Varee Chiang Mai School

[sk1max]

I have a young daughter in P1 in a Thai school and was thinking of moving her. Any thoughts/comments on Varee? Also does anyone know the fees? Thier website is in Thai. Thanks.

[Chunkton]

There have been a few threads on that school you might find in a search, as in all things some happy and some not. My experience was all flash new buildings but no education. My wife says that the teachers would be adverse to upsetting the parents there.

[alfieconn]

There have been a few threads on that school you might find in a search, as in all things some happy and some not. My experience was all flash new buildings but no education

.

Obviously you were taught at the school to know that there's no education

My wife says that the teachers would be adverse to upsetting the parents there.

So what is your point with this quote ?

Edited September 9, 2009 by alfieconn

[Mapguy]

Fees are not necessarily the thing even though fees are indeed important. After all, everyone has a budget.

But for a good education, I can not recommend Varee or, comparably, any bilingual school except, perhaps, at a kindergarten age. There are epistemological as well as practical reasons for this. To focus specifically on Varee, I do not doubt the good intentions of the owner; however, the credentials of the teachers are really questionable for doing what they are doing (and I have nothing against nice young people looking for a job in a pleasant place who happen to like children and are genuine about it!) Class sizes are way too large, just for starters. The consequences of that are too much to get into here. In any case, a very well-equipped kindergarten and a lovely large swimming pool do not a good school make!!

Maybe the bottom line is that you get what you pay for ---- or can afford. That's a bit sad when you think about it, isn't it? Wouldn't it be nice if all children got off the mark equally?!

Look around. Hope you know what you are looking at! All the schools are mentioned in past threads!

[johnsjourney]

We have a child there. Sorry I don't have the fees to hand, will let you know if I find them before anyone else does, although you can ask the school. It's a couple of 10,000s baht a term, of which there are two a year, but that may include the English stream which is quite a lot extra. It's more than most schools but a fraction of the international schools.

The teachers there are extremely keen to help _if_ we help at our end, i.e. they are happy to make more money by children retaking years if the parents don't do what is necessary to avoid the need for that. We pay a very small amount extra for one of the teachers to teach extra one evening a week at home, and she is great for fixing and being aware of any problems before they get too significant. After a couple of years the effort involved is near zero, because all concerned know all are there to help.

In Thailand schools you get what you pay for only if you put in the effort to keep in frequent touch with the teachers who are otherwise unable to discipline effectively and eventually end up having to let some children go from the school. Our child has progressed academically enormously since starting this school near the bottom of the bottom stream, at least in terms of his percentages and comments from teachers, and a large proportion of them go on to university. If we hadn't kept on the case that progress would have been far less. They have air con in the rooms too which I think is important to have an active mind especially in the summer climate. A lot more energy and health resulted when they installed them.

[brennanstimpy]

are we starting this again? I think you should search other posts of this school.

[brennanstimpy]

There have been a few threads on that school you might find in a search, as in all things some happy and some not. My experience was all flash new buildings but no education

.

Obviously you were taught at the school to know that there's no education

My wife says that the teachers would be adverse to upsetting the parents there.

So what is your point with this quote ?

Well I have taught at the school and know there is not good education there.

[iainiain101]

Our daughter is in the Kindergarten at Varee and we are very impressed. She is learning both English and Thai there and it is noticable at home what she has learnt. They have two semesters ( a word I never thought I would use) a year and cost is about 22k Baht per semester.

I have heard many peoples critisms of the older part of the school, but in there defence, the school is only in its 5th year of existence. I am hoping the school improves as the kids from the Kindergarten move on into the main school.

Iain

[iainiain101]

There have been a few threads on that school you might find in a search, as in all things some happy and some not. My experience was all flash new buildings but no education

.

Obviously you were taught at the school to know that there's no education

My wife says that the teachers would be adverse to upsetting the parents there.

So what is your point with this quote ?

Well I have taught at the school and know there is not good education there.

I hope you were not teaching English!!!

[PeaceBlondie]

this is a message bored. yo kan make tipos and still be genius educator.

Added: mapguy's post here is spot on.

[haybilly]

this is a message bored. yo kan make tipos and still be genius educator.

