private local school or esf

B

Butterscotch

Registered User
i would like my son to go to a school which encourages creative thinking, where he can learn to be independent, with good foundation in both english and chinese (reading n writing). i m not sure whether a private local school or esf would be a better option. would anyone who has sent his/her child to either school please share your thoughts.
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Yeah...creative thought and learning to read and write chinese rarely, if ever, go hand in hand.

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ESF is an English school group and as the name implies (English Schools Foundation), its emphasis is English; you will not get good foundation in reading and writing of Chinese by sending your child to an ESF school.

If Chinese education is important to you, you should be looking at other alternatives.
 
Local schools lack creative thinking in their curriculum due to the intense education system in HK. I was having this problem a while ago and finally chose international school for my son. SIS and CIS teach good chinese.
 
If you options are only between ESF & private local school, then you must decide which is more important to you:
Creative & independent thinking, or good foundation in reading & writing in chinese.

If you want both, then International School is the way to go. Schools that teach chinese well: CIS, SIS, CdnIS, ISF, Yew Chung, Victoria... there are many choices, if we can get a spot, that is.
 
chrcheu said:
Local schools lack creative thinking in their curriculum due to the intense education system in HK.
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You (similar to many others in Hong Kong) are categorizing all non-english schools into one group and calling them "local schools" and assuming they are all the same. HK Parents should realize that there are 8 types of schools in Hong Kong. ESF and International being 2 of them, there are 6 more types that many collectively call "local".

Having said that, these schools are can be very different from each other and labeling all of them with the same brush is simply wrong. They should not be thought of as a single entity; they are not.

Similar to what you would find in any western country, some of these schools are fantastic, some are very average and a few are horrible. Important thing being : they are different and should not be all lumped together as "local schools".

As an example : There are *huge* differences between Precious Blood, Marymount, StStephens and StPaulsConvent.
 
Jomama said:
If you options are only between ESF & private local school, then you must decide which is more important to you: Creative & independent thinking, or good foundation in reading & writing in chinese.
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There are many private local schools that foster creative and interdependent thinking. ESF (and international schools) are not the only choice for schools that support creativity and independent thought.
If you want both, then International School is the way to go. Schools that teach chinese well: CIS, SIS, CdnIS, ISF, Yew Chung, Victoria... there are many choices, if we can get a spot, that is.
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Neither ISF nor Victoria are international schools. Both are independent private schools.
 
Hi there, any examples of such schools? And anyone with opinion about pui kiu?

I know there are direct subsidy schools that teach English and French or Cantonese, I think maryknoll convent does? Not 100% sure though, and its an all girl school
 
howardcoombs said:
You (similar to many others in Hong Kong) are categorizing all non-english schools into one group and calling them "local schools" and assuming they are all the same. HK Parents should realize that there are 8 types of schools in Hong Kong. ESF and International being 2 of them, there are 6 more types that many collectively call "local".
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Howard, where can we get information about these? I am quite confused sometime. I think there are private schools, DSS schools, government schools, .........government aided schools????
 
howardcoombs said:
Neither ISF nor Victoria are international schools. Both are independent private schools.
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Thanks for clarifying, i get confused myself. Actually, what is the difference between Int'l schools and independent private schools, especially since both sides have IB programs? and in that case i guess we have 3 types of English schools: Int'l, ESF & Independent private? Or are they considered local private school? (1 of the 6 types you mentioned) *totally confused*

howardcoombs said:
There are many private local schools that foster creative and interdependent thinking. ESF (and international schools) are not the only choice for schools that support creativity and independent thought.
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Hm, now that you mentioned it, true, I know PLK Choi Kai Yau School and PLK Camoes Tan Siu Lin Primary School both applies non-traditional interactive learning methods and are famous for it. I am not sure about the level of English there or the kinds of university the kids can get into thereafter, but if Butterscotch is interested you may try to find out more about them.
 
Jomama said:
Actually, what is the difference between Int'l schools and independent private schools
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Independent private school is defined as : Non-profit-making (NPM) schools which do not
receive any Government recurrent subsidies, except reimbursement of rates.
International school is defined as : Schools that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum or by following a national curriculum different from Hong Kong. They may or may not be profit making.

and in that case i guess we have 3 types of English schools: Int'l, ESF & Independent private? Or are they considered local private school? (1 of the 6 types you mentioned) *totally confused*
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You also have some DSS schools that are English medium.
 
howardcoombs said:
Independent private school is defined as : Non-profit-making (NPM)...
International school ... They may or may not be profit making.

You also have some DSS schools that are English medium.
Click to expand...

Oh no wonder why Int'l schools costs an arm and a leg!!
After studying the comprehensive chart of which the link you've posted (THANKS!!), i guess Victoria & ISF are considered Independent Private schools. In that case, of the 8 categories of schools available in HK, there are 4 types that provide English medium education:

Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools [DSS]
English Schools Foundation [ESF]
(Independent) Private schools
Private International Schools

...and a school spot is still so difficult to obtain...
 
There are also many Aided schools that are English Medium. Here are 3 of them, but there are many more:
www.spss.edu.hk
www.stclare.edu.hk
www.ssgc.edu.hk/

Here is a *full* list of EMI schools in Hong Kong. Its a long impressive list of schools:
http://www.emi.edu.hk/eng-ver/mem_list.php
http://www.emi.edu.hk/document/0910/List_of_EMI_Schools_Members_2009-2010.pdf

I truly do not believe that school spots are *that* difficult to obtain. What I have found in my experience is that parents have a goal/wish and do not look at all of their options when trying to find spots for their kids. There are a lot of English schools in Hong Kong. For one reason or another, parents tend to focus on just a few of them and do not consider others...
 
Thanks! Great lists! I noticed the two active-learning styled schools are not on the lists. I guess they are Chinese medium schools then :( How can I find out if any of the local English schools listed are using active-learning style? (beside calling them 1 by 1...)
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My apologies - I thought that list was a full list but I just realized its not. Its missing some schools therefore it must be just those schools who have decided to join the organization. One that I can see missing is Rosaryhill school.

I dont know of any good way to find out which ones use different teaching methods/styles. Asking friends or calling them would be one way...
 
1) They also include all ESF schools as "international" which is also wrong.
2) Li Po Chun is a DSS school and not international
I guess they are trying to simplify things for their readers and are taking some liberties in their descriptions...
 
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