Parents from across Hong Kong are about to make a crucial decision - where to send their children to secondary school. With a number of factors to consider and questions to ask, Chris Durbin, education adviser at the English Schools Foundation (ESF), outlines three tips for choosing a secondary school.
First, the chosen school should provide good all-round schooling, one that balances academic rigour with developing skills and confidence; an essential attribute in today's professional working world, he explains. And, if your child has special talents, then parents should match their student's aptitude with evidence of excellence in that specialisation at a particular school.
Secondly, the school should have a positive ethos, where all students are thought of as individuals. Parents should question how students are individually nurtured to achieve and should consider their child's personality in this respect.
'Highly competitive schools suit some students who thrive on competition. Other children thrive better in a caring and collaborative culture,' he says. 'You may have two very different children, so don't just assume that both should go to the same school. A positive ethos is evident in the conversations that you have with students when you visit the school. Parents should ask students whether they are proud to be at the school and they should ask about the range of things that they have done.'
Third, a school should ensure students gain knowledge, understanding and world experiences beyond their own families.
'In secondary education, students should, through their studies, develop further understanding of people from different walks of life, different cultures and who have different perspectives. This prepares students well for a life in Hong Kong or wherever they are in the world.'
Phil Waugh, co-head of school at the Australian International School, explains that with such a wide range of local and international secondary schools in Hong Kong, parents are able to choose from a host of different pathways for their child's secondary education.