Added: mapguy's post here is spot on.

I must say that it is interesting that the people who have got children at this school are the ones who are posting positive comments,[ I too have a child there and am reasonably happy with her progress]--and those who don't have kids there are making negative noises--I wonder what their knowledge is based on?

I am quite sure that my 7 year old is definitely more advanced with her 'poor' education at Varee than friends children of the same age who are being educated in UK; this has been pointed out to my on our trips back to visit family/friends by the parent of one of my daughter's playmates in England who, also, happens to be a teacher working in UK.

P.S. Fees for a standard Thai education, that is non EP, are in deed in the 20K TH Bht range for a term and EP is double that in the 45K Th Bht range.

[Thakkar]

One of my Thai neighbors has two children at Varee and they seem satisfied. Their kids are polite, smart and engaging.

The developer of my moo ban (and half a dozen other moo bans) has a child at Varee.

Both could easily afford any school here or abroad, but have chosen Varee and have stuck with it. When we were considering schools for our kids, Varee did not have an English Program, and, in any case, class sizes were too large for our liking. I believe that class size is smaller now, is that so?

It's late in the day for my kids, but for kids just starting out, there's no reason to write off Varee without further investigation.

Good Luck.

Thakkar

[whopper]

My boy loves it. He has been there 2 years.

[Chunkton]

There have been a few threads on that school you might find in a search, as in all things some happy and some not. My experience was all flash new buildings but no education

.

Obviously you were taught at the school to know that there's no education

My wife says that the teachers would be adverse to upsetting the parents there.

So what is your point with this quote ?

My second comment is self explanatory if you understand Thai social structure, believe it or don't.

My child was there for 2 years and had what I regarded as abysmal progress, changed schools and now much better. I don't have any gripe with them they were always very nice, but the OP asked so I told him.

[Chunkton]

this is a message bored. yo kan make tipos and still be genius educator.

Added: mapguy's post here is spot on.

I believe you are a teacher? So you and Mapguy are saying that every bilingual school in Chiang Mai is a complete waste of time and money and will produce a substandard education?

In that case please nominate the worthwhile schools. Or are we just talking Prem and Payap? Please expand.

[rohitsuk]

Varee is quite a new school and as the head of the bilingual programme told me, we have not got everything right yet but we are trying and I believe that to be true. My two grandsons are very happy indeed studying there and would not miss a day at school for anything, which is of course extremely important if not the total objective.

We have found the staff to be very available for parental contact and most of them seem to be genuinely caring in their attitude to the children, which is fairly rare in Thailand as professional commitment is not something which is generally understood, in any profession.

I suspect that Madame Varee is a bit of a slave driver since the staff do work long hours more akin to a shift in a Chinese coal mine than an academic day. This is a pity since it is obviously the quality of the relationship and communication between teacher and taught which forges a good education, rather than the number of hours spent on site.

I do agree that in general the school seems over accommodating to some parents and for my preference, discipline is way too lax with far too much chatter in class being tolerated. However, I do belong to a very old and unfashionable tradition which believes that children actually have to listen to their teachers in order to learn.

In the end I suppose it is comes down to the old clichés of the curate’s egg and horses for courses. For my two little chaps it is the right school from the choice available in Chiang Mai, since neither of them is an academic dynamo and they are not overstretch for their natural ability, except possibly by their fearsome strict old Grandpa !

[Mapguy]

this is a message bored. yo kan make tipos and still be genius educator.

Added: mapguy's post here is spot on.

I believe you are a teacher? So you and Mapguy are saying that every bilingual school in Chiang Mai is a complete waste of time and money and will produce a substandard education?

In that case please nominate the worthwhile schools. Or are we just talking Prem and Payap? Please expand.

Well, that's a rather harsh interpretation of what I wrote.

I have visited Varee and chatted with staff there (as well as various parents). They are very likable, but that's not a great criterion for choosing a school, in my opinion. I am familiar in a few ways with most of the bilingual schools. Bilingual schools, in my view, represent a now trendy business model, not a model for good education.

What I am saying is that:

Regarding the quality of an education, there are problems regarding class size and the training and qualifications of teachers as well as educationally troublesome issues having to do with the bilingual program approved by the Ministry of

Education. I don't mean this is a stuffy way; I am just serious about good education.

