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Help! Confused Over When Kids Start What!

  1. #1
    Polly is offline Registered User
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    Help! Confused Over When Kids Start What!

    I hope this isn't a daft question but I'm really confused about the age kids start different schools. Mine is only 16 months and I'm thinking I should apply for a pre-school for when she's around 3. I'm looking at Woodlands Montessori and noticed they mention from age 2.8 - 6, but at what age do kids start primary, which is what I call "proper" school - is it 5? Why would a child still be in a pre-school at 5-6?

    With pre-schools can they join classes at any point in a term, or do they have to join at the beginning?

    Thanks for any shed of light :O)


  2. #2
    Neha is offline Banned
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    In Hong Kong generally kids go to Kindergarten at 2.8-3 years of age,AT 5-6they go to Primary 1. What is termed here as PreSchool is basically what u enroll your kid now at 16 months which basically a care giver/ child class.Pre School they can join anytime but Kindergarten like in ESF u start in September every year

    Hope it is bit more clearer for u


  3. #3
    bekyboo44 is offline Registered User
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    Hi-

    In the local education system children start kindergarten in the September; they must turn 3 yrs old by the 31st of december of the year they start school.
    So if your child is 3 by the 31st of December, 2009 they will start kindergarten in the September of 2009.

    The local education system kindergartens have classes as follows,
    1). K1 (2.8- 3 Yrs when start)
    2). K2 (3.8-4 yrs when start)
    3). K3 (4.8-5 yrs when start)

    Children then generally go onto P1 when 6yrs old.

    In the international system it varies from school to school.
    Some international schools follow the local system and children will start nursery when they are 2/8- 3yrs old; others follow the UK system and children will have to be 3 yrs old by the 31st August/ 1st September to attend kindergarten that Sept.

    Most international schools have the following,
    1). Nursery (start at 2.8yrs- 3yrs, or as late as 3.8 yrs depending on the school)
    2). Reception (4-5 yrs)

    Then children will go onto primary at 5-6 yrs.

    A lot of children actually start pre school at 2 years of age- this can vary from formal half and full day classes without Mummy; or to informal classes with Mummy- it all depends on what you want for your little one. Often it's called playgroup.

    You should probably think of applying for schools before your LO is 3 because a lot of the popular kindergartens have waiting lists.
    Some require you put the child's name down at birth, some when they are 12 months old; some the year before they will start- this is if you want her to start kindergarten at 3.

    Most schools are quite strict on the age criteria and it is rare in HK for children to be held back or put forward a class.


  4. #4
    Polly is offline Registered User
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    Thanks for your replies guys. I think I get confused with all the different tags of nursery, preschool, kindergarten and reception.


  5. #5
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    carang is offline Registered User
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    the school that my son is going is local so the cut off date is the end of dec. as my son was born in february, he waited a whole year to start (which was fine by me as i didn' really want him to go so early)...

    now he's in the nursery class and is 3 yrs 7 months old. i think he's one of the oldest in the class....


  6. #6
    bekyboo44 is offline Registered User
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    According to research from the UK, the oldest children in a class tend to perform better in school, espec. boys. The children born near the cut off date are more likely to struggle, espec. boys!


  7. #7
    carang's Avatar
    carang is offline Registered User
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    i was not concerned at all about the whole schooling thing...i didn't really want him to go to school now, except i REALLY wanted him to speak chinese with his grandparents and now he only understands but always speaks english.


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