ESF Guarantees Primary School Places for Kindergarten Students

By ITS Education Asia

The English Schools Foundation (ESF), which is the largest provider of English language education in Hong Kong, announced on Friday, March 8^th 2018, that a new ‘through-train’ system will be provided from K1 to Year 13. 

From August 2020, all students entering the first year of an ESF kindergarten will be guaranteed a place at both an ESF primary and secondary school – no interviews or assessments required.  This means that there is ‘only one assessment’ and this will take place prior to entry into one of the ESF’s five kindergartens.

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.”

Note: The five ESF International Kindergartens, Abacus, Hillside, Tsing Yi, Wu Kai Sha and Tung Chung, offer an English-medium education for children aged 3 to 5 years. Abacus, Hillside, Tsing Yi and Wu Kai Sha are IB World Schools authorised by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IB) to offer the Primary Years Programme, while Tung Chung is now an IB candidate school.

Applications for K1 will open in September 2019 for children born between January – December 2017 for August 2020 entry.

For further information, visit: https://www.esf.edu.hk/kindergartens-overview/