Chiang Mai Schools

[tpthai2]

First: My sincere thanks and gratitude to CM-TV members for there kind help with out many questions regarding relocating to CM from BKK. Once again we rely on the kindness of strangers with a most important question.

Where to send our daughter to school? 7 years old, bi-lingual and priced-out of the international school market in CM.

I have searched the net for CM schools but given our budget we find ourselves at a loss for alternatives.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards

[DaamNaam]

Panyaden school in Nongkway. Has to be seen to be believed.Truly a school of the future.

[elektrified]

Panyaden school in Nongkway. Has to be seen to be believed.Truly a school of the future.

Yeah right...at 133,000 Baht per year. Not exactly what the OP was asking for as an affordable alternative.

[tpthai2]

Panyaden school in Nongkway. Has to be seen to be believed.Truly a school of the future.

Thanks, I am checking this school a this this writing.

[tpthai2]

Panyaden school in Nongkway. Has to be seen to be believed.Truly a school of the future.

Yeah right...at 133,000 Baht per year. Not exactly what the OP was asking for as an affordable alternative.

Yes, just checked:

[hedonist44]

Panyaden school in Nongkway. Has to be seen to be believed.Truly a school of the future.

Yeah right...at 133,000 Baht per year. Not exactly what the OP was asking for as an affordable alternative.

Yes, just checked:

My son has been going to Varee School since first grade. He's 12 years old now and tuition is Baht 30,000 per term @ two terms a year. It's bi-lingual and I am very happy with it so far. Only thing is the hair police, but I can live with that.You can google them and see what it takes to get you child enrolled.

[Greenside]

I remain pleased with my stepson's progress at Varee and suggest you take a look at their English Programme. He joined in Prathom 1 which is probably where your daughter is and not only enjoys going to school every day but appears to be learning the right stuff. If you haven't chosen a place to live yet I'd advise deciding on the school first as, even here where the traffic is a fraction of the mess in BKK, the school run can become tedious before you know it.

[thaimiller]

My daughter has been going to Watchirawit the junior school is on Chang Klan road in town, The high school behind Big C extra. 25,000Thb per term (2 terms) that's with The English programme. (not including uniforms and books). Ive been very impressed with her learning and her English and Chinese are coming on very nicely.

[prism]

What part of CM do you live? One criteria to consider when choosing a school is how long is the commute going to be.

[elektrified]

While we're on the subject of schools in C.M., can some of the members recommend an 'affordable' school (kindergarten) in C.M.? My child is only 2 years right now, but as I understand it, they begin at around 3 years or even earlier in Thailand?

[LongJohn]

Hi,

On of my daughters (3 & 5) went to three Thai schools and one international school. None of them were to our liking. We were very happy to find a Waldorf school in Chiang Mai. (www.fahkwang.com) After two terms we are very satisfied and our daughters are notably more happy and relaxed. This year they have started first grade and next year my oldest daughter will go to fist grade. Another benefit is that the school is extremely reasonably priced at 30.000 per year for the pre-school age. The school is not international or bilingual, but more than half of the children are either foreign or mixed so for me that is international enough. I think they will learn enough English in that environment, maybe even more than a Thai bilingual school where they sometimes really butcher the English language. Waldorf education is sort of the opposite of Thai education so for some people it will be a relief, others might find it too far removed from the "mainstream".

I am not sure if waldorf takes 2 year old children but my youngest daughter started there before she turned three so I would just contact them and ask.. I know Little Stars takes in young children. My daughter went there when she was two years old. They have enough staff and I had no complaints. For small children they are OK, for older children I think there are better alternatives. Rates are not extremely high.

Erik

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I remain pleased with my stepson's progress at Varee and suggest you take a look at their English Programme. He joined in Prathom 1 which is probably where your daughter is and not only enjoys going to school every day but appears to be learning the right stuff.

They learn a whole lot of it though.. major homework every day. They're learning WAY more in first grade than I did. I know I wouldn't be able to spell 'invertebrate' and explain what kinds of animals those are. Or solve '43 - 26 = '.

