Education

If you have recently arrived in the Eastern Seaboard with a young family, a major concern will be the options for schooling.  Educational opportunities in the region vary from small, community-based playgroups through nurseries/kindergartens to elementary (primary) schools and international schools.  Factors such as financial costs, the ages of your children, the educational system in your home country and the anticipated length of your stay will all influence your choice.

In this section, we cover children’s education from pre-school through to high school and an option for tertiary education.  The information has been provided by the schools and was current at the time of publication.  We highly recommend visiting a number of schools prior to selecting one for your children.

 

FEES

A major factor to be considered when choosing a school will be the cost involved.  Fees vary from school to school and according to the age of the child.  If you have come to Thailand on a company-sponsored assignment, consult with the personnel department regarding this issue.  In particular, at what age a company will contribute to educational costs may influence your final decision.  Some schools charge an Application fee of approximately B3,000.  Tuition fees in Pattaya vary from around B60,000-450,000 per year.  This does not include ESL (English as a Second Language) courses, which can cost a further B45,000-75,000 per year.  Most schools also charge a non-refundable Registration/Entrance fee.  These one-time fees, payable upon initial enrolment, guarantee the student a place in the school and range from B10,000-155,000.  In addition, Special Assessment or Capital fees may also be payable and these may or may not be refundable.  Some schools will offer discounts for more than one child.  Be sure to ask about all the costs involved, including uniform, transportation, school lunches and classroom supplies!

 

NURSERY / PLAYGROUPS / PRE-SCHOOLS

All the major schools in Pattaya and Rayong offer placement for pre-school children.  Some offer programmes for children as young as one year.  Please check the schools contained within this section for information concerning their pre-school programmes.  You may consider one of these schools the best option if your child will continue on to Elementary/Primary school.  Alternatives include nursery schools, kindergartens or playgroups, which cater specifically for pre-school children.

CHOOSING A SCHOOL

  • Class sizes.  What is the ratio of staff to children?
  • Teaching Qualifications.  What qualifications do the teachers have?
  • Language.  What are the languages of instruction?
  • Curriculum.  Is the focus of the pre-school on creative play or academic learning?  Some pre-schools introduce reading and writing strategies, others do not.  Decide which is best for your child.
  • Cost.  Is there a registration fee?  Are there any other costs?
  • Location.  What will the door-to-door travel time be for your child, including time for picking up and dropping off other children?
  • Transportation.  Are supervised air-conditioned buses with seat belts provided?  What areas do they cover?  Is this an additional cost?
  • Hygiene and Cleanliness.  Are the food preparation areas and toilets kept clean?
  • Nationality Mix.  What ratio of nationalities are currently attending?
  • Schedule.  What are the hours of operation and term dates?
  • Discipline Procedures.  What policies are adopted?
  • Food.  Are lunches provided?
  • Changing Facilities.  Are these provided for the young children?
  • Registration.  Is the school licensed by the Chonburi Welfare Department of Education?

 

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

 The international schools within the Eastern Seaboard are based on either the American National Curriculum or the British National Curriculum.  Tuition is in English, although all schools welcome students of any nationality, including non-English speakers.  If this applies to your children, it is important to check the school’s policy for the ‘English as a second language’ (ESL) programme.  Many of the schools also offer opportunities to study the child’s native language: French, Dutch, Japanese, etc.  This diversity of nationalities presents opportunities for learning about other cultures and allows children to cultivate cross-cultural awareness and tolerance.  Each of the schools tries to reflect the international makeup of the school community within its curriculum.  It is also a government requirement to include Thai studies in the curriculum, and all schools accept local students.

At the present time, four schools offer high school programmes through to Year 12/13:  Garden International School (GIS), International School Eastern Seaboard (ISE), International School of Pattaya (ISP) and The Regent’s School.  Others offer a limited high school programme with higher grades being added each year.  As your child approaches his or her senior years, it is important to become familiar with the programmes offered at each of the schools.  ISE follows the American Curriculum and also offers Advanced Placement (AP) subjects.  ISP follows the British National Curriculum and offers the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) at the end of Year 11 and the British Advanced ‘A’ levels at the end of Year 13.  The Garden International School and The Regent’s School also administer the IGSCE at the age of 16 followed by the International Baccalaureate (IB), which is completed over a two-year period.

The complexities of educational systems worldwide and the consequences for the placement of students in universities need to be realised before entry into an international school.  Since each college or university establishes its own particular requirements, it is important that you make yourself aware of these.  Determine which tertiary institutions are the most likely and write to them regarding their entrance requirements.  Make sure they are aware your child is currently studying overseas.  The school your children attend should also be able to help with college/university planning.  Speak with the school counsellor or teacher assigned this task at school.

