India Awaits: Our New School Dilemma

So we are moving to Hong Kong in the coming months and our schooling plans have been quite the adventure. The schooling procedure in Hong Kong is big business - serious business in fact, and costly too !! Who would have thought finding spots for our two boys would be so hard - surely they aren't that bad ??

Mike and I agreed that sticking with the IB (International Baccalaureate) program was important to us, which was a good thing, as it helped limit the long list of schools for us to consider, down to a hand full. We were also keen for the boys to attend a school that had both Primary, Middle and Secondary school to assist with future transitions and, it also allows for the boys to see and be influenced by older role models outside of home. We saw this occur in our current school and it has been great (and even handier for babysitters !) The boys have benefited SO much from the IB way of teaching and I can only hope that moving to another IB school will continue that love of learning.

The process has been a touch stressful with most schools not having any spots available. After choosing the school we wanted to get into (Hong Kong Academy) we focussed on what was needed to give us the best shot at getting accepted there. This resulted in a quick trip to Hong Kong last week for the boys to complete an assessment to determine their level for grading etc. The good news is that Max was accepted into HKA and they have a spot for him now - so we are securing that now (may need to remortgage the house to pay for it......) and he will start there in April. The boys both loved the school - it felt a lot like their current school and had lots of outside space and facilities, fabulous gymnasium, very modern library and tech labs, great art and music options, a fully functioning theatre - it had it all and we left with two happy boys. What more can I ask for ?

Jack completed the assessment, however, there is currently no spaces available for him in his grade at HKA. We are now playing the waiting the game for a family to leave before April. If that doesn't happen, he will start school at The Harbour School which is a non-IB school that we visited last week and is also a very good school but just not our first choice.

Our choice of school was always a priority for us - after moving to India and seeing how much the school has helped the boys settle and grow, we knew that we needed to make this choice number one. Where we lived as going to be driven by the school - it might sound strange but we can always move to another rental if we need to - we just hope not to have to move schools.

Hong Kong Academy is located in Sai Kung which is not on Hong Kong Island - it is in the New Territories to the North East. The Harbour School is located in Kennedy Town to the west of Central on the Island. So we could be doing some interesting commuting for a while ...... I have added a map below to try and show where things lie.

We are looking to live in there area called Clearwater Bay which is also located in the New Territories between HKA and the island. Many 'honk kongers' consider the New Territories as 'too far' from anything - but after living in Bangalore we are happy with under an hour commute. So hopefully it won't be too bad of a trip for Mike and I to the city, and the kids will not have to be on the bus for over an hour like they are now in Bangalore. It's all about compromise ! Another adventure of living off the island is, that we may actually be able to have a townhouse or villa rather than an apartment - and with Jack and Max being so active, that is a HUGE plus.

We are super excited about heading to Hong Kong - closer to home and to 'civilisation' ! My patience is wearing thin with Indian life and am on the countdown ........51 days !!