ESF Guarantees School Places For KG Students

The English Schools Foundation (ESF), which is the largest provider of English language education in Hong Kong, has announced a new ‘through-train’ system from K1 to Year 13. From 2020, all students entering the first year of an ESF kindergarten will be guaranteed a place at both an ESF primary and secondary school – without the need for any further interviews.

Earlier this year, the ESF scrapped assessment interviews for children who move from ESF kindergartens to one of its nine primary schools; this meant that students are currently assessed by kindergarten and primary school teachers during their time in class for a Year 1 place.

Click here to find out How To Apply To An ESF Primary And Secondary.

The new ‘through-train’ system means that an initial assessment takes place prior to entry into one of the ESF’s five kindergartens. If a student is able to access a mainstream, English medium curriculum, they will be guaranteed a seamless ESF education from K1 of kindergarten to Year 13 of secondary.

There are five ESF International kindergartens – Abacus, Hillside, Tsing Yi, Tung Chung and Wu Kai Sha – and children start K1 at the age of three and attend for two years. Families who are looking for a K1 place for 2020-21 can apply online in September 2019.

Speaking about the change, Belinda Greer, CEO of ESF said:

“This announcement is a very important one. For our students, it will make the transition between the various school levels easier and more effective. It gives parents certainty about their child’s educational journey and removes stress from what can be a difficult, uncertain process. And, for us at ESF, it allows us to work with our teachers across our schools to design an education that is right for every child.”