Urgent: start school Apr or Sep

[Sandrine]

My daughter is given a place for Kowloon Baptist Church Kindergarten to start in April but I'm afraid she's not ready to start as she still needs the maid to stay with her in the YMCA playgroup. Most other kids let their parent/maid stay outside but my daughter just wouldn't and she would cry very hard.

She was happy during the interview at KBCK and she even let the interviewer take her hand and "joined" the class but it was only a temporary separation and mom and dad were around.

If she starts in April, she will be one of the youngest in the class as most other kids started in Sept last year but in the coming Sept, she will be one of the oldest in the class. This arrangement let her learn from other older children now and help the younger in the next session. But will it be better for confidence building if she just starts in Sept this year instead? I'm not sure what to do.

Another hard decision is, we'll have to choose between KBCK and YMCA if she is to start in September.

Both schools seem good. YMCA doesn't require the child to be fluent in English but KBCK does as an entrance requirement and so I think KBCK provides a better English environment since the children there are English-speaking. However, YMCA has phonics teaching with Letterland in K1 and Jolly Phonics in K2. KBCK has no phonics teaching. YMCA is a lot closer to where I live. Its fees are $1,500 per month higher than KBCK though. My child was comfortable with KBCK during the interview there but I think she'll need less adjustment in YMCA as she has been with their playgroup for a few months. YMCA has K1-3 whereas KBCK only has K1-2. We haven't decided which primary school to send her.

Any advice is appreciated.

[shaz]

from my own experience, i'd say wait till Sept. at the beginning of a new school year. i put my son into K1 second term (Feb.) when he turned 3 - he is a january child. i wish i had of waited till the sept. to put him in, at 3 he wasn't really ready and was the youngest in his class too. he has come along way today and is still the youngest in his class but doing well. at some point he needs to repeat a year anyweay and from what i hear from my friends that'll make him more confident for future studies.

[Sandrine]

shaz,

Thanks for sharing your experience. My daughter will be almost 3 when school starts in April. She'll promote to K2 in Apr 06 and to P.1 ESF in Apr 07 or repeat a few months for another school in Sept 07. Do you think a child will be happier and more confident if she starts school a bit later then, when she can do most things that other children can do? Perhaps you're right as I always heard my child say things like, "I can't do that" for example when I helped her tie her shoe laces, or when I gave her a book, she'd say, "Mommy I can't read." and asked me to read to her. I've heard her say, "I can't do it." on many many occasions when she wishes to do something that others can do and she can't.

[shaz]

every child is different, but from my experience my son was not ready at 3 to start school. he started in the local system and whether this played a role i don't know. now that he is in an international kinddie he couldn't be happier and more confident than before. he is in K2 equivalent now (he should be in k1) but if he goes ESF it doesn't matter, he can do k3 next year and move onto primary the year after. if i send him to a local english medium schools such as DBS he'll have to repeat a year somewhere so he is 6 to go to primary. you'll know if your child isn't ready and waiting till sept. isn't a bad thing, she'll have some confident by then and she is in playgroup now and taking in everything. good luck!

[carang]

this is an honest question and not meant sarcastically in any way...

why does your child have to go to school at all... she's only 2 or 3 years old? in canada, when i was a child, we started at 4 or 5 years of age...had one year of kindergarten and then proceeded straight to primary 1...i turned out ok (2 uni degrees)...

is it a british thing to have the kids off at school at 2 years of age?

[shaz]

no, the british way in uk anyway is to start our kids in primary at 5.
but we are in HK were the competition is high and everyone is strieving to get there kids into the best schools, have an early education to get into the best primary schools etc. etc. if i were in UK my ds wouldn't start till he was 5. HK does this to you.!!!!!!

[carang]

ah... good to know.. i still think that i'll keep my boy home until he's 4 (hopefully by that time i'll be back to canada after 15 years here...)
thanks!

[barbwong_130]

Carang
If you are still here when your son is four you might like to consider the Canadian School near Aberdeen. The children start at four in the reception (half day) and move to Prep the next year (full day). The school is beautiful and has a very friendly atmosphere. The school follows a Canadian curriculum.
Barb