Best School Just Lost 2 More

[kpeanut]

However yesterday when I collected my two I parked in the ground at the rear only to see a sign that it would cost me 10 baht a day now to park and wait for them.

This land is not owned by the school however it it is used by the school for sports days even though it is just a dirt field.

Now I am not concerned about the 10 baht, what I am concerned about is sending my children to a school that does not have the resources to either rent or buy this land and turn it into a proper sports field / car park for the school.

The letter the Thai principal sent out stated that this was beyond their control, I see this is only the case as they are not willing to rent the land.

Now there are approximately 30 cars a day 5 days a week that’s 6000 baht a month, so you can assume that to rent the land would be in this region, at most I can see no more that 20,000 a month due to its location, I may be wrong so please correct me if anyone knows better.

The school has just lost 140,000 baht a year for my two children who will at start of the new term be attending either Satit or REP, I have yet to decide, so it is false economy for them without a doubt.

Again this is not about 10 baht as it will cost considerably more to move them to either of the new schools, however I just cannot justify sending them to Best any more when all they can say about the school not having a sports field or adequate car parking is "its beyond our control"

So we are voting with our feet.. goodbye Best Burapha!!

[misterangry]

However yesterday when I collected my two I parked in the ground at the rear only to see a sign that it would cost me 10 baht a day now to park and wait for them.

This land is not owned by the school however it it is used by the school for sports days even though it is just a dirt field.

Now I am not concerned about the 10 baht, what I am concerned about is sending my children to a school that does not have the resources to either rent or buy this land and turn it into a proper sports field / car park for the school.

The letter the Thai principal sent out stated that this was beyond their control, I see this is only the case as they are not willing to rent the land.

Now there are approximately 30 cars a day 5 days a week that’s 6000 baht a month, so you can assume that to rent the land would be in this region, at most I can see no more that 20,000 a month due to its location, I may be wrong so please correct me if anyone knows better.

The school has just lost 140,000 baht a year for my two children who will at start of the new term be attending either Satit or REP, I have yet to decide, so it is false economy for them without a doubt.

Again this is not about 10 baht as it will cost considerably more to move them to either of the new schools, however I just cannot justify sending them to Best any more when all they can say about the school not having a sports field or adequate car parking is "its beyond our control"

So we are voting with our feet.. goodbye Best Burapha!!

Yes fair comment, sums up the owners Thai business logic, doesn't it. The current rather small playground is now full of teachers parked cars and mini buses wanting to avoiding the 10 baht payment.

[EmCross]

We are also voting with our feet! Our two children will not be attending BEST school either next term not because of the 10 baht parking, this is just another thing in a long line of issues that have already been mentioned a number of times on this forum recently, it just is not value for money or good for the children anymore.

Our children will be attending RESP at Rayong.

[JimmyTheMook]

Our children will be attending RESP at Rayong.

What information do you have on this school?

How far from Central Pattaya is it?

The cost?

The teachers?

Why would you pick this place overs Satit's new English program?

[EmCross]

Our children will be attending RESP at Rayong.

What information do you have on this school?

How far from Central Pattaya is it?

The cost?

The teachers?

Why would you pick this place overs Satit's new English program?

We have been to look at the school twice and also with the children and it looks really good in comparison to BEST school.

It is clean with good facilities, very nice canteen and kitchen offering good fresh health food with milk and fruit at break times. The sports facilities are shared with the Garden international school next door so they have a proper grass football pitch and sports area and a covered basketball court etc. This school has a large art room and properly equipped science lab and the whole atmosphere is totally different to BEST which is chaotic to say the least and undisciplined. The children seem happy and well behaved and all the English teachers are native speakers. They pay their staff well and the turn over of teachers seems low which is certainly important for consistency for the children which has been a major issue at BEST.

The cost is about 40,500 THB for primary school age children which includes books, lunch, milk and snacks and swimming. This is not much more than BEST once you add all their charges together.

This school is about 40 minutes drive from Pattaya but they do have a school bus which is very reasonably priced (3000 THB per month) and we think it is worth the drive.

I think Satit English programme is not proven yet, they do not have the teachers as yet and no guarantee of getting them in time and it is not clear when they will start and I think it will take time for them to really get in to gear with this undertaking. I also think that 100K it very expensive and more than twice the cost of REPS and at the moment we are not convinced it is worth this money.

