What kind of secondary school is right for your child when you move to China from other country? There are so many options that it can be confusing. The following will help you make that important first cut which will leave you with a short list of schools you want to explore more fully.
Size
Private schools can range in size from less than one hundred students to over one thousand. Assess your child's social skills very carefully or you will have one very unhappy young person! In other words, is she somewhat shy or does she make friends easily? Will he be comfortable at a large, somewhat impersonal school or is the intimate, family-like atmosphere of a small school preferable? Most private boarding schools have some kind of dormitory arrangement which encourages the kind of close bonding usually found in a family. So, in reality, a large school can very well create the feeling of family which is so beneficial to a child's happiness.
Private schools can range in size from less than one hundred students to over one thousand. Assess your child's social skills very carefully or you will have one very unhappy young person! In other words, is she somewhat shy or does she make friends easily? Will he be comfortable at a large, somewhat impersonal school or is the intimate, family-like atmosphere of a small school preferable? Most private boarding schools have some kind of dormitory arrangement which encourages the kind of close bonding usually found in a family. So, in reality, a large school can very well create the feeling of family which is so beneficial to a child's happiness.
Single-sex versus Co-education
Many parents and educators feel that children benefit from the minimal distractions offered by a single-sex school setting. Others feel just as strongly that a co-educational school offers young people a valuable social laboratory in which to practice the skills so necessary in today's politically correct world. Again you have to know your child and his needs. In either kind of school the administration tries very hard to ensure a well-balanced social life with "weekends," dances, and other social events. Most single-sex schools will have some sort of long-standing arrangement with a sister or brother school close by, so that your child will have the opportunity to socialize with members of the opposite sex regularly.
Many parents and educators feel that children benefit from the minimal distractions offered by a single-sex school setting. Others feel just as strongly that a co-educational school offers young people a valuable social laboratory in which to practice the skills so necessary in today's politically correct world. Again you have to know your child and his needs. In either kind of school the administration tries very hard to ensure a well-balanced social life with "weekends," dances, and other social events. Most single-sex schools will have some sort of long-standing arrangement with a sister or brother school close by, so that your child will have the opportunity to socialize with members of the opposite sex regularly.
Day Student or Boarder
Years ago it was quite common to send children off to boarding school at a very young age. First Form in fact was equivalent to our modern Grade Seven. That's why you will still find some schools referring to Grade Nine as Third Form. Nowadays it is much more common to send children off to boarding school in Tenth Grade.
Years ago it was quite common to send children off to boarding school at a very young age. First Form in fact was equivalent to our modern Grade Seven. That's why you will still find some schools referring to Grade Nine as Third Form. Nowadays it is much more common to send children off to boarding school in Tenth Grade.
Two other points to consider are tuition and transportation. Tuition for day students is generally much lower than tuition for boarders. As well, if transportation from some distant place is an issue, you have to consider that carefully both from the logistics and the cost point of view.
I want to apply an international school in China