This is a general comment about the bilingual schools. I know what they pay teachers, and I know what they get for what they pay. Most, I am sure, are very nice people, but seriously qualified and experienced teachers? I think not!

Price is still a factor. Everyone has a budget. You get what you pay for, sort of! Any school can draw in the unknowing with a grand swimming pool and a spiffy kindergarten room! But that's not telling you much if you know what to look for. I have written about that on similar threads to this.

All that aside, I was asked about options. First, briefly, what about Payap? That is another matter except to say that if you really want to see children successful in going to schools other than Payap ( the local default university of choice), then you had better enroll them elsewhere.

Chiang Mai has a number of international schools. Quite extraordinary, really! At the top, in my view, is Prem. Do you know what an "IB" school or program is; and that it extends down into the primary grades? Do you know what it means to a child's future? It is worth checking out. There are less expensive options with the other schools. It is complicated to explain why. I leave it to you to do the "homework." Visit the web sites. Visit the schools.

Don't be swayed by "niceness." Don't get swayed by fancy swimming pools. Sure, some of the international schools have these things, too, but that is not what they are really about!

[Greenside]

My stepson has been at Varee since he came to Chiang Mai from a village school 18 months ago. He had no English beyond "yes" and "no" and we went to see Varee Chiangmai School on the recommendation of a friend whose child had been there some time. We were hugely impressed by the overwhelmingly happy atmosphere of the place and it's excellent facilities and having seen a couple of alternatives decided quickly that we'd give it a try. After a year in the ESL (now called Integrated English Programme), essentially the least demanding of the three courses on offer he has now moved to the English Programme in which all the subjects save Thai are taught in English and he's getting on fine. I believe the school is striving to offer something to both Thai and farang parents who are looking for an education with a more international outlook and am pleased to see that they seem to encourage independent thinking and personal initiative - something I'd always been told was lacking from Asian educational systems in general. While the school follows the Thai national curriculum, the English department teaches a much wider range of subjects as part of the English lessons as students progress to the upper grades.

Like the poster above stated, our child is eager to be off to school every day and, having put my English son through expensive private schools only to learn afterwards just how much he hated it all, this makes seeing him off every morning a real pleasure for both of us.

VCS (and Sarasas, by the way) have come in for some flak in Chaing Mai in the recent past and their rather high profile marketing has upset some of the other schools who regard them as upstarts arriving on the scene to poach the aspiring middle class Thais and not insignificant market of Thai/farang couples. It's doesn't pay to forget that education here is a profit making enterprise...

In short, I think it's a good balance between an International School a Thai school and for the time being at least I'm pleased with the choice we made. The fees for Pratom by the way range from 43,000ish to just over 90,000 a year depending on which English programme you choose and, as someone mentioned above, unlike every English school I ever had any dealings with, they don't constantly hit you up for extras.

[wolf5370]

My girls go to Sacred Heart (girls only) EP Program - class sizes are around 16 kids per class. Basic EP (English Program), is about 40k per tem, but most kids have extra lessons after school for a 5k top up. My youngest gets free lunch (8 y/o) and the eldest doesn't. They seem to care very much about the kids in their care and they are learning well.

I was in the school office a while back and a Thai parent was there complaining about his girl's grades and that they were failing her - the administrator simply said that his daughter refused to do homework and was disruptive in the classroom, so if he wanted better grades he needed to talk to his daughter as they had asked him previously (My wife gave me a running commentry). Certainly didn't look like they had too much problem with upsetting the parents or giving realistic grades to me - an accusation often leveled at Thai schools.

I have met kids from Varfee and were very impressed with their English and their ability to communicate in an adult manor, so in this at least the school seems fine.

MapGuy has a point about Int. Schools, but it all depends on what you want for your children and what your long term plans are. I thought long and hard about the type of school to put my girls in, but decided on an Bilingual school for reasons other than the cost (indeed, the "factory arguement" is the opposite end of MG's arguement).