[JimmyTheMook]

This school is about 40 minutes drive from Pattaya but they do have a school bus which is very reasonably priced (3000 THB per month) and we think it is worth the drive.

Will make a point to see this school.

Do you think it is an offshoot of GIS ?

[EmCross]

This school is about 40 minutes drive from Pattaya but they do have a school bus which is very reasonably priced (3000 THB per month) and we think it is worth the drive.

Will make a point to see this school.

Do you think it is an offshoot of GIS ?

They share some facilities with GIS but it seems totally separate and it obviously a lot cheaper!

I would highly recommend that you go and see it we were very impressed with it and pleased to have found it as we were getting very depressed about the options for educating our children at a reasonable price in the Pattaya area.

[Mozikillah]

As a graduate of GIS Rayong, i can tell you 1st hand that REPS has a good and friendly staff.. With equipments up with the standards of GIS (Sometimes better ) e.g. Sporting equipment for young kids..

Also, REPS will be moving soon of what ive heard.. Moving to a NEW building behind the basketball court of GIS..

[barryofthailand]

As a graduate of GIS Rayong, i can tell you 1st hand that REPS has a good and friendly staff.. With equipments up with the standards of GIS (Sometimes better ) e.g. Sporting equipment for young kids..

Also, REPS will be moving soon of what ive heard.. Moving to a NEW building behind the basketball court of GIS..

My Son goes to Best, and the problem I have is Reps is just too far away. Even though they have a school bus that comes to Pattaya two and three hrs a day on the schoo bus is just too much, and even if I drove him it's too far awa from Pattaya.

I'm going to see what happens at Best next term, my wife doesn't want to make any moves mid year. The way things are going, I can see Best losing lots of students at the beginning of the next school year.

Barry

[JSixpack]

I have yet to decide, so it is false economy for them without a doubt.

Again this is not about 10 baht as it will cost considerably more to move them to either of the new schools, however I just cannot justify sending them to Best any more when all they can say about the school not having a sports field or adequate car parking is "its beyond our control"

So we are voting with our feet.. goodbye Best Burapha!!

False economy? Perhaps, but to buy or rent the land and turn it into "a sports field or adequate car park" would necessitate an increase in BOTH your kids' tuition fees well beyond the 200 baht a month max you would pay to the current owner for parking (to pick up both kids). You merely have to compare tuition fees at Best to those of schools in convenient urban locations that DO have a proper sports field and adequate car park. How many parents would move their kids out if Best did increase tuition to comparable levels? More than one (yourself in the above case), surely.

Many parents would not care to pay extra for a sports field & car park, being much more concerned w/ the academics--which is the real reason to question the choice of Best for your kid's education, to judge by the content of the current thread (I have no personal experience w/ the school). A management problem in one area, such as that of facilities (if it is a problem here), does seem to show up in other areas as well, doesn't it?

[PattayaParent]

Is there a website for REPS? Where can I find out what facilities, curriculum and ages of kids they admit? What's the acronym for?

[Jomtien]

Is there a website for REPS? Where can I find out what facilities, curriculum and ages of kids they admit? What's the acronym for?

It stands for Rayong English Program School repsrayong,com but its all in thai

Not sure on fees, thought those were quite high....

Peter

[EmCross]

Is there a website for REPS? Where can I find out what facilities, curriculum and ages of kids they admit? What's the acronym for?

It stands for Rayong English programme School and it is situated next door to the Garden International School at Ban Chang. The website repsrayong.com did used to have all the info in English and Thai but I did notice that the English pages have disappeared not sure what happened to them.

I strongly suggest that you go and have a look around this school and get all the information there they have a full resume in English and Thai with all the costs etc. After looking around I think that it certainly offers value for money compared to BEST and other schools of this type.

At the moment the cater for kindergarden and primary school age kids but they are building a new school near by that will also cater for scondary school age children which should be completed by the start of the next school year (April time).

[torrenova]

I know my daughter is some way off school yet but are people really considering moving their kids for Bt10 ? Surely not. If it has faults sure but I think you'll find it is just some enterprising (thieving perhaps) landowner out to make a quick buck.

Where are the school accounts, buy the land but now they'll want too much for sure. People can't just park in the playground, another solution must be found. Make the landowner see that if he doesn't sell or make it a minimal charge then he will get nothing.

But please don't use Bt10 as an excuse to disrupt the educational lives of your children.

