West Island School or Kellett Senior School

Hi parents of existing or past students, how do you find the senior school?

Originally Posted by GWong

My daughter took a written test at Kellett. Her impression to the test was 'quite hard'. She knows answers to some questions, but not others. She liked the essay writing part and thought that it was fun.

GWong, we are trying year 8 and was told to take a test on quantitative, non verbal and verbal reasoning without english test. Did your girl take all those tests? May i know when they call you for a test after submitting an application and when do they offer you a spot after taking the test?

Originally Posted by IBorNot2IB

We took the Kellett exam a couple of years ago. It's not that difficult, but we did a few practice tests to prepare. Just so that we were used to the style of questions, etc. Would recommend getting hold of some bond books from the UK



Amazon.co.uk: bond: Books

Thanks for your advice. Before I read your message I went through Bond website and bought the downloadable paper version. Though the school said the test required no preparation, I agree that at least we should have do a few practice to get familiar with. Do you like the school so far?

Yes, we're very happy at the senior school. Children are streamed for a few classes, Math, English, Science, Mandarin and are assessed quite a few times throughout the year. Fantastic teachers and love the small class sizes.

I'm sorry that I'm not familiar with the terminology of "non verbal and verbal reasoning without English test"? My daughter applied for Year 7. We were told that the written test would cover Maths related questions, English grammar, spelling and vocabulary. We received an invitation letter to written test about 4 weeks after application. We got an offer letter about 5 weeks after the test.

Originally Posted by GWong

I'm sorry that I'm not familiar with the terminology of "non verbal and verbal reasoning without English test"? My daughter applied for Year 7. We were told that the written test would cover Maths related questions, English grammar, spelling and vocabulary. We received an invitation letter to written test about 4 weeks after application. We got an offer letter about 5 weeks after the test.

Did you accept?

We accepted the offer. We heard a lot of good comments on Kellett and are looking forward to joining it this coming August.

I would honestly be worried about Kellett and its lack of a track record with results as well as university placements. It's not proven to have done well and in all honesty, very few schools have matched ESF in their ability to allow students of all abilities achieve well in exams. While many IB schools in Hong Kong score higher than ESF schools, almost all of which use IB as a selective "stream" for the high-achievers in their school and have very small cohort sizes (think DBS, St. Paul's Co-ed etc). These are kids who have already excelled and have been hand picked to take the IB exams and really their success does not reflect on the educational quality of their host schools. CDNIS and CIS are the only schools with cohort sizes enough to warrant comparison, and both are extremely academically selective whilst ESF schools operate on a waiting list system open to a broader range of students.

If you are concerned of where your child will end up for higher education, it is better to think conservatively and consider only which schools have a good track record. These are the Island Schools (West Island School, South Island School, Island School), King George V School, Chinese International School, German Swiss International School and Hong Kong International School (Also LPCUWC but this is really an international boarding school, not a hong kong international school). Canadian International is one to watch because they have been getting good results, but their students will struggle to get admitted to McGill compared to the aforementioned schools which it is generally very accessible. Likewise, well regarded London-schools are easy targets for these schools mentioned (and top-tier local schools) and high reaches for others. If you are hoping for Ivies, really these few schools plus or minus high performing local schools (DGS often), have a complete monopoly on Hong Kong admittances.

I am sure schools like Kellett have made strides to improve themselves and appear very friendly and open to students and parents alike (on open days etc or on speculation about renovation, buildings etc), but it is not prudent to use this kind of thinking entirely to decide where your child will end up. Kellett simply does not have a proven track record, and many of the new upstart international schools have been floundering for quite some time (ISF for instance, with suspicious or mismatched scores).

That being said, Kellett is probably a good place to send your children to strong independent/public schools in the UK for GCSEs and/or sixth form, but not a smart choice to move to higher education from.

I hope this helps, but these are things in the long-term parents really ought to consider - if anything at all really.

Have just posted a reply about Kellett here.

http://hongkong.geoschools.com/forum...html#post23262

Had a really long chat with a West Island School mum this weekend, and many parents are not happy. The school rolled out MYP last year and basically the Units of Inquiry (not sure if thats what they call them in WIS) seem so random and parents don't understand the progression.

Although ESF has said they will not drop GCSEs, I personally think once they're content with MYP they will make the switch.

An article for you to read

In his blog, Mr. Tim Benton wrote down his impressions of Y12 Island School students, with whom he interacted with during the induction week. The article compares his experience with Island School students to those he had with students in other UK schools. It makes the school proud that our Y12 students made such an impression on Mr. Benton through their positivity, energy and engagement.

http://independentthinkingblog.wordp...start-of-term/