Rejected by KJS: what to do now

R

rs2000

Registered User
Hi All,

We live in Tung Chung and my daughter has been rejected by KJS.

We did not apply to any other school apart from KJS and Lantau International School. I was really hoping to get her admitted in KJS and am very disappointed now.

She speaks fluent english and I have read on the forums here that ESF does require more than fluent english.
I am wondering what to do now. She currently goes to Sunisland in TC.
Has anyone experiend this in the past? what is my best course of action? I have already replied them and asked them to keep us on the waitlist. do you know if ESF considers kids for a re-interview? Shall we goto the admissions office to discuss with the staff about the possibulity of getting her interviewed her? we have bought an apartment here in TC and really want to stay here. LIS has said she is on waitlist and might be interviewed later. I really want her to study in an esf school.
I will appreciate all your inputs here.

Thanks a lot!
 
Very sorry to hear that. It's not quite clear to me from your post, but was your daughter actually rejected after interview or was she not offered an interview?
 
Did she fail the interview? Can you perhaps find out why?

Another member's son also didn't pass the interview a few years ago. He was also Category 1. He repeated K2 in another kindergarten and he re-applied for ESF the following year and was accepted.
 
Hi

she was rejected after an interview. I am very upset.
As I said, we live in Tung Chung and there arent many options available for schooling from here.
Lantau International School also told me that she is 25 on the waiting list and i think which basically means that there is'nt much chance in LIS too.

I mailed KJS and they got back to me saying that they could no even accomodate the students whos siblings are in KJS and hence those will be the first priority in the waiting list.

has anyone in past experienced this wherein the kid was rejected after an interview? is there any chance to reapply for P2 and get admission (realistically). I really want my mid to goto an esf school.
please suggest something

the options i can think of are

1. continue going to sunisland in TC. Do a K3 and reapply to ESF for a P2 next year hoping to get in. The risk is that if she does not get ESF, i will be in trouble if I want to still send her to international schools (they are very expensive and we woul have to sell our dear apartment etc etc). or otherwisee will have to send her to DSS school like st. margaret, delia etc . i havent read great reviews about these schools. For thos option, i am also thinking to let extend her school to whole day session in sun island -1 english class and 1 cantonese.

2. Get her into Sunshine house or Discovery Mind Kindergarten in TC for a K3. reapply to esf next year for P2. The risk and future plan is same as option#1 but i wont be extending her for a full day in this case.

3. Get her into Delia kindergarten in Mei Foo now. they sau their admission is open. We can try and get her admittd there. Then reapply to ESF next year. The safety in this case is that she will have the primary school place in Delia if she does not get into ESF. Now i have heard mixed reviews about this school. Can anyone help me understand how is the school. the negative thign is that its not in TC and she will have to travel out for a kindergarten which might not be very good.

Please give your comments on the above options and which one shall I select.
My schooling budgets is roughly 5-6k Hk$ per month & most international schools are much more expensive and also not accessible from TC. Please give some other suggestions too.

thanks again!
 
I think before you start exploring the options you need to understand why your daughter was rejected by KJS. There should be a reason in the rejection letter. Or if there isn't, you should call up/write and find out the reason.

I have heard of fluent English speakers being rejected after interview, but my understanding is that this was because some (potential) learning difficulty was identified at the interview, eg potential ADHD, or the child had special needs that could not be accommodated, etc. My understanding was also that if your child was offered an interview, but is not ready to start school (eg behind in fine motor skills, immature), then they are usually just deferred for a year. You need to get to the bottom of this and find out exactly why your child was rejected because if there is some issue, it could also affect your child's chances at other schools.
 
Whether or not you can reapply for Y2 depends on the reasons for rejection. I don't think special or individual needs are a reason for rejection perse, especially not at ESF. They mainly look at social skills and receptive / expressive language. Ask them about options for P2, your chances. The thing with ESF this year is that there are too many applying, so more choice for them. Whatever you do I would find an age appropriate class / school for her with options to change to other primary programs if wanted and when spaces come up.
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If you put your daughter in K3 and reapply next year for ESF, you may have to apply for P1 again and not P2.