[kpeanut]

For those of you who cannot read, it is not about 10 baht.

It is about the fact that this school has no sports field and the management do not care enough to provide one, I have not counted exactly but there must be 700 pupils at Best now, with a probable average of 28-30k per term, x 2 terms in the regeon of 40, million baht a year, to say that they cannot afford to provide a sports field / car park without increasing term fee's is ridiculous.

Best is a has gone down hill since my children have been there in many ways, the decision to move them to a "Better School" is not something I would base on 10 baht I can assure you, it is based on the same reasons many are currently moving thier children away from the school, not having a sports field / car park and not being willing to make the resources available to provide one is just the last straw.

The school will never go bust on my or anyone else’s decision to move our children, but at least our children will be educated in a school that cares enough to provide and maintain decent facilities and educational standards.

Jsixpack

False economy? Perhaps, but to buy or rent the land and turn it into "a sports field or adequate car park" would necessitate an increase in BOTH your kids' tuition fees well beyond the 200 baht a month max you would pay to the current owner for parking (to pick up both kids).

Is this an assumption or do you have information to back this statement up?

[EmCross]

I totally agree with KPeanut it is not about a 10 baht charge being implemented it is about the whole attitude of the management of the school, the facilities and teaching provided and of course the most important thing is the education of our children, at BEST school it is appalling at the moment and does not look like improving in the near future.

[janneman]

I totally agree with KPeanut it is not about a 10 baht charge being implemented it is about the whole attitude of the management of the school, the facilities and teaching provided and of course the most important thing is the education of our children, at BEST school it is appalling at the moment and does not look like improving in the near future.

I was not aware of the parking situation as my kids go with the school bus. I did a calculation once and even though I would save schoolbus fees for two childrenI would be spending more on petrol alone by transporting them myself. I know about the REPS in Rayong but I would not be prepared to risk the life of my children having to travel on that highway to Rayong each and everyday in a minibus.I am also aware that some teachers have left ( 2 Americans including a music teacher who thought that she could get the school to commit to Bh. 1 million for music instruments). Although I have some complaints as well I feel you cant expect to have International School standard sports and music facilities for 25% of the annual dues. My children have been at Best since kindergarten and are now in Secondary 1. I still believe that they are getting a better education in Thai than the local shools and realise that I myself have to allocate some time on their English (in particular pronounciation) and some money on sports and music activities outside the school.I know that the Thai owners are greedy and stingy but so are the owners of most of the International Schools.

[EmCross]

I totally agree with KPeanut it is not about a 10 baht charge being implemented it is about the whole attitude of the management of the school, the facilities and teaching provided and of course the most important thing is the education of our children, at BEST school it is appalling at the moment and does not look like improving in the near future.

I was not aware of the parking situation as my kids go with the school bus. I did a calculation once and even though I would save schoolbus fees for two childrenI would be spending more on petrol alone by transporting them myself. I know about the REPS in Rayong but I would not be prepared to risk the life of my children having to travel on that highway to Rayong each and everyday in a minibus.I am also aware that some teachers have left ( 2 Americans including a music teacher who thought that she could get the school to commit to Bh. 1 million for music instruments). Although I have some complaints as well I feel you cant expect to have International School standard sports and music facilities for 25% of the annual dues. My children have been at Best since kindergarten and are now in Secondary 1. I still believe that they are getting a better education in Thai than the local shools and realise that I myself have to allocate some time on their English (in particular pronounciation) and some money on sports and music activities outside the school.I know that the Thai owners are greedy and stingy but so are the owners of most of the International Schools.

Yes I agree with you janneman about the cost of BEST in comparison to the international schools which in my opinion are not worth the money either. But when our children started at BEST 2 years ago at least it was acceptable in most areas and they both had a native English speaking teacher but now there is so much at this school which is not acceptable or excusable even the basic hygiene is terrible my children won't even use the toilets and wait all day until they get home which is not healthy for them.

Also I don't think the minibus on highway 36 is any worse than going on suhumvit in Pattaya every day where you take your life in your hands.

[Tony Clifton]

How can a school even be allowed to operate without a playground? At least a gymnasium?

Even before choosing an adequate school, the one thing that terrifies me most as well is sending a child into that crazy traffic five days a week to get to that school with someone other than me driving, and even then, I encounter kamikaze drivers every minute... I don't think I' ll ever be able to cope with this kind of driver behavior, after four years, I still can't. Living within walking distance could be a solution, still...