Most Thai parents consider that 'value for money' I suppose; they're paying relatively a lot of money, so they expect their kids to learn significantly more than at the village school. Many foreigners on the other hand also see the value in allowing children to be children for a while.

If you haven't chosen a place to live yet I'd advise deciding on the school first as, even here where the traffic is a fraction of the mess in BKK, the school run can become tedious before you know it.

Very good point.

[whatsupdoc]

Have a look at Napa. It is a modern bilingual school with a very high standard, small class sizes and located at the same campus as Nakhon Phayap International School (NIS). Some of the facilities are shared with NIS. Napa will soon offer not only kindergarten but grades 1 to 6 as well.

In my opinion, Napa is superior to Varee.

[tpthai2]

A very big thank you to all of the TV-CM posters that kindly replied to my question.

This is a big big help.

Regarding the question of "where will you live" that is yet another major question still

unanswered. The basic criteria at this time are:

1. Out of the airport flight path.

2. Out of the flood plane.

3. Reasonable proximity to Chiang Mai proper.

Looking for a well managed moo-ban.

We will be visiting from BKK Oct. 3/4 to view prospective areas.

Will be renting in one of those areas for a short timer while

we look to buy a medium priced home. 15 years in Bangkok

and looking forward to joining the CM community.

"Where to live?" Again, your kindness is sought with any suggestions meeting the criteria above.

Sincere thanks, Tom

[Greenside]

I remain pleased with my stepson's progress at Varee and suggest you take a look at their English Programme. He joined in Prathom 1 which is probably where your daughter is and not only enjoys going to school every day but appears to be learning the right stuff.

They learn a whole lot of it though.. major homework every day. They're learning WAY more in first grade than I did. I know I wouldn't be able to spell 'invertebrate' and explain what kinds of animals those are. Or solve '43 - 26 = '.

Most Thai parents consider that 'value for money' I suppose; they're paying relatively a lot of money, so they expect their kids to learn significantly more than at the village school. Many foreigners on the other hand also see the value in allowing children to be children for a while.

If you haven't chosen a place to live yet I'd advise deciding on the school first as, even here where the traffic is a fraction of the mess in BKK, the school run can become tedious before you know it.

Very good point.

I was interested to read your comments as my view is completely the opposite - I'd say the amount of homework at Varee is on the light side at least in the lower grades and could be given more attention, whereas I don't know a child at the school who doesn't seem very happy . My son's friends at Montford and Prince Royal seem to have mountains of homework to complete every evening and my guess is that's the penalty of being in a class of 50+. I put my other son through a very highly rated school in the UK and although he initially wanted to go there and studied hard for the entrance exam he was never really happy. The child and the school have to be a good fit and there's no magic formula.

[Loaded]

While we're on the subject of schools in C.M., can some of the members recommend an 'affordable' school (kindergarten) in C.M.? My child is only 2 years right now, but as I understand it, they begin at around 3 years or even earlier in Thailand?

We put our 2 year old into kindergarten and she was constantly sick including a couple of expensive and worrying stays at Ram. She hasn't been sick since we withdrew her.

[HaleySabai]

Checkout this link from a current news item on the main TV site

Edited September 24, 2011 by HaleySabai

[elektrified]

While we're on the subject of schools in C.M., can some of the members recommend an 'affordable' school (kindergarten) in C.M.? My child is only 2 years right now, but as I understand it, they begin at around 3 years or even earlier in Thailand?

We put our 2 year old into kindergarten and she was constantly sick including a couple of expensive and worrying stays at Ram. She hasn't been sick since we withdrew her.

Funny you should mention that. Since we put our child in the Nursery School when he was about 1 1/2 or younger, he was sick almost all the time including about 5 hospitalizations at McCormick and Sripat with high fevers, and a multitude of different infections.

[DavidOxon]

our daughter is in Baan khun Mae school on the Canal Rd

Maths and Science are taught in English (as in English)

We pay 3.500 a month.

The Australian teacher there says it's the best school he's ever taught in (8 schools in Thailand)

I think it's great, a lovely small school teaching good values as well as the normal stuff.