International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)

For the British system, the University of Cambridge administers a range of courses for English speakers studying abroad.  IGCSE courses are designed as two-year courses for examination at age 16+.  IGCSE courses offer similar, but not identical, syllabuses to the GCSE courses offered by UK schools.  Courses are taught and examined in English.  An additional course, called ‘English as a Second Language’, is available to non-native English speakers.  IGCSE provides a foundation for pre-university courses such as the North American Advanced Placement Test (AP), the International Baccalaureate (IB), the Australian Matriculation and the GCE Advanced ‘A’ level for British universities.

British Advanced ‘AS’ and ‘A’ Levels

In schools following the British curriculum, ‘AS’ and ‘A’ (Advanced) level courses are examined at the end of years 12 and 13 respectively.  It is customary for students to take three to five ‘AS’ level subjects in Year 12 and then choose three of these subjects to continue their studies to ‘A’ level at the close of year 13. These choices often reflect their career goals.  ‘A’ level courses are designed for academically able students and generally require an A or B grade at IGCSE for a given subject.  Success in ‘A’ levels helps give a child access to top universities around the world.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

The University of Geneva created IB in the late 1960’s.  It was intended to combine the American, British and French systems in a way that would facilitate accreditation and exchange between universities worldwide.  Students can take the IB programme from 16 to 18 years of age.  It is a two-year pre-university programme.  IB aims to be an internationally recognized and uniform qualification for those schools participating in the scheme.  Not all schools offer this programme.  For a school to offer the course, the head office in Geneva must accept them.  The course is considered a challenging programme.  The IB office staff in Geneva mark the exams and give credits for the diploma.  The office staff still spends time negotiating recognition agreements with many countries and universities.  The IB is recognised and welcomed at many quality universities around the world.  However, it would be wise to consult any institution that you are considering attending to determine its IB recognition policy before applying for this course.

Advanced Placement

Advanced placement is a programme of college-level courses and exams taken while still in high school.  They are external exams offered through the American College Board.  These courses are taken to earn either advanced standing or university credit.  AP exam scores are accepted in various manners by universities.  More competitive schools will request higher scores.  Almost all the colleges and universities in the United States and Canada and many in Europe accept the AP programme.  Several hundred non-American universities throughout the world recognise the AP programme as well.  We can only stress once more the importance of contacting colleges or universities in your home country to confirm entrance requirements.

CHOOSING A SCHOOL

  • Curriculum.  Is it British or American?  How compatible is it with your home country’s education system?  Check to see if the school can provide detailed curriculum guidelines for each sector, giving attainment targets for each year group.
  • English as a Second Language (ESL).  Inquire about the schools policy.  It should be a programme that is structured to suit individual children’s needs.  Is it an extra cost?
  • Class sizes.  What is the teacher-student ratio?
  • Language.  What other language programmes are offered?
  • Nationality mix.  Student ratio?
  • Resources.  Availability of equipment and teaching resources.
  • Facilities.  What are their sports and library facilities like?
  • Cafeteria.  What is the cost?  Is there a covered eating area? Check hygiene.
  • Extra-curricular activities.  These activities will usually vary each semester, so be sure to ask what is currently offered.
  • Special subjects.  Is there a music programme?  Is there individual tuition for instruments?  Are there drama productions?  Are swimming lessons included in the physical education programme?
  • Location.  Check the door-to-door travel time.  Remember that buses drop off other children so allow an extra time factor for this.
  • Transportation.  Are supervised, air-conditioned buses with seat belts provided and what is the cost?
  • Fees.  Do the quoted fees include books and classroom materials?  Is there an application fee, registration fee, enrolment fee or capital fee?  Are any of these refundable?  Does each child pay them?

 

BANGKOK SCHOOLS

There are a number of well-established international schools in Bangkok.  For a comprehensive list, we recommend the Bangkok Guide and Vivre à Bangkok.  Schools in Bangkok vary in curriculum and accreditation.  Some families have their children attend school in Bangkok and stay with a ‘host’ family.  In most cases they board at school during the week and return to Pattaya for the weekend.  If you are interested in sending your children to school in Bangkok, we suggest you visit the school first.  You will have many decisions to make concerning boarding, travelling arrangements to and from Bangkok, etc.  For additional advice, consult your local embassy for more information and try to attend some international club meetings in Bangkok.  ♥