:thanks
 
Choose K&C

If K&C is Kiangsu & Chekiang, then they have an international section called KCIS. Their mode of teaching is 75% English and 25% Mandarin - at least for Primary, and I'm expecting that their Kindergarten section shouldn't be much different. Definitely much more "international" than Victoria. I've got friends who's kids go to Victoria and they can't even hold an English conversation properly. My daughter (now 4) is Chinese but she's basically 95%English-speaking (since both my husband and myself were and brought-up in Canada). She only understands Chinese to a certain degree and she definitely cannot speak Chinese beyond saying her name and counting to 10. We have applied for her to study at ESF and KCIS, although very frustrated that ESF wouldn't even grant an interview!
 
Thanks for the reply, petshe. I made up my mind last week when I phoned both KCS and Victoria (upper Kornhill) asking for information.
KCS- they will tell me about forthcoming events and school bus matters even when I do not ask. Staff really spend time to tell & explain.
Victoria - they would only give short answers & spend 30 seconds to your call. They don't even have the basic courtesy to say goodbye before hanging up the phone. Their attitude is so 'inch' (Chinese saying).

I agree with you and will choose KCS. For a simple reason, I want my daugther to be a loving, happy and polite child.
 
Great - KCIS is really a very caring environment. And you were very right about Victoria being very commercial.
 
I've been in similar situation (choose between KCS and VIctoria) last year. Finally, I choose KCS. My daughter is now in KCS nursery class and will go to K1 KCIS and KCS in the coming September.
I've asked many parents and get the impression that Victoria is a good school but really commercial. The facilities of Victoria is good (beautiful toys and expensive) but the school is small and without an outdoor playground.
 
Glad to hear several mothers are in the same boat as me! Had to choose between Victoria and KCS nursery for my daughter this September and also finally settled on KCS even though it is much further than Victoria from our home. Great to hear that several of you have chosen the same route!
 
KCS is more traditional teaching mode, so you have also consider the character of your child. I think the KCIS would be better and it runs in an international mode which allow child learn through play. While victoria is too commercial and the administration staff is not nice (just my feeling).
 
Just realized many parents are in the same situation as me.

I am also struggling to put my girl in either KCS or Victoria (lower kornhill). Reading from the thread, most parents will choose to put them in KCS 2 years ago (in 2007); however, situation has changed that N1 students in KCS are not promoted directly to KCS K1 now but need to go through an interview (like those non-KCS N1 student), in this case, do you think I should still put her in KCS (coz Victoria N1 has no interview to K1)?

In addition, heard that the English standard of KCS is not OK, could anyone of you share with me if you have kid studying in KCS?

Thanks very much!!!
 
KCS local section teaches in mandarin for all subject except for english class (all english teachers are native english speaker) and KCIS (int'l section) is like an international school but have 1 mandarin class everyday.
 
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