The benefits of learning in a second language outweigh the negatives

First of all, the international school must have considered your son's English skills to be good enough to access the curriculum or it would not have given him a place.

Moving to a new school can be daunting for any child, especially if it means being separated from long-time friends, and the added issue of being educated in a different language may be challenging initially. However, children tend to be more adaptable than we give them credit for. Your son is still young, and when he is immersed in an English-speaking environment every day, he will soon improve and become more confident. Research shows that social language develops relatively quickly, so this should help him to fit in and make friends. Academic language develops more slowly, over a number of years, so he will need support and positive encouragement from both you and his teachers.

These days more parents in Hong Kong are choosing to give their children a bilingual, international-style education by enrolling them into the English-speaking system. So your son will surely not be alone in being a second-language learner. I have witnessed many children in your son's position who have settled into their new school very quickly, developing friendships and language fluency over time.

Don't worry if your English is less fluent. The quality of the language interaction is important. Try to use rich vocabulary with your son in several circumstances. Also, be a good listener and help him build sophisticated, academic language in Cantonese as well as English. Encourage him to keep up friendships from his old school for social and language reasons.

Also, some parents find that the longer their child is in the international system, the less they want to speak their first language, and they also start to take on different cultural values. Ideally, both languages should be given a sense of worth and importance in your son's life.