I think to say hat Bilingual schools are a good business model in the same breath as 'upping' international schools here is somewhat hypercritical though. Biligual schools have a limit to fees set by the Government - they can not charge more than that limit. They usuall need no back handers, deposits, application fees, library fees, yearly comunity fees, astronomical 'joining' fees, etc, etc, etc - these are the true "businesses" schools, surely? I would alos not say that Int. schools have the best teachers either - some may well have good teachers, but every teacher in every Int. school? Look back over past newsclippings, there have been some seriously bad employment choices made here in Int. schools! I also know of two people working as teachers in two different Int. schools here that are not even bonefide teachers: One has a degree from the net (paid for, not worked for - life experience degree); the other has a Kaosan Rd fake that has never been discovered (I will not say the people or the schools, so don't ask) - so I would suggest not all schools take such a serious stand on vetting their employees.

Yes, I know what IB is (as most Europeans would) - but this is Thailand, Universities accept Thai qualifications - as I said it depends on your long term plans. If you expect to leave and take your kids back home with you, or you want therm to go to a western Uni then Int. school for you - if they are to stay here, then a good private Thai school will give them great connections and good opportunities to go to Uni here.

Edited September 10, 2009 by wolf5370

[anonymouse]

My girls go to Sacred Heart (girls only) EP Program - class sizes are around 16 kids per class. Basic EP (English Program), is about 40k per tem, but most kids have extra lessons after school for a 5k top up. My youngest gets free lunch (8 y/o) and the eldest doesn't. They seem to care very much about the kids in their care and they are learning well.

I was in the school office a while back and a Thai parent was there complaining about his girl's grades and that they were failing her - the administrator simply said that his daughter refused to do homework and was disruptive in the classroom, so if he wanted better grades he needed to talk to his daughter as they had asked him previously (My wife gave me a running commentry). Certainly didn't look like they had too much problem with upsetting the parents or giving realistic grades to me - an accusation often leveled at Thai schools.

I have met kids from Varfee and were very impressed with their English and their ability to communicate in an adult manor, so in this at least the school seems fine.

MapGuy has a point about Int. Schools, but it all depends on what you want for your children and what your long term plans are. I thought long and hard about the type of school to put my girls in, but decided on an Bilingual school for reasons other than the cost (indeed, the "factory arguement" is the opposite end of MG's arguement)

I was looking at sending my girl to Sacred Heart but heard rumours that it will soon be going co-ed, any truth in this?

[wolf5370]

My girls go to Sacred Heart (girls only) EP Program - class sizes are around 16 kids per class. Basic EP (English Program), is about 40k per tem, but most kids have extra lessons after school for a 5k top up. My youngest gets free lunch (8 y/o) and the eldest doesn't. They seem to care very much about the kids in their care and they are learning well.

I was in the school office a while back and a Thai parent was there complaining about his girl's grades and that they were failing her - the administrator simply said that his daughter refused to do homework and was disruptive in the classroom, so if he wanted better grades he needed to talk to his daughter as they had asked him previously (My wife gave me a running commentry). Certainly didn't look like they had too much problem with upsetting the parents or giving realistic grades to me - an accusation often leveled at Thai schools.

I have met kids from Varfee and were very impressed with their English and their ability to communicate in an adult manor, so in this at least the school seems fine.

MapGuy has a point about Int. Schools, but it all depends on what you want for your children and what your long term plans are. I thought long and hard about the type of school to put my girls in, but decided on an Bilingual school for reasons other than the cost (indeed, the "factory arguement" is the opposite end of MG's arguement)

I was looking at sending my girl to Sacred Heart but heard rumours that it will soon be going co-ed, any truth in this?

Not that I have been told. They do have boys at Kindergarten level though. The school has over 4,000 staudents (only 100 of which are in the EP), so I doubt they would have space for them(?). Unlike several schools in the area, Sarasas' interesting recruitment scheme (bring 3 more families from your school with you and we cut your school fees!) has had little affect; there seem to be no (or possibly very few) empty classrooms.

[anonymouse]

My girls go to Sacred Heart (girls only) EP Program - class sizes are around 16 kids per class. Basic EP (English Program), is about 40k per tem, but most kids have extra lessons after school for a 5k top up. My youngest gets free lunch (8 y/o) and the eldest doesn't. They seem to care very much about the kids in their care and they are learning well.

