International schools

[needtomovesomewherewarmer]

What do I need to know about the difference between a British international school following the national curriculum and a international IB school? Pros / cons of each? What do I need to be thinking about to aid making a decision? Children are almost 7 and almost 5 (and 2).
Thanks

How long are you planning to be overseas? A school following the NC should make a return easier, if that's what you are planning (it's mostly independent schools that follow the IB in the UK).

Depending on where you are, an international school might well essentially be an American school, which is fine but will tend to drift US-wards for things like curriculum, sports and term dates

My experience is with schools in Asia, and I would say with the ages your DC are, it doesn't matter that much, go for the school you get a good vibe from.

As they get older, the difference between IGCSE & Alevel v IB is bigger, but at primary level, go with which school feels right, fits your budget and location

The main difference would be the approach to learning ime. PYP is arranged thematically so numeracy, literacy etc are explored through topics such as transport and are driven by the child's interest rather than early formal learning of the basics. You tend to get less emphasis on history, geography and religion as they cater for a broad range of pupil backgrounds.

Just check the international school is following NC, and not the Cambridge System.
Have a look for PYP - that's usually what IB schools do in primary years. As far as I can tell, PUP is much more free, and teaches within topics, where as NC teaches mire by subject. But that might just be the schools I've experienced.
If it's a British NC v IB, I'd go for the school which has a good reputation, and feels right. I'd avoid Cambridge.

blackwhich we are looking at Tokyo if you have experience there? The British school follows the English NC. We are at early stages of planning and anticipate support from DHs company but I’m a complete detail freak and like to know as much as I can before entering a decision so doing my homework.

There is an IB school recommended in Yokohama. I’m unsure whether to be guided on where to live by school or vice verse.
We currently live in a rural village and children are in a school with an intake of 15. So this will be a huge shift for them. I certainly like the idea of a shift to flexible learning through topics rather than strict subjects.

Costs will be covered by company so hopefully not an issue.

The placement is 2 years with a plan (at the moment) to return home. Obviously that could change.

DunesfSand - what do you dislike about the Cambridge curriculum?

One advantage of the English NC versus the IB PYP is that it is much more straightforward to support your child and/or plug gaps with the English NC as there is such a wealth of standard published materials and experienced tutors. Parents can find it hard to measure their DC’s progress with the PYP. My sister’s DC all did PYP, at a very highly rated international school, and I was quite underwhelmed with aspects of their (fiendishly expensive) education.

It may have been the implementation of Cambridge in the school we had the misfortune of attending, but my YR was taught ABC, not phonics, and my average Y2 came in exam week, and came top of the year having not sat any lessons in that school. I reckon it was about 18 months behind the UK. The maths was exceptionally dull.
"We are learning number bonds to 8. Here are 3 A4 pages of sums whose answer is 8. Answer them. Now we are doing number bonds to 10, 3 more pages (in year 2)" The reading was fixed by class, not by ability.
In the one school I have experience of, there was no differentiation, all rote learning, any way behind the national curriculum.

The Cambridge curriculum is, I think, designed with non native speakers of English in mind.

It depends on where you see yourselves in the future. You DC are young and don't 'need' to follow the NC, pick a school that feels right for you or even where the children who will be their peer group attend.

We found our DC wanted to stay in a British School which followed the NC, but after they sat their IGCSE's they had to switch to the IB or US system.
Our DC had As at IGCSE but the IB was a nightmare for both. Too many subjects to study that they had to excel in to pass.

User i believe it is too, but that doesnt always make it the right call for those with native level English.
It is one I would avoid coming from the UK.

Dunes - I’m sure you are correct that the Cambridge curriculum is not the right choice for children coling from and/or returning to the English national curriculum. Thank you for your perspective!

The British School in Tokyo follows the English curriculum (there is no such thing as a UK curriculum, by the way) and has a good reputation. If you can get your kids in there, I would go for it.

I would stay away from PYP if you want any semblance of rigor, quite honestly.

At those ages just go with the school that is most nurturing and supportive to your children, in my opinion. We are currently overseas, children are still young but for reception we are considering a British school, an IB school, and a US school. I'n actually least interested in the British school because it has the largest class sizes and least diversity compared to the others.

Completely agree with @Kokeshi123

At those ages just go with the school that is most nurturing and supportive to your children, in my opinion.

As someone who attended a nurturing and supportive (but academically weak) international school for two years at a similar age range, I suggest the OP picks a school where kids learn stuff as well as having a lovely time. I came back to the UK system very behind in subjects like maths and needed tuition to catch up. It added to the reverse culture shock!

I'm not saying the IB school that the OP mentions is like that, necessarily--just that academics matter as well as pastoral care, and that this should be investigated when picking schools.

Kokeshi123 depends on the school really. At 7, 5, and 2 I don't think of "academics" beyond the fundamentals. In my city there aren't any international schools, IB or otherwise, that don't produce children who have a solid grasp of these, so I'd be surprised if Tokyo does (I'm also in Asia).

Mmm, I don't know whether it is a question of different expectations or cities being different, but my experience of international schools is that a lot of them are really weak, especially in relation to their fees which are often extortionately expensive! Lack of accountability, constant coming/going of pupils and teachers, vague curricula etc.

Not true of all ISs, but it is definitely true of several I have seen in Tokyo and elsewhere.

International schools are confronted with a whole raft of structural weaknesses: high student turnover, highly diverse student population, high share of EAL students, high distance from home to school, little exposure to English in the outside environment, difficult teacher recruitment. These may partially be compensated by high levels of family socio-economic avantage, small class sizes, high share of very heavily invested parents (trailing expat spouses are often FT parents in a big way) etc.

Kokeshi123 yes these can all be true - and especially the fees.

Maybe it's just where I am, but the British school here is like an island, the children could literally be anywhere in the world with no connection to the wider culture. It defeats the purpose of living overseas in my opinion.

My view is curriculum is one of many factors in choosing a school while on an expat posting, especially as the reality may be said posting goes longer than 2 years (happens all the time) or the next trip isn't back to UK but to another country. In which case being wedded to English NC could be limiting.

brookshelley - the ability of international schools to connect their pupils to the culture and social fabric of their host country varies wildly and I tend to think that English NC overseas schools, a bit like French overseas lycees, are not well predisposed to be very good at making that connection.

That «connection» of children to the culture and social fabric of their host country comes chiefly from the social circle and local business network of the parents. Actually, the parents of the majority of French overseas lycee parents are brilliant at this. At least in Asia, there are loads of mixed families (local/French) and a school population who increasingly stay for years because the education and safety is much better than the equivalent in France, especially for college.

Some of the French lycées have addressed issues relating to critical size by recruiting heavily among the local population. Others, where there are large French populations, are bastions of Frenchness!