David

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I remain pleased with my stepson's progress at Varee and suggest you take a look at their English Programme. He joined in Prathom 1 which is probably where your daughter is and not only enjoys going to school every day but appears to be learning the right stuff.

They learn a whole lot of it though.. major homework every day. They're learning WAY more in first grade than I did. I know I wouldn't be able to spell 'invertebrate' and explain what kinds of animals those are. Or solve '43 - 26 = '.

Most Thai parents consider that 'value for money' I suppose; they're paying relatively a lot of money, so they expect their kids to learn significantly more than at the village school. Many foreigners on the other hand also see the value in allowing children to be children for a while.

If you haven't chosen a place to live yet I'd advise deciding on the school first as, even here where the traffic is a fraction of the mess in BKK, the school run can become tedious before you know it.

Very good point.

I was interested to read your comments as my view is completely the opposite - I'd say the amount of homework at Varee is on the light side at least in the lower grades and could be given more attention, whereas I don't know a child at the school who doesn't seem very happy . My son's friends at Montford and Prince Royal seem to have mountains of homework to complete every evening and my guess is that's the penalty of being in a class of 50+. I put my other son through a very highly rated school in the UK and although he initially wanted to go there and studied hard for the entrance exam he was never really happy. The child and the school have to be a good fit and there's no magic formula.

Is your kid in the Pathom 1 or 2 English Programma (EP) or something else? (Thai or bilingual) ? But maybe it's me; when I was 6-7-8 years old I didn't have any homework.

[Greenside]

[is your kid in the Pathom 1 or 2 English Programma (EP) or something else? (Thai or bilingual) ? But maybe it's me; when I was 6-7-8 years old I didn't have any homework.

He's in Prathom 4 of the EP Programme and he's ten this year.. I agree that small children shouldn't be burdened with heavy loads of homework, on the other hand learning to get on with tasks on your own is an important skill that develops self discipline and self reliance. If the tasks are set well, homework should start students on the road to finding things out for themselves and (better still) questioning what they do find.

[bluweyze]

Have a look at Napa. It is a modern bilingual school with a very high standard, small class sizes and located at the same campus as Nakhon Phayap International School (NIS). Some of the facilities are shared with NIS. Napa will soon offer not only kindergarten but grades 1 to 6 as well.

In my opinion, Napa is superior to Varee.

My boy is at Napa kindergarten and yes it is a good school with high standards but whereas it claims a 40% English tuition, the practicality is that apart from one hour a day it is Thai dominant.My son is fantastic in Thai but only keeps his English up with home help. Looking forward I want his English to be stronger and therefore will not consider the soon to be built Napa grades 1-6.I'm not decrying Napa just pointing out that the English element doesn't meet my expectations or Napa's claims.

[Thaihog]

our daughter is in Baan khun Mae school on the Canal Rd

Maths and Science are taught in English (as in English)

We pay 3.500 a month.

The Australian teacher there says it's the best school he's ever taught in (8 schools in Thailand)

I think it's great, a lovely small school teaching good values as well as the normal stuff.

David

David,

The canal is a long road, can you give a more a more detailed location.

Thanks :jap:

Edited September 25, 2011 by Thaihog

[DavidOxon]

ermmm.. at the risk of inciting a thread takeover(!) it's in the area behind

where pizza and pasta used to be on the corner, behind the koolapunt moo baan that is there if you turn left at the lights,

also immediately after the bamboo construction centre on the left heading south

just before the Samoeng intersection... I think!

David

[scorecard]

I remain pleased with my stepson's progress at Varee and suggest you take a look at their English Programme. He joined in Prathom 1 which is probably where your daughter is and not only enjoys going to school every day but appears to be learning the right stuff. If you haven't chosen a place to live yet I'd advise deciding on the school first as, even here where the traffic is a fraction of the mess in BKK, the school run can become tedious before you know it.

I mirror greensides comments. My granddaughter is now at Varee (Primary 1, in the full English program), and we are very pleased with her progress.

