International Schools - Patana Bangkok / St.stephens Khao Yai

[ArranP]

Hello,

My daughter (half british / half thai - 5 years old) currently goes to British International School Phuket.

I am considering putting her at either Patana in Bangkok or St.Stephens in Khao Yai. Whilst Bangkok is a built up area it has a very good school, however my girl friend has never stayed the city and is more used to the country, also in the future planning to start a rubber plantation.

Any advices please on the quality of education my child can expect at St.Stephens Khao Yai compared to Patana Bkk?

Will she still get a decent education at St.Stephens Khao Yai ?

Thank you.

Regards

Arran.

[fletchsmile]

Bangkok Pattana has a reputation for being "the best" or at least "one of the best". Certainly in terms facilities and academics that's true, and prices to match.

For me though, "best" is a subjective term. It's not necessarily what's best for your child academically or your child and family socially. The thing I dislike about it is the superiority complex or elitist attitude in can bring out, particularly in some of the Thais. Some people see that as an advantage, but for me it's not what I want for my kids and a negative trait.

Among higher class Thais it's possible your wife may feel uncomfortable if she's a lovely country girl not used to hiso city Thai types. Thais often don't mix well with other Thais, and as we all know kids can be unkind sometimes, but certain Thai parents may look down on you and your Thai wife for her being from upcountry and also married to a foreigner. It may also raise issue like whether you drive a mercedes or not.

That's not saying they're all like that, just something to think about. Generally the expats passing through or from western backgrounds will have a more balanced view, and be less elitist. Also at the last place I worked some of my Thai colleagues sent their kids there and generally I'd have been happy for my kids going to school with people like that.

Another factor is the extent you want your daughter to learn Thai or not. Some of my ex-Thai colleagues would comment that their kids at Patana weren't as good at writing Thai as they should be. The focus is on international and English.

Fletch

[Colonel_Mustard]

I have children in PIA in Phuket and have been considering moving also.

BP seems to be very highly regarded but comes with the downside (for me at least) of being in Bangkok and with a very high price tag.

I am currently considering St. Stephen's in Khao Yai as well and will be visiting there in the next couple of months. Reports seemed to be generally negative until a couple of years ago and since then most reports seem to have been much more positive.

[ArranP]

where can one find the school exam results ?

[JustWhatTheDoctorOrdered]

I cannot compare Patana to Khao Yai as I have no idea of anything about Patana.

I can say that what you are trying to compare is chalk and cheese though.

You either want a city lifestyle with an expensive school and all its pros and cons, or you want a country lifestyle with its pros and cons.

St Stephens is not cheap, but the quality of the facilities at the school and the quality of the teachers there is wonderful.

The campus is surrounded by fresh air and mountains, lots of open spaces for kids to be kids and go outside and get into trouble.

I have found all the teachers to be excellent.

The principal is very strict and by god you do not want to get on her bad side. Chocolates at christmas seem to fix this....for a few weeks anyway.

The most important thing is the teachers are all approachable at any time, morning or night and will discuss any issues or concerns there and then. They also seem to all extend their contracts, a good sign of stability amongst a perhaps not so stable industry. Some teachers have been there 6 years or so.

You can visit anytime and pull a surprise visit on them.

The only negative, which is also a positive, is the small class sizes as it does limit the kids social interactions to a much smaller group. But then those friendships are usually stronger and the teacher / student ratio and time spent is huge.

I have 2 kids there, they love going to school, of course that could be because they play games and watch movies all day. But they seem to be learning a lot.

Any school you will always worry that your kids are getting what they need. So far, I think mine are.

If you want any more specific info, please ask or PM me.

[Disting]

Hi Arran

Bangkok vs Khao Yai.

As far as location, its easy, Khao Yai will win any day. With the temperature running high 30's to low 40's in Bangkok, the thermometer on my balcony in Khao Yai rarely gets above 33. That and the constant breeze makes it for me.

I cant comment on other schools education levels but my daughter has been at SIS for 8 months now and I am very happy with the level on education. Her reading/writing skills have improved no end. She is already getting a much broader view of the world than before.

I have written other comments on the SIS Khao Yai thread, please have a look at them.

PM me if you would like any further help or info.

[sushi5734]

Any good school should make comprehensive results and indicators easily available, not that they should be the sole reason (or even the main reason) for sending your children to a school.

St Stephens Khao Yai is in a lovely area.

Bangkok Patana is regarded as one of the top tier schools and has the fees to match.

I would echo what another poster said about snobbery at the school gates. I teach in a primary school where the vast majority of kids are from rich hiso Chinese families, they look down on darker skinned Thai kids and call them baanook and buffalo, the half Thai students are something of a novelty and have much fairer skin so they don't have any problems.