schools assessing 5 yr olds

[Owl100]

This is a bit of a rant just to get something out. The title says it all really. Needed to attend a two hour morning at the school and you leave your child there. Mine got a bit upset and then later saw me (i arrived 15 mins early) and then would not go back into the group. We will not know for another 4 weeks or so if we have a place.

I feel really annoyed. We are dangling and waiting and the child is only 5!

[Shanghaidiva]

My children are at a school in China and it is normal for the children to be assessed and spend some time with their year group. IME at that age assessment is pretty informal.
4 weeks is quite a long time to wait. Is there only a limited number of places available?

[Owl100]

I do not wether the places are limited. I do not have many bilingual school options, in fact this is the only one and I am putting pressure on myself to get a place so getting a bit worked up. It is not the end of the world just feels like a hassle and unnecessary lack of transparency.

[laptopwieldingharpy]

Yep, normal here in hong kong too.

At 4 & 5 its "an informal assessment".

By 6 its a formal academic test and by 7 its a 2:30 hours full on english/math written test, verbal logic AND "personality" interview!
Then you get through and realize the school is all show.
F***g depressing.

[butterfliesinmytummy]

My just 4 year old had a day and a half of tests to get into private school in the USA. Fortunately she could do them in school here in singapore but I was that she had to do it. Apparently it's the norm..... Had we been in the USA at the time of applying, she would have done a morning's observation at the school too....

[deXavia]

I am thankfully past this - although both had to do assessments. But chatting to a mum the other day whose daughter had been "rejected" at 2.5 from one of the international schools here. At 2.5 I'd have just been glad if mine had pee'd on the floor!

[RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief]

dexavia My 2 year old had an assessment for a K1 place. He had to go into the classroom on his own with the teacher and 4 other kids. 50% of kids fail just because they wont do that. The problem is that the international schools are so oversubscribed here (HK) that they have to pick somehow. He passed (the Thomas train set swung it for us) but got waitlisted. The place he's actually going to also assess but that's more to weed out people who have lied about being able to speak English.