St Andrews School - Sathorn Bkk Or Bangkok Patana

[BENDERNEELAFRY]

hi, Does anyone have children attending the above schools? I would appreciate any opinions they may have. We are torn between the two. Many thanks in advance

[Goinghomesoon]

I looked at both and went with neither. St Andrews Sathorn was small with a real family feel about it. Although they are linked to the main St Andrews they are run as a stand-alone business. After Year 6 you have to find a high school for your child as they are primary only. A benefit for us was that it was close to home and a relatively short bus ride for the little one. Also my daughter was quite shy and did better in a smaller school environment.

Patana is huge and seemed to offer every subject and after-school activity you could desire. It was very easy to be impressed with the physical size and amenities. The teaching seemed a lot more dynamic (teachers at Patana recruited from overseas and are on professional teacher salaries, unlike St Andrews. But for us it was missing the small-class environment that my daughter so needed.

In the end we went with the British School of Bangkok in Sukhumvit Soi 4 (also known as Topsy Turvy). It is a similar size and educational philosophy to St Andrews but daughter was able to be in a much smaller class thus more individual attention. Although we live closer to St Andrews the bus trip to BSB takes less time due to the pickup route they take.

[TMT]

hi, Does anyone have children attending the above schools? I would appreciate any opinions they may have. We are torn between the two. Many thanks in advance

Mine are at St Andrew's Sathorn and the staff are fab! They are highly qulaified and experienced teeachers from UK , etc., not sure what you mean about them not being as qulaified as Pattana staff - they may be paid less as school fees are lower than at Pattana, but the quality of teaching is excellent!

Topsy Turvy, I am afraid , is a family run, for profit , nursery that expanded into its current reincarnation as "the British school of Bangkok" Staff turnover is very high and they are treated very badly, especially the Thai staff. The headmistress employs her 2 daughters as teachers , with doubtful qualifications. I'd be wary.... THey also run a birthday party and babysitting racket where the hire out rheir Thai staff , charging expats a fortune and skimming off the difference - paying Thai staff much less..... place gives me the creeps, though it looks pretty on the surface....

[Old Man River]

My kid goes to Bangkok Patana. I cannot compare with St. Andrews Sathorn, but can say we are very happy at Patana. I really think it comes down to whether a parent wants a small school environment or a large one. If you want a small school environment, then I am sure you will be happy at St. Andrews Sathorn, but I would also check out St. Andrews soi 71 as well, since if you are comparing with Bangkok Patana travel would not be an issue.

If you want a large school environment (life is about competition), then Bangkok Patana is great. You can access part of their website at www.patana.ac.th. They have a parent's gateway that you won't be able to access that shows our kid's schedule for the week, what their homework is and when it is due and whether they were in class that day or not, plus immeasurable other bits of information that a parent should be aware of.

[ArranP]

I met Andrew Biggs, he told me Patana is one of best in BKK if not the best.

[mrgeliteprep]

As Education Director of an extra-curricular prep school who almost exclusively sees students from international schools here in Bangkok for SAT preparation and other academic enrichment classes I would have to say that Bangkok Patana is probably the best British-curriculum school in Bangkok (ISB is generally considered the best US-curriculum school). I consistently have great students from Patana and one thing that they offer that some other British-system schools do not is the option of International Baccalaureate (IB) classes/diplomas, as opposed to an exclusively GCSE + A-Level curriculum.

British-curriculum schools whose students have really impressed me include Patana, Concordian and Shrewsbury. No real experience with St. Andrews so I can't really comment, but I can say that Topsy-Turvy is pretty awful. I've had a couple of students from there who attended this supposedly international school for multiple years who could barely speak English, let alone meet our entrance requirements.

Hope this helps...