ESF Bradbury School Review
Run by the English Schools Foundation (ESF), Bradbury School is a hugely popular IB primary in Hong Kong’s Mid Levels. Founded in 1975, this school is an International Baccalaureate primary school for children aged 5 to 10 years. There are currently 720 students from a mix of nationalities. The majority of Year 6 students transfer to ESF’s Island secondary school, which is around 5km away.
In line with all ESF primary schools, Bradbury School follows the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). All subjects – English, maths, social studies, science, and the arts – are taught within the context of the IB Programme of Inquiry. This road map for education looks at Who We Are, Where We Are in Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, How We Organise Ourselves, and Sharing the Planet. As well as daily Chinese lessons, the school’s curriculum has a very healthy dose of technology, creative arts, and PE.
Bradbury School has an extensive sports programme which includes rugby, netball, cricket, soccer, swimming, basketball, and running, as well as other activities such as judo and kick boxing. Facilities on campus include a state of the art library, gymnasium, school hall, music room, netball courts, adventure playgrounds, undercover play areas, sandpit, and art studio.
Admission and fees
As with all ESF schools, parents must live within the catchment area of Bradbury School. This includes the areas from Stanley Village and Chung Hom Kok to Repulse Bay Road through Repulse Bay and Deepwater Bay to the junction of Wong Chuk Hang Road., Nam Fung Road and Shouson Hill. Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, including Tai Tam Reservoir Road and Hong Kong Parkview. All of Stubbs Road and Mount Nicholson. Excludes Kennedy Road (which is part of Peak School). Happy Valley area: Tung Shan Terrace, Shiu Fai Terrace and the area south of Happy Valley, including upper Blue Pool Road, Sing Woo Road, Shan Kwong Road and all roads south of the bus/tram terminus at the junction of the Blue Pool, Sing Woo and Wong Nai Chung Roads. South Horizons in Ap Lei Chau. Lamma Island and south Lantau Island including Discovery Bay.
The ESF sets standard fees for all its primary schools, which is HKD 111,200 for Years 1 to 3 and HKD 93,900 for Years 4 to 6. There is also a one-off non-refundable capital levy (NCL) which starts at HKD 38,000 in Year 1 and reduces to HKD 28,000 in Year 6.
While ESF schools are not as cheap as they used to be, following the phase out of government subsidies from 2016, they still offer a more affordable education when compared to most international schools in Hong Kong. The ESF will see the withdrawal of its annual HKD 283 million subsidy from the government over the next 13 years. In 2018-19, all year groups except Years 1 to 3 will continue to be subsidised by the government; this helps to explain why Year 1 to 3 fees are higher than Years 4 to 6.
A full review will be posted shortly.
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