ryanayr

Hi all,

Putting together a long term plan and very interested to hear input from people on experiences or knowledge of cities in the world that offer a) great state education and/or b) affordable quality private education. Specifically I am talking about the early years.

A little background, I have a 5 yr old and a 2 yr old. The oldest spent a year in UK reception class at a reasonably priced private school in Kent; then we moved to the US (Westchester - NY). We are really enjying our time out here with the exception of the schooling, which is underwhelming to say the least. We did our research, we targeted the best schools (after deciding that the $30k private fees were out of reach bearing in mind the price of rentals here and cost of living), and even though we understood that the curriculum is very slow burn in the US for the early years, it has been horrible to watch my son "unlearn" everything he learnt in the UK. He is enjoying the social side but complains that it's very boring at school and says "we do nothing". His teacher has only just realised he is a competant reader, 100 days into kindergarten. We decided not to live in the city and are in a district that drives house rental prices through the roof - specifically to get the best schooling - but that is the one thing making us want to leave!

Anyway, we are looking at our next steps (5 year plan) and want to make sure that whether it be Singapore, abu Dabi, or elsewhere, we are moving to a city that is at least as good as the UK education wise.

moi

Believe it or not you are in one of the best education areas in the US, along with some schools in CT and NJ.
Westchester schools are sought after but many people can't afford to live there, along with the good schools Westport/Greenwich/Tenafly etc.

I know I have a 7 year old and I end up teaching a lot myself to him because I can't hack the 4 year old boring stuff that he comes home with....

Bob

Considering this is just a spot to introduce yourself, you might be better off posting else where. The Lounge for a general idea, or target a particular country if you have a potential to move there.

For the US, way to hard to say as it's such a huge country and where you move to would most likely depend on job and budget.

Boston area might have some of the best schools around, but a lot of the younger schools can be pretty shit, but as you're looking 5 years down the line, that's a moot point. Then again, considering how much education could change, anything in the future might be a bit moot too.

But if we're talking Boston as a job hub, you've got Wellesley, Weston, Wayland, Newton, Needham, Natick, Cambridge, Arlington, Acton, Concord, Lincoln and hundreds of other towns with a great reputation for education.

ryanayr

Yes our research, not to mention my bank balance, told us this was the best place to be. Just to be clear I am now asking about cities outside of the US.

I think our issue is with the US curriculum as a whole. Kids start a year later than the UK, and when they do, it's just water table, some baby ducks, and pizza. His teacher literally has no idea how to teach, nor is she expected to. We actually have a tutor coming twice a week but that was not soemthing we budgeted for - and it's a little harsh on our son. He asked us this week "why do I go to school and then have to do this?" I have no doubt that by the time they get to 10 it ramps up but that's no good for us. There is an IB school in Greenwich that we may move specifically for but I think I would rather not disrupt him socially and instead target a great city/country for our next adventure to compensate

ryanayr

Thanks Bob - I specifically want to ask about where in the world is best so I don't want post in a country forum - but if you want to redirect this to the lounge that's fine with me.

Bob

I think it does depend on the location. There have been plenty of threads of people thinking of moving kids up or not when moving to the US and depending on location, really differing results.

A lot of places, Kindergarten is much more like Reception in the UK or more intense.

Locally, where I am, pretty much all the teachers have at least a masters in education or early childhood development, which is why our neighbour is working on her masters as she was only able to get a teachers assistant job where we are and that was in the elementary school in the pre-K/K/1st grade classes. She's now a teacher in another district where the standards are a lot lower, and she has had years of teaching experience before moving into our town.

We're not living in an expensive or even remotely poncy town either...this little part of the burbs is very much little Brazil and the school reports are generally fairly mediocre, but they do rate highly for science/math/technology classes, just poorly on the traditional academic classes. Then again they don't make distinctions with the host of folks who don't have English as a first language or the kids who are "learning challenged", that's awkwardly put, but many other towns separate those kids to make them look better on sites like greatschools.

As for foreign school/cities, well Japan, if you can get a job/visa, have a real intense academic schooling, but then so does schools in Austria, though at least it's more IB style schooling there.

ryanayr

Hey Bob, seems like we got the district right but the teacher wrong. Although even the younger more progressive teachers in the school are not coming close to the level of teaching that reception does - but why should they when the curriculum doesn't demand it.

Japan is an interesting suggestion - I do have some business experience in Tokyo and my company is about to be bought out by a Japanese giant so Tokyo is definately something I am thinking about - although jus a little concerned of the culture shock for the kids!

Bob

tbh, once you get past the language, it's probably less of a shock than the US.

If you get off the beaten path, it can be just as provincial as the US, but the bigger cities, they'd fit in well. Also a lot of kids speak pretty good English, most of my mates certainly, they might struggle on the written/reading but being able to get by is pretty decent. It's the older generation that tends to be a challenge, but kids are meant to be seen and not heard

The massive focus on academic studies could be tough, especially for kids jumping into say high school. The mental work hours and ethic can be a tough adjustment too, but it's probably very similar to the US just a lot more open about it.

Rosemary

Hello and a big welcome to BE.

Excellent information can be found in the BE Wiki, not forgetting the Living and Moving Abroad forum that will help you, another set of great help is the permanent threads at the TOP of each forum, they are very pertinent to that particular forum and makes sensible reading.

Moderators deal with any problems that arise such as inappropriate posts, spammers etc, you will find their names at the bottom right hand side of each forum's index in bold font.

Please contact me if I can give you any further help.

Rosemary