Happiness is key when choosing schools
When Linus reached two years old, it was time for his mother to start hunting for a kindergarten. 'It was very stressful,' Iris Barton said. 'I first got a book on all the kindergartens in Hong Kong, but it didn't help. So, I basically asked my friends and neighbours what school they had chosen for their kids and what they had heard about others.'
Through recommendations and word of mouth, Barton then researched each school's website, teaching methods and language of instruction.
While she wanted Linus to learn Chinese, she didn't want him to spend hours doing homework.
'I heard some schools required the students to write a full page of very complicated Chinese characters at K2 and K3,' she said. 'I find it ridiculous for a four-year-old or five-year-old to do this.
'Some kids can write or copy characters, but not all kids can handle it. If you can't do it and it's required homework, the school makes them feel not confident because they ask them to do something they can't.'
After interviewing at four kindergartens, Linus (pictured, right) enrolled at Hong Kong Baptist University Kindergarten (HKBUK). Barton said it was the only kindergarten she visited that interviewed the child and the parent. 'At all the other schools, they only tested Linus. I think it's a bit too harsh to be interviewing a child at two years old and make your decision on that.'
According to Barton, HKBUK is known for having a softer approach to learning, with teachers conducting lessons through activities rather than teacher-led instruction.
Finding a preschool for Arabella, now nine, was surprisingly easy, said her mother Sarah Emslie. As she was driving up The Peak, she saw a small nursery, Woodland Peak Pre-School.
'It had an unintimidating environment. The second Arabella walked in, she wanted to stay,' Emslie said. 'I was impressed by the reception that I got and the reception that she got. I could tell the children were happy there.'
While Arabella now attends The Peak School, her second daughter, Lizzie, four, attends the same preschool.
When students leave the preschool, most can write their name and read simple letters and numbers. Emslie believes this is a beneficial skill for her daughters. 'When they come out of the preschool, it's a gentle transition to primary because they are so well prepared,' she said.
'Some children arrive at Year One and can't write their name, but some families want it to be that way. I don't know if it's all that important. But, for Arabella, it gave her a lot of confidence to be on top of things, otherwise the transition would not have been as easy.'
Most importantly, Barton said, 'just make sure your kid is happy. If they are happy, they will like going to school'.