Then there will be the task of finding out if a chosen school is mainly run as a business or real place of learning.

For now, the only viable option we see as future parents is to move back to my country where road safety exists, laws are enforced, school buses are clearly identified and have priority and schools are closely and strictly monitored.

I no longer care about living here when it comes to child safety and proper education.

[EmCross]

You maybe right Tony and it is certainly something we are also considering strongly too! Maybe in Pattaya it is not possible to get the education required at a reasonable cost and in relatively hygienic and healthy surrounding and in safety, we have yet to find it!

[Manchester]

I always thought that land belonged to the school. That the owner just could not be bothered to make the pitch decent.

In light of no sports facilities to along with other things that are starting to concern me about B.E.S.T i have reluctantly decided to remove my children from the school this coming term.

[thaimate]

my son goes to assumtion school in sriracha and does the english program,what a school absolutely fantastic ,2 terms 40k a term and a bus collects and delivers him home.1900 bhat a month,so many playing fields football pitches and swimming pools and the grounds are superb as is the standard of teaching,

[torrenova]

For those of you who cannot read, it is not about 10 baht.

It is about the fact that this school has no sports field and the management do not care enough to provide one, I have not counted exactly but there must be 700 pupils at Best now, with a probable average of 28-30k per term, x 2 terms in the regeon of 40, million baht a year, to say that they cannot afford to provide a sports field / car park without increasing term fee's is ridiculous.

Best is a has gone down hill since my children have been there in many ways, the decision to move them to a "Better School" is not something I would base on 10 baht I can assure you, it is based on the same reasons many are currently moving thier children away from the school, not having a sports field / car park and not being willing to make the resources available to provide one is just the last straw.

The school will never go bust on my or anyone else’s decision to move our children, but at least our children will be educated in a school that cares enough to provide and maintain decent facilities and educational standards.

Jsixpack

False economy? Perhaps, but to buy or rent the land and turn it into "a sports field or adequate car park" would necessitate an increase in BOTH your kids' tuition fees well beyond the 200 baht a month max you would pay to the current owner for parking (to pick up both kids).

Is this an assumption or do you have information to back this statement up?

So if it is so bad, posesses no sports field or car park, one must wonder why you sent your kids there in the first place don't you think ?

As for not being about Bt10, well wasn't that the final reason why you want to move your kids ? Nothing until then about a missing sports field.

As for not being able to read, well I beg to differ and say that it was all about Bt10.

Edited September 23, 2007 by torrenova

[hullmonkey1]

my son goes to assumtion school in sriracha and does the english program,what a school absolutely fantastic ,2 terms 40k a term and a bus collects and delivers him home.1900 bhat a month,so many playing fields football pitches and swimming pools and the grounds are superb as is the standard of teaching,

How long does the bus take to get there and back

[kpeanut]

For those of you who cannot read, it is not about 10 baht.

It is about the fact that this school has no sports field and the management do not care enough to provide one, I have not counted exactly but there must be 700 pupils at Best now, with a probable average of 28-30k per term, x 2 terms in the regeon of 40, million baht a year, to say that they cannot afford to provide a sports field / car park without increasing term fee's is ridiculous.

Best is a has gone down hill since my children have been there in many ways, the decision to move them to a "Better School" is not something I would base on 10 baht I can assure you, it is based on the same reasons many are currently moving thier children away from the school, not having a sports field / car park and not being willing to make the resources available to provide one is just the last straw.

The school will never go bust on my or anyone else's decision to move our children, but at least our children will be educated in a school that cares enough to provide and maintain decent facilities and educational standards.

Jsixpack

False economy? Perhaps, but to buy or rent the land and turn it into "a sports field or adequate car park" would necessitate an increase in BOTH your kids' tuition fees well beyond the 200 baht a month max you would pay to the current owner for parking (to pick up both kids).

Is this an assumption or do you have information to back this statement up?

So if it is so bad, posesses no sports field or car park, one must wonder why you sent your kids there in the first place don't you think ?

As for not being about Bt10, well wasn't that the final reason why you want to move your kids ? Nothing until then about a missing sports field.

As for not being able to read, well I beg to differ and say that it was all about Bt10.