As greenside mentioned traffic can be bad. When my family moved to CM we found the school first then looked at housing, luckily we found the house we wanted 10 - 15 minutes away from the school.

There is another comment on this thread saying 30,000Baht per semester for Varee, can I suggest you check their website, for full details of term /annual cost and specifically in regard to what program you want (Thai language program, fifty/fifty Thai.English program or English program).

Also suggest you call the school and ask to speak to Ajahn Dani (call back later if needed), she speaks advanced English, intelligent and very pleasant lady, good listener and gives focused answers. Varee is worth a look.

Edited September 26, 2011 by scorecard

[tpthai2]

I remain pleased with my stepson's progress at Varee and suggest you take a look at their English Programme. He joined in Prathom 1 which is probably where your daughter is and not only enjoys going to school every day but appears to be learning the right stuff. If you haven't chosen a place to live yet I'd advise deciding on the school first as, even here where the traffic is a fraction of the mess in BKK, the school run can become tedious before you know it.

I mirror greensides comments. My granddaughter is now at Varee (Primary 1, in the full English program), and we are very pleased with her progress.

As greenside mentioned traffic can be bad. When my family moved to CM we found the school first then looked at housing, luckily we found the house we wanted 10 - 15 minutes away from the school.

There is another comment on this thread saying 30,000Baht per semester for Varee, can I suggest you check their website, for full details of term /annual cost and specifically in regard to what program you want (Thai language program, fifty/fifty Thai.English program or English program).

Also suggest you call the school and ask to speak to Ajahn Dani (call back later if needed), she speaks advanced English, intelligent and very pleasant lady, good listener and gives focused answers. Varee is worth a look.

Again, a note of sincere thanks to all those TV-CM members who have taken the time to post so much helpful information.

[scorecard]

I remain pleased with my stepson's progress at Varee and suggest you take a look at their English Programme. He joined in Prathom 1 which is probably where your daughter is and not only enjoys going to school every day but appears to be learning the right stuff. If you haven't chosen a place to live yet I'd advise deciding on the school first as, even here where the traffic is a fraction of the mess in BKK, the school run can become tedious before you know it.

I mirror greensides comments. My granddaughter is now at Varee (Primary 1, in the full English program), and we are very pleased with her progress.

As greenside mentioned traffic can be bad. When my family moved to CM we found the school first then looked at housing, luckily we found the house we wanted 10 - 15 minutes away from the school.

There is another comment on this thread saying 30,000Baht per semester for Varee, can I suggest you check their website, for full details of term /annual cost and specifically in regard to what program you want (Thai language program, fifty/fifty Thai.English program or English program).

Also suggest you call the school and ask to speak to Ajahn Dani (call back later if needed), she speaks advanced English, intelligent and very pleasant lady, good listener and gives focused answers. Varee is worth a look.

Again, a note of sincere thanks to all those TV-CM members who have taken the time to post so much helpful information.

A few more words about Varee. Just got the bill for my granddaughter for second term (2 terms per year):

- 45,500Baht therefore 91,000 per year for the full English program (these are current fees, no doubt fees will rise with inflation etc.). The same fees apply for all of the six years of Primary.

- For high school, Matayon, the fees (all six years), full English program, 30,000Baht per semester = 60,000Baht per year.

There are of course extras for uniforms etc., same as any school.

[tpthai2]

Thank you for that information ..... Not good news for my budget.

I remain a a bit of a loss in finding a decent reasonably priced school for my 6+ year old.

[MESmith]

Thank you for that information ..... Not good news for my budget.

I remain a a bit of a loss in finding a decent reasonably priced school for my 6+ year old.

What is your budget? Then maybe we can suggest schools that match it.

[letitbe]

my advice forget bilingual its a broke education model go all Thai or all English but does not need ot be an international school most of which are rip offs and dont offer any more than a decent private Thai school with a proper english program International schools are mainly places for parents to show off and kids to become stuck up snobs and were one of lucky ones who can afford their fees. We sent our 2 to international schools for first few years but once they got to around 9 realised our mistake. Later we will send them for their education after 15 to a UK or maybe SIngapore school ready for university if thats what they want to do.