I was in the school office a while back and a Thai parent was there complaining about his girl's grades and that they were failing her - the administrator simply said that his daughter refused to do homework and was disruptive in the classroom, so if he wanted better grades he needed to talk to his daughter as they had asked him previously (My wife gave me a running commentry). Certainly didn't look like they had too much problem with upsetting the parents or giving realistic grades to me - an accusation often leveled at Thai schools.

I have met kids from Varfee and were very impressed with their English and their ability to communicate in an adult manor, so in this at least the school seems fine.

MapGuy has a point about Int. Schools, but it all depends on what you want for your children and what your long term plans are. I thought long and hard about the type of school to put my girls in, but decided on an Bilingual school for reasons other than the cost (indeed, the "factory arguement" is the opposite end of MG's arguement)

I was looking at sending my girl to Sacred Heart but heard rumours that it will soon be going co-ed, any truth in this?

Not that I have been told. They do have boys at Kindergarten level though. The school has over 4,000 staudents (only 100 of which are in the EP), so I doubt they would have space for them(?). Unlike several schools in the area, Sarasas' interesting recruitment scheme (bring 3 more families from your school with you and we cut your school fees!) has had little affect; there seem to be no (or possibly very few) empty classrooms.

Thanks, I heard it from a neighbour who has a daughter at Sacred heart, hopefully I got it wrong

[swain]

I tutor students in English and have found that the students from the EP program at Varee to be very well educated. Much better in fact than some other schools I will not mention. I have a 2 year old daughter and I will send her to this school when the time comes. I think the EP program is the only way to go.

Though I have to say, many students that I teach from the bilingual program at the same school, are not doing very well. I am not not sure that this is an example of bad teaching or just a few problem students.

(The reason for the edit)

(I wasn't going to post the negative comment on the bilingual program because I do know some children that are excelling on it.)

Edited September 11, 2009 by swain

[PeaceBlondie]

this is a message bored. yo kan make tipos and still be genius educator.

Added: mapguy's post here is spot on.

I believe you are a teacher? So you and Mapguy are saying that every bilingual school in Chiang Mai is a complete waste of time and money and will produce a substandard education?

In that case please nominate the worthwhile schools. Or are we just talking Prem and Payap? Please expand.

I'm a short-time ex-teacher in northern Thailand, and son and father of professional educators. As Mapguy said, maybe you're reading too much into what we wrote. CMIS, Prem, Grace, APIS, Lanna, Nakornping - all good schools. Bilingual past kindy, not run the Thai way - maybe very good. Let's see, what's left?

I have never heard of a very unqualified teacher teaching at an int'l school here. Only one case of a teacher with a science degree teaching math without being an education major, but he was hired long ago.

Varee may be great. I think another regular poster sends his kid there.

[hanuman1]

My kids go to Varee.

Over the past couple of years I've definitly got the impression that most (Thai) teachers there are not long out of college and lack the necessary experience to control large groups of kids. My teenager NEVER seems to have any homework, and I've brought this up with teachers several times but have since given up and had to book extra classes at the weekend.

There also appears to be a reluctance to discipline kids for fear of upsetting the 'customers' i.e. parents, and I've also had to tell teachers not to hold back with mine if he/she steps out of line.

Will be looking into Montford and a couple of other places this fall because I fear for my kids if they ever have to get a job outside of Thailand.

H.

P.S. There are one or two great farang teachers in the BP program who in my opinion are slumming it at this school.

[Greenside]

Will be looking into Montford and a couple of other places this fall because I fear for my kids if they ever have to get a job outside of Thailand.

If you seriously want to enable your kids to compete in the international jobs market, then surely an International School is the only real option. No matter how good the English programme may be in a Bilingual School, if it's teaching the Thai curriculum then the resulting qualifications will have limited appeal to employers or further education establishments outside Asia. I would have thought Montfort, would be teaching the same or likely a more limited set of lessons than your son is receiving now and I don't think the class sizes are significantly different either. Schools teaching curricula such as SAT, IB or IGCSE are all available around CM, albeit at a significantly higher cost.

P.S. There are one or two great farang teachers in the BP program who in my opinion are slumming it at this school.

