Joined: 01 Feb 2006 Posts: 52 Location: London Home Country: NULL
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:42 am Post subject: International Schools - Member Reviews
We will be relocating to KL in the near future. My daughter will be going into Year 3 when the new academic year re-starts. There are so many British curriculum schools in KL, like Alice Smith, Garden International, Fairview International, Mutiara International School, Sayfol International.
So, comments, suggestions and advice is greatly appreciated.
* Here are list of the listed International school. I will help *
Alice Smith School, Jalan Bellamy (Primary)
Tel:(603)-2148-3674 Fax:(603)-2148-3418
Alice Smith School, Equine Park (Secondary)
Tel:(603)-9543-3688 Fax:(603)-9543-3788
Australian International School Malaysia (AISM)
Tel:(603)-8733-3622 Fax:(603)-8733-3722
CAHP
Tel:(603)-4256-3531
Cempaka International School
Tel: (603)-9076-8400 Fax:(603)-9076-8194
Gender: Age: 39 Zodiac: Joined: 08 Aug 2005 Posts: 3277 Location: Malaysia/Sweden Home Country: malaysia
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:56 pm Post subject: Re: British Curiculum Schools
Primrose Hill wrote:
We will be relocating to KL in the near future. My daughter will be going into Year 3 when the new academic year re-starts. There are so many British curriculum schools in KL, like Alice Smith, Garden International, Fairview International, Mutiara International School, Sayfol International.
So, comments, suggestions and advice is greatly appreciated.
Gender: Age: 35 Zodiac: Joined: 08 Aug 2005 Posts: 4040 Location: Here, There & Everywhere Home Country: australia
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 11:47 pm Post subject:
Primrose Hill wrote:
Thank you. Pat??
Anna meant Patrice.
One thing to consider about which school to pick would be where you are going to be residing. Morning rush hour in KL is not a pleasant experience and if you are going to be shuttling your kids to school, its best to pick one that is nearest your home.
You can check some of these threads for similar discussions on schools:
Gender: Age: 38 Zodiac: Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 44
Home Country: uk
Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:52 pm Post subject:
Think about the staff, facilities, working ethos and most importantly the quality of the kids. Visit the school and ask a lot of quetsions. Not all that glitters is gold.
Schools like Alice Smith look good on paper, but where there are a lot of expat kids, as in the schools I visited as an inspector in Philippines, China and Thailand, the discipline is less good as the kids tend to be spoiled, a tad more arrogant and work less hard.
As for Pat/Patrice's advice...you should never base auch a decision on location! It's selfich, ludicrous (et,pardonnez-moi un peu con aussi a mon avis...). Driving an extra 30 minutes in the morn. can make a great difference in terms of your children's future education. I cannot advise as to the school because I am new here.
In conclusion, visit the school, check out the results, enquire about the white expats to Asian ratio and ask about the teacher's turnover. The latter is usually a good indicator of how happy teachers are in that institution. Happy and motivated teachers are a pivotal factor in instructional efficacy. Much more important than morning rush hour...
Do not trust other people's (always biased) advice and ignore the glossy pictures on websites and magazine. They are always bound to enhance or distort the truth..I visited schools I had received glowing reports on. When I was there and looked at very telling clues of effective teaching and learning I was rather disappointed. Check the websites, ask questions, visit classrooms, sit in the canteena and taste the food. Last but not least, check if it is a safe place: they are more cavalier about safety issues in school this part of the world.
Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 357 Location: Bukit Tunku Home Country: malaysia
Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 6:11 pm Post subject:
In a way, I do concur with the observation from touchofclass.
Take Pattana in BKK, for example. Looks very good on paper and it was in fact a very good school once upon a time but these days, I hear of parents complaining that the kids are wrapped up in cotton wool there and the school does not push the children to their limits.
Every parent has his or her own philosophy on what is a 'good' school. Do you need a school that stresses on academic excellence, one that provides a broad spectrum of CCA ? Are you looking for a school with the wide-open-space concept ? Is discipline a matter of importance ? Do you reckon your child will be happier in an environment where he/she mingles with his/her "own kind" (a certain school's admission policy perpetuates this make-up) or perhaps do you see the expatriation experience as an opportunity for growing up with children from a wider cultural background ?
Also, bear in mind that just because a particular school is known for its looooong wait-list for admisson does not, per se, mean that it's a good one. It may be due to the 'thou shalt not be seen as a poor cousin' syndrome.
Go for a school visit, speak to the staff, feel the vibes of the young ones.
Am speaking not as a school inspector but more from the prespective of a parent here ! So, just my 2 dua sen .
Joined: 01 Feb 2006 Posts: 52 Location: London Home Country: NULL
Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:27 pm Post subject:
Thanks all. I will in M'sia end of the year for Christmas and will schedule some school viewing then. We have already been to Garden International in April and was reasonably impressived.
I would prefer a British International School as she is in a English school at the moment and I wouldn't really want to change that really.
Just looking at the websites at the moment, I just cannot believe the disparaity in the fees; like Alice Smith is at the end of the British school fees. It is all so confusing, hence, I would like to hear from some of the parents that have their children in these schools and what their opinions are. The consensus view is to stay away from Fairview, what about Cempaka, Mutiara, Kolej Jaafar.
Gender: Age: 35 Zodiac: Joined: 08 Aug 2005 Posts: 4040 Location: Here, There & Everywhere Home Country: australia
Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:47 pm Post subject:
Depending on where you stay, getting to Cempaka may be a bit of a drag. But from what I observe (my dad teaches on the national side) the students do get a lot of opportunities for holistic development. And the campus in Cheras is rather well-equipped.
Its worth a visit, when you do come down to KL.
Let me know if you need help on further enquiries about Cempaka.
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