In P1 the kids learn how to read and write, and if she doesn't learn that in K3 she will fail the P2 interview.
 
why don't you check to see if there is a gov't school that is designated for non-chinese speaking students (if, of course, your family is non-chinese speaking). we found a school in sai kung that has this designation and our son was accepted to start P1 in september. i am very happy with the school (so far) and it is free! there may be something in tung chung worth considering.
 
Thanks for your comments everyone!

@Portia: Here is what the letter says"

"**** is clearly at an early phase of learning English language. She responded inappropriately to some questions nd struggled to explain herself at some times. she is not ready to cope with a class of 20 students in english..........."

somethings on this line. Now she mostly speaks english (though its not our first language). when I get home in evening, she would normally tell me in detail about her school and the acitvites done throughout the day. Now my guess is that they had too many applicants and just preferred the students who have siblings in the school. Also, it seems to have been biased towards the "so-called" better kindergartens. a few friends of mine whose kids definitely dont have better language skills, have got the offer and they went to PIPS kowloon.
Anyways, looking at the above, do you think we stand a chance for a P2 application given that they have already got some people on waitinglist whose siblings study in KJS. please let me know about your thoughts

@rani: so the ones who cant get into ESF, what do they normally do (other than getting into other international schools), the K3 at sunshine or discovery mind kindergarten is not the same as the P1 in esf? how do the two compare.
@cara: i really wanted a mid priced school like esf schools. I havent checked on other schools. as I said below, Delia primary school in mei foo seems to be one option. any comments on the school please?

I am very concerned for her schooling now. thanks for the help again!
 
yes, k3 is the same as esf P1.

why must you pay for school? what's wrong with trying a free gov't school?

what is your first language?

as stated by others, ALL of the int'l schools, including esf, have their pick of students. there are too many students who want to get in and not enough spaces. it could be that your daughter's english is NOT the equivalent of other applicants. if they even have siblings on waiting lists, you really don't stand a chance.

i don't have any experience of the delia school in mei foo. sorry.
 
rani said:
If you put your daughter in K3 and reapply next year for ESF, you may have to apply for P1 again and not P2.

In P1 the kids learn how to read and write, and if she doesn't learn that in K3 she will fail the P2 interview.
Click to expand...

I think that would only apply if she was deferred because they think she's not ready yet. Because of all these primary problems, a lot of preschools do offer P1 classes and I know kids who enroll in P1 later in the year, or even P2 after a year there. As long as it's an extended P1 program and not simply another year of repeating kindergarten/preschool.

If her English was found not sufficient (which could be the case since they had lots of kids to compare with, it doesn't mean she's not good, just not as good as ... like carang said), she may be better off with another year of preschool (P1 equivalent) preparation in a smaller environment. And yes, siblings do get priority but no guarantee. I do agree that some kindies seem to be more popular with ESF than others, so maybe see of one of those kindies has a P1-equivalent program available for the coming year?
 
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ok, i've copied from the gov't website the names of primary schools that provide services to non-chinese speaking students.

the one's in blue are not too far from you. the one in pink is the one my kids will attend in sai kung.

Schools Admitting Greater Number of
Non-Chinese Speaking Children

Primary School

Government

Sir Ellis Kadoorie (Sookunpo) Primary School
Wan Chai, Co-Educational
Address: 9 Eastern Hospital Road, Sookunpo, Hong Kong
Tel: 2577 3489

Li Cheng Uk Government School
Sham Shui Po, Co-Educational
Address: 43 Tonkin Street, Shamshuipo, Kowloon
Tel: 2386 8049

Jordan Road Government PrimarySchool
Yau Tsim Wong, Co-Educational
Address: 18 Nanking Street, Yaumatei, Kowloon
Tel: 2332 4249

Aided

Yaumati Kaifong Association School
Yaumati, Co-Educational
Address: 1 Cliff Road, Yau Ma Ti, Kowloon
Tel: 2388 8327

Islamic Primary School
Tuen Mun, Co-Educational
Address: Yau Oi Estate, Tuen Mun, New Territories
Tel: 2450 2270

