Southside Kindergartens?

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    8

    Southside Kindergartens?

    We have just arrived in HK and will soon be moving into our apartment near Stanley. I am keen for our son (3.5yrs) to start pre-school soon and would be interested to hear any opinions on local ones? In particular any experiences of Woodlands Beachside and Southside Kindergarten but also any others. We are planning to stay for 18m at the moment so would leave before my son starts school, but it is possible that we may stay on longer - is it worth us looking into the new (soon to open) Hillside ESF kinder to increase his chance of getting into an ESF school (think Quarry Bay will be our catchment) - how do you think it will compare to these local smaller ones? Thank you so much for your help!


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    HK Island
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    307

    Bradbury is the ESF Primary for Stanley. Tai Tam Road goes to QBS. The roundabout is the cut off.

    In terms of schools you can look at Woodlands, South Side, Sunshine (Red Hill) and Tutor Time (Red Hill). I've been really happy with Sunshine, I've heard good things about Woodlands Beach side (less positive on Tai Tam Montessori). St. Theresa is another (way more affordable) option in Stanley, and people are very happy with the school too. They should have space in K2. Five mornings are $3700 (as opposed to around $7000 for 5 mornings for most of the other schools mentioned).


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    8

    Thanks, that's helpful to hear the opinions on some of the local preschools. We have visited a few of them but don't know anyone here yet so are just going on our own first impressions. It feels like such an important decision and it's hard to be sure even after a visit.

    We are living just the other side of the roundabout so will be in the QBS catchment, thanks for confirming!


  4. #4

    Join Date
    May 2006
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    Hong Kong
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    9

    Our son has been going to Tutor Time since TAG (toddler group) and he's now in K3. Our girl will be starting Tutor Time in Sep. We're very happy with the school. I love how my son has been having fun while learning... and he's learned a lot. There is a good balance between play and structured learning. I love it that the school has a very good Mandarin program (it's bilingual --50/50 English/Mandarin). When he first started, he could not speak a single word of Mandarin and he now is able to carry on a simple conversation in Mandarin, using vocab that I didn't realize that he knew. One of the best things I love about the school is the communication between the school and the parents. Beyond the student's handbook, I could always get in touch with the school and get instant answers. This, I really appreciated.

    Go have a visit and get a feel for yourself if this might be the right school for your children.


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    HK Island
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    307
    Quote Originally Posted by riseandshine
    Thanks, that's helpful to hear the opinions on some of the local preschools. We have visited a few of them but don't know anyone here yet so are just going on our own first impressions. It feels like such an important decision and it's hard to be sure even after a visit.

    We are living just the other side of the roundabout so will be in the QBS catchment, thanks for confirming!
    Not a problem. Most people who live on Tai Tam Road go either to the Red Hill preschools (Sunshine, Woodlands or Tutor Time), some go to Stanley (the French little school, St. Teresa or Montessori), some go to Beachside Woodlands ... I think this covers about 95% for those going to preschools (not international schools with reception classes of course) ...

    My oldest was at Sunshine, very happy, just quite pricey. She had no problem transitioning into ESF. My twins are at St. Teresa, a small local school, very reasonable priced and very happy with the learning environment.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    8

    Thank you again, that's really helpful to know. We have made our decision, let's hope it is the right choice for him! It is the one he says he liked the most whilst visiting them as well as the one I felt happiest with so that's a good sign hopefully! We are looking forward to moving to the Southside and getting settled in - perhaps we'll bump into you there! Thanks again.