By this you mean what, exactly? They're too good to be teaching our kids? They should be in one of the other programmes/other schools? It's likely that the teachers and the parents of kids being taught by them feel differently - I know I would.

If your child comes home without homework, is it because he isn't set any or does he leave it at school or even do it before he comes home? I find that if my stepson says hasn't got any, a quick look in his homework book usually leads to the facts and since I make an effort to ensure he does it and then to sign his book I assume that he's doing what is required. Granted, the homework he is set seems a fairly small amount but I don't think I want to preside over hours of set work every evening after he's had an eight hour day at school. At eight, half an hour seems like a fair amount.

I do understand that the Thai system is generally light on homework and heavy on extra tuition but other than extra lessons to get my stepson's written Thai up to standard (blame firmly with the last school by the way), I don't see any particular problems beyond those I came across in the UK during a previous life.

Writing that, it occurred to me to wonder if the emphasis on extra coaching rather than homework might be designed to serve the purpose of reducing the workload of the daytime teaching staff, shifting it to outside tuition so they can supplement their income beyond the tax system. The teachers I know in the UK put in a huge amount of time marking homework outside "normal" school hours for which the pay and holiday structure is supposed to compensate (although I know many would argue about how effective it does that!). If homework was doled out in the same quantities as in Europe teachers here would seldom have the time or energy to moonlight. I'm referring to Thai schools in general by the way, not Varee. Just a thought...

[anonymouse]

Will be looking into Montford and a couple of other places this fall because I fear for my kids if they ever have to get a job outside of Thailand.

If you seriously want to enable your kids to compete in the international jobs market, then surely an International School is the only real option. No matter how good the English programme may be in a Bilingual School, if it's teaching the Thai curriculum then the resulting qualifications will have limited appeal to employers or further education establishments outside Asia. I would have thought Montfort, would be teaching the same or likely a more limited set of lessons than your son is receiving now and I don't think the class sizes are significantly different either. Schools teaching curricula such as SAT, IB or IGCSE are all available around CM, albeit at a significantly higher cost.

P.S. There are one or two great farang teachers in the BP program who in my opinion are slumming it at this school.

By this you mean what, exactly? They're too good to be teaching our kids? They should be in one of the other programmes/other schools? It's likely that the teachers and the parents of kids being taught by them feel differently - I know I would.

If your child comes home without homework, is it because he isn't set any or does he leave it at school or even do it before he comes home? I find that if my stepson says hasn't got any, a quick look in his homework book usually leads to the facts and since I make an effort to ensure he does it and then to sign his book I assume that he's doing what is required. Granted, the homework he is set seems a fairly small amount but I don't think I want to preside over hours of set work every evening after he's had an eight hour day at school. At eight, half an hour seems like a fair amount.

I do understand that the Thai system is generally light on homework and heavy on extra tuition but other than extra lessons to get my stepson's written Thai up to standard (blame firmly with the last school by the way), I don't see any particular problems beyond those I came across in the UK during a previous life.

Writing that, it occurred to me to wonder if the emphasis on extra coaching rather than homework might be designed to serve the purpose of reducing the workload of the daytime teaching staff, shifting it to outside tuition so they can supplement their income beyond the tax system. The teachers I know in the UK put in a huge amount of time marking homework outside "normal" school hours for which the pay and holiday structure is supposed to compensate (although I know many would argue about how effective it does that!). If homework was doled out in the same quantities as in Europe teachers here would seldom have the time or energy to moonlight. I'm referring to Thai schools in general by the way, not Varee. Just a thought...

I've found the opposite with my boy who is five, getting in my opinion far to much homework at Dara, i'm not sure what happens to it after he hands it in though

[wolf5370]

Will be looking into Montford and a couple of other places this fall because I fear for my kids if they ever have to get a job outside of Thailand.

If you seriously want to enable your kids to compete in the international jobs market, then surely an International School is the only real option. No matter how good the English programme may be in a Bilingual School, if it's teaching the Thai curriculum then the resulting qualifications will have limited appeal to employers or further education establishments outside Asia. I would have thought Montfort, would be teaching the same or likely a more limited set of lessons than your son is receiving now and I don't think the class sizes are significantly different either. Schools teaching curricula such as SAT, IB or IGCSE are all available around CM, albeit at a significantly higher cost.