Hong Kong Taoist Association Wun Tsuen School
Kwun Tong, Co-Educational
Address: Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate, Kowloon
Tel: 2757 0854 / 2757 4884

Man Kiu Association Primary School
Kwun Tong, Co-Educational
Address: Estate School No.3, Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate, Kwun Tong, Kowloon
Tel: 2757 0490

Li Sing Tai Hang School
Wan Chai, Co-Educational
Address: 73 Wun Sha Street, Tai Hang, Hong Kong
Tel: 2577 5188

Islamic Dharwood Pau Memorial Primary School
Wong Tai Sin, Co-Educational
Address: Tsz Lok Estate, Phase I, Tsz Wan Shan, Kowloon
Tel: 2320 1300

Po Kok Primary School
Wan Chai, Co-Educational
Address: 11 ? 15 Shan Kwong Road, Hong Kong
Tel: 2573 7911

Chiu Sheung School, Hong Kong
Central & Western, Co-Educational
Address: 79B Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
Tel: 2546 1644

Tsing Yi Trade Association Primary School
Kwai Tsing, Co-Educational
Address: Cheung Hong Estate, Tsing Yi Island, New Territories
Tel: 2497 9288

Pat Heung Central Primary School
Yuen Long, Co-Educational
Address: 199 Lin Fa Tei, Kam Tin, Pat Heung, Yuen Long, New Territories
Tel: 2488 1520

YL Long Ping Estate Tung Koon Primary School
Yuen Long, Co-Educational
Address: Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long, New Territories
Tel: 2476 2433

CNEC Ta Tung School
Kwai Tsing, Co-Educational
Address: Estate School No1, Kwai Tsing Estate, Kwai Chung, New Territories
Tel: 2421 9159

Po On Commercial Association Wan Ho Kan Primary School
Island, Co-Educational
Address: Primary School No 2, Fu Tung Estate, Tung Chung, Lantau Island, New Territories
Tel: 2109 0045

Bui O Public School
Island, Co-Educational
Address: DD 316 LOT 2724 (PT) 2 Lo Uk Village Pui O, Lantau Island New Territories
Tel: 2984 1189

Northern Lamma School
Island, Co-Educational
Address: No 1 Yung Shue Ling Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island New Territories
Tel: 2892 0242

Sai Kung Central Lee Siu Yam Memorial School
Sai Kung, Co-Educational
Address: 18 Wai Man Road Sai Kung New Territories
Tel: 2791 6681
 
thanks a lot for the list Carang

I will check them out.

btw the letter does mention they will keep us on waitlist if we wish. I have asked them to do so
now i am not sure if we will still stand any chance. I am thinking of sending her to sunshine house in TC as a back up for a P1 equivalent program.

if nothing works out, i will then send her to the local schools next year.
 
As KJS has stated that it is your daughter's English skills that are not the same standard as other applicants and that she might therefore have difficulty coping in English, if you want to try the ESF schools again later (eg, for P1 or P2 next year), it would help if you sent her to the school with the most opportunities to use English, eg more native speakers, etc. Also, if you really think that they have a preference for the so-called "better kindergartens", maybe it would be helpful to send her to one of them?
 
Sun Island is a VERY LOCAL kindergarten. We considered it as an afterschool kinder for our child. It is traditional in it's approach. There are some ESF(TY) kids who go to that school in the afternoon. It is not like PIPS (Kowloon) or Sunshine House or DMK. They all have proper international sections.

About what parents do if not in the ESF system and cannot afford international school fees:
Most parents in the ESF system would have applied for 3 schools - the ESF Primary and the 2 PIS. And no one I know did not receive an offer from one.

You still have the option of less popular international schools like Delia but I'd rather go local. Why don't you consider the primary school in Mui Wo or the one in DB. Both are good. The one in Mui Wo has a high percentage of international kids (not local) and the one in DB has a good reputation amongst the locals and mixed-local families.

Good Luck with your decision!
 
i know that in sai kung, there are a LOT of parents that choose local for kindergarten and some continue with local for primary (at the school that i highlighted above). in my visits to the primary, i've seen mixed kids, PH kids, white kids, black kids and everything in between. like i said, i'm happy with our selection.
 
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