Until the school lost the ability to use the land for parking and sports facilities they had a sports field of sorts, as Emcross said the school had acceptable staff and was clean some years ago it has deteriorated so far in many aspects that it is no longer acceptable to me, no sports field / car park is and not having the resources available or not be willing to allocate them is the final straw.

There are many factors to consider when placing or moving your children in school, as others have pointed out. I have highlighted the part of my original post that states whi I am moving them.

If you have a vested intrest in the school I suggest you take note of what people are saying, if you just want to fight then pi55 off and take it else where we are discussing childrens education here.

[Westerner]

[quote

Even before choosing an adequate school, the one thing that terrifies me most as well is sending a child into that crazy traffic five days a week to get to that school with someone other than me driving, and even then, I encounter kamikaze drivers every minute... I don't think I' ll ever be able to cope with this kind of driver behavior, after four years, I still can't. Living within walking distance could be a solution, still...

Then there will be the task of finding out if a chosen school is mainly run as a business or real place of learning.

For now, the only viable option we see as future parents is to move back to my country where road safety exists, laws are enforced, school buses are clearly identified and have priority and schools are closely and strictly monitored.

I no longer care about living here when it comes to child safety and proper education.

This is the most sensible thing anyone has said on this topic. Your children deserve to live in safety, and have a good education with opportunities at the end of it.

I would never let my children be educated in Thailand.

[JSixpack]

The school will never go bust on my or anyone else’s decision to move our children, but at least our children will be educated in a school that cares enough to provide and maintain decent facilities and educational standards.

Jsixpack

False economy? Perhaps, but to buy or rent the land and turn it into "a sports field or adequate car park" would necessitate an increase in BOTH your kids' tuition fees well beyond the 200 baht a month max you would pay to the current owner for parking (to pick up both kids).

Is this an assumption or do you have information to back this statement up?

It's an assumption of course, but one in which I have perfect confidence. You merely take in to account the various factors, for example: the local mentatility; the current level there of management and marketing expertise; the likelihood that the school has various expansion plans already budgeted (probably a sports field among them, sometime in 2015 ); and the reality that upgrades always entail costs that owners not only want to recover, but indeed to profit from. And you look around at similar schools (w/ English program and in convenient urban locations) that DO have proper facilities and you compare tuition fees and you discover that in every case "better," or at least the appearance of better, is going to cost you significantly more, certainly much more than 200 baht/month for parking. Isn't the new program at Satit Udomsuksa estimated at 96K/year? Satit has very good facilities. So, the conclusion is just very obvious.

One may argue about the level of "caring about kids' education" in any school, including those back in our home countries, but here at least it's rather uncommon to find much genuine caring about education per se. Short-term profits seem to be uppermost in the list of priorities.

[pattayarangers]

My son is at Best, class 2A...I am also concerned with , amongst other things, lack of sport, or chance to at least play games of some sort.

I was wondering if any parents would be interested in starting a football coaching activity on Sunday mornings ?

I have coached kids before and sure with sufficient numbers could get some sort of sponcership going .......few options for where to play in East Pattaya......

[PattayaParent]

How can a school even be allowed to operate without a playground? At least a gymnasium?

Even before choosing an adequate school, the one thing that terrifies me most as well is sending a child into that crazy traffic five days a week to get to that school with someone other than me driving, and even then, I encounter kamikaze drivers every minute... I don't think I' ll ever be able to cope with this kind of driver behavior, after four years, I still can't. Living within walking distance could be a solution, still...

Then there will be the task of finding out if a chosen school is mainly run as a business or real place of learning.

For now, the only viable option we see as future parents is to move back to my country where road safety exists, laws are enforced, school buses are clearly identified and have priority and schools are closely and strictly monitored.

I no longer care about living here when it comes to child safety and proper education.

I don't know where you're from Tony but I've spoken to a few teachers from UK that are working overseas and the overwhelming reason for leaving UK is that it's just too dangerous in the schools there with kids carrying knives and an inability to enforce discipline.

So if the schools are frightening new teachers away what hope for the safety of your kids?

Something to think about too before you make a move.

Thanks Peter and EmCross for the replies on REPS

[JSixpack]

the overwhelming reason for leaving UK is that it's just too dangerous in the schools there with kids carrying knives and an inability to enforce discipline.

Excellent point. More and more parents in the USA are opting for home schooling. Gov't schools in particular are so dangerous and kids come under such undesirable influences esp. in the larger cities.