P.S. There are one or two great farang teachers in the BP program who in my opinion are slumming it at this school.

By this you mean what, exactly? They're too good to be teaching our kids? They should be in one of the other programmes/other schools? It's likely that the teachers and the parents of kids being taught by them feel differently - I know I would.

If your child comes home without homework, is it because he isn't set any or does he leave it at school or even do it before he comes home? I find that if my stepson says hasn't got any, a quick look in his homework book usually leads to the facts and since I make an effort to ensure he does it and then to sign his book I assume that he's doing what is required. Granted, the homework he is set seems a fairly small amount but I don't think I want to preside over hours of set work every evening after he's had an eight hour day at school. At eight, half an hour seems like a fair amount.

I do understand that the Thai system is generally light on homework and heavy on extra tuition but other than extra lessons to get my stepson's written Thai up to standard (blame firmly with the last school by the way), I don't see any particular problems beyond those I came across in the UK during a previous life.

Writing that, it occurred to me to wonder if the emphasis on extra coaching rather than homework might be designed to serve the purpose of reducing the workload of the daytime teaching staff, shifting it to outside tuition so they can supplement their income beyond the tax system. The teachers I know in the UK put in a huge amount of time marking homework outside "normal" school hours for which the pay and holiday structure is supposed to compensate (although I know many would argue about how effective it does that!). If homework was doled out in the same quantities as in Europe teachers here would seldom have the time or energy to moonlight. I'm referring to Thai schools in general by the way, not Varee. Just a thought...

As to Thai school there's a few things to remember here - in the UK schools have around 200-1000 kids and classes of around 30 kids. In Thailand, there may be up to 8,000 kids (Dara for example) and class sizes or 50 or more - can imagine having to mark just one hour's worth of homework per student per week in that sort of environment? Personally, I don't think homework is such a big thing anyway - I am sure I learned more at school than I did rushing my homework in the UK.

[Greenside]

As to Thai school there's a few things to remember here - in the UK schools have around 200-1000 kids and classes of around 30 kids. In Thailand, there may be up to 8,000 kids (Dara for example) and class sizes or 50 or more - can imagine having to mark just one hour's worth of homework per student per week in that sort of environment? Personally, I don't think homework is such a big thing anyway - I am sure I learned more at school than I did rushing my homework in the UK.

Classes of 50 at Dara? I thought they'd have been much smaller, given its reputation. I've done a little teaching in the UK (fortunately mostly to adults) but on the few occasions I've been confronted with a classroom of kids it's been daunting enough to do constructive work with 30 so 50 must be a nightmare unless you have an assistant. Varee School is currently claiming 25 - 35 per class and I don't know how accurate that is although my stepson's is a conveniently average 29.

[wolf5370]

As to Thai school there's a few things to remember here - in the UK schools have around 200-1000 kids and classes of around 30 kids. In Thailand, there may be up to 8,000 kids (Dara for example) and class sizes or 50 or more - can imagine having to mark just one hour's worth of homework per student per week in that sort of environment? Personally, I don't think homework is such a big thing anyway - I am sure I learned more at school than I did rushing my homework in the UK.

Classes of 50 at Dara? I thought they'd have been much smaller, given its reputation. I've done a little teaching in the UK (fortunately mostly to adults) but on the few occasions I've been confronted with a classroom of kids it's been daunting enough to do constructive work with 30 so 50 must be a nightmare unless you have an assistant. Varee School is currently claiming 25 - 35 per class and I don't know how accurate that is although my stepson's is a conveniently average 29.

No, I didn't mean Dara as to class size, that was in reference to the student numbers at the school (8,000!) - sorry for the confusion there. My kids class size at Sacred Heart is 15 and 17 (two kids in different years). I've taught to 40 here and the Somchai's at the back can be an issue (most Thai teachers seem to either ignore them or stand over them with a stick - literally). You can honestly see the inverted sliding scale with respect to class size and those that have actually seemed to absorbed anything during the lesson! I would say 25 is the optimal maximum (upper boundary for balancing that sliding scale) in my view.