Australian parents arriving in China have a much wider choice of schooling options than they did five years ago, but choosing the right school is still just as difficult. Sophie Loras reports. 

When Adrian Gonzales arrived in Beijing with his young family from Sydney in 2007, it became clear that finding the right school for their then five year-old son and seven-year-old daughter wasn’t going to be easy. Mr Gonzalez, Millward Brown’s Greater China head and Chief Operating Officer Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific, had done what research he could before arriving.

The family had been in touch with friends in Shanghai about international schooling options but did not know anyone in Beijing. An initial search on the Internet had brought up the Australian International School of Beijing – which offers an Australian (NSW) curriculum from kindergarten to Grade 7 – but which is yet to become a popular choice for Australian parents.

Relocation firms – charged with the task of assisting these families to settle into their new city – are also one of the main points of contact between expatriates and the international schools but pose problems of their own.

“Relocation firms are really more a real estate agent with their own agenda,” says Mr Gonzales. “They want to sell the house so therefore they sell schools to you to sell the house.”

The Gonzales family finally settled on the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) for their daughter and the International Montessori School of Beijing for their son.

WAB has traditionally been a popular option with Australian families who make up around 7 percent of the school’s population. The school follows the International Baccalaureate curriculum and Australian teachers make up its largest number of staff.

“WAB had more of an Australian feel to it,” says Mr Gonzales of the decision to send his daughter there.

“There were quite a few Australian teachers and it had a very arty laid back feel to it.”

Both children are now at the International School of Beijing (ISB), a decision based in part on location as they are now able to walk to and from school. ISB is one of the city’s oldest international schools – initially established in the late ‘70s and ‘80s to accommodate the schooling needs of Beijing’s diplomatic community. In 2002 it was restructured as an independent school for foreign children and relocated to its current premises in the city’s Shunyi District where it has more than 1800 foreign students.

“Moving to China is hard work so you want as soft a landing as possible for your children,” says Mr Gonzales who felt comfortable moving his daughter after her one-year soft landing at WAB.

THE CHINESE OPTION

The Nicholas family took a more unorthodox approach when selecting schools for their three daughters. The family, originally from Sydney, arrived in Beijing 10 years ago from the US. They started their eldest daughter, Christina, at an international school they had been led to believe placed a big emphasis on Chinese language.

After one year in the international school system however, the family moved Christina to Fangcaodi Primary School – one of the oldest and only bilingual primary schools for foreigners in Beijing – and where the majority of classes are taught in Chinese by non-native English speaking Chinese teachers. It was a true Chinese experience following the Chinese National Curriculum.

Christina went through the international stream while the two younger Nicholas daughters went straight into the Chinese stream.

“We initially arrived in Beijing on a three-year contract and felt the girls were young enough that the transition back into an Australian school wouldn’t be so difficult,” says Alistair Nicholas.

But the family stayed well beyond their three-year contract after Alistair left his company, to establish his own public relations firm. Christina went on to attend the renowned No. 80 Middle School in Beijing – one of China’s top middle schools and from where graduates commonly go on to study at the country’s most elite universities.

By Year Nine however, Christina had made the decision to transfer into an international school, concerned her English would not be good enough when she decided to apply for overseas universities.

The family chose Harrow International School

Beijing for its academic standards, its curriculum (British A Levels), and for the school’s smaller, family feel to it.

“There is a real sense of dedication from the teachers and a big emphasis on music, art and drama,” says Mr Nicholas.

“The upside (of living in Beijing) is that you are really in an international community with friends from all over the world and as a result there is much more understanding of cultures and thinking much more globally.”

Christina graduated from Harrow International School Beijing in June 2009 and has since been accepted into ANU in Canberra with her A levels.

THE SIX MONTH GAP

“Choosing the right school is really overwhelming,” says Melbourne mother Prue Morris who arrived in Beijing in 2005 with her husband Campbell Jeffery and two young sons.

Prior to moving to Beijing, the family had visited the city to investigate schools and apartments. Ms Morris had also communicated by e-mail with other expatriate families who her husband had met through AustCham events. The family had also opted for a CBD lifestyle over the out of town expatriate community in Shunyi further limiting their choice of schools.

“When we visited BCIS (Beijing City International School) we just thought ‘Wow, this is fantastic’ – great facilities, huge swimming pool, running track, climbing wall in the gym and the kids had a really good feel to it,” says Ms Morris.

“We also felt that with the IB curriculum the boys would be able to fit back easily into an Australian curriculum.”

With the six-month gap between the start of the northern hemisphere school year and Australia, the family, like many other Australian families, was faced with the task of deciding whether the boys would go up half a year or go down.
The decision was made to put them up but when the family returns to Australia later this year, both will end up repeating half a school year – a personal decision the family has made around how old the boys will be when they finish school.

Many international schools set exams to determine the best class for new Australian students but also encourage children to slot into the age appropriate year when they can.

Dulwich College has three campuses throughout China – in Shanghai, Beijing and Suzhou. Australians have continued to be the Shanghai campus’s third biggest community of its 1300-strong student population.

Stacey Dang, Dulwich College Shanghai’s Australian Admissions Director, says the timing of the new school year can also have an impact on how well Australian students slot into their new school.  

“We recommend that Australian students start in August at the beginning of our school year. This is so they can take part in the student induction process and it makes for an easier transition academically, as well as offering the opportunity to make friends with new students starting at the same time,” says Ms Dang.

Dulwich College offers a British-based curriculum with an IB diploma for the final two years of high school.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SCHOOL

As Vice President of the BCIS Parent Teacher and Community Association, Prue Morris has a lot of advice for new parents arriving in China. With tuition fees up around the US$25,000 mark, she says parents should feel happy about asking any questions they want – whether asking about school uniforms to how much homework children are likely to have. Ms Morris suggests attending a school assembly.

“Visit the school and see how happy the kids are.” She also stresses the importance of being clear about what type of curriculum the schools offer.

“If it’s a good school, they will also give you the names of other families of your nationality to speak to,” says Ms Morris.

Adrian Gonzales offers similar advice.

“School first or location first? Beijing is a big place and if you choose to live downtown that will affect your choice in schools. So decide your criteria,” says Mr Gonzales.

He also suggests families consider their return strategy – because whether returning directly to Australia or moving on to another posting will also have an impact on these decisions.

“Finally, put yourself in a situation to talk to people in Beijing because there are a lot of options,” he says. He suggests networking through organisations such as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and other expatriate groups.

“Expats,” he says, “are generally very happy to share their experiences.” ■

To read a case study on the expatriate high school experience in Beijing, click here.