Best schools in Bangkok?

[MaybeBKK]

Can anyone help with recommendations?
We're considering a potential move to Bangkok and I have a chance to add a couple of days to a work trip to check out schools, housing etc.
Oldest child is about to start 10th grade (Yr11) in IB school. She's not going to have GCSEs/IGCSEs so schools doing A levels are out and we must have an IB school for her. We could delay moving her until end of school year if we wanted a school doing IGCSEs in Yr 11 and IB in Yrs 12 adn 13.

So far I have on my list as the top 3 schools to check out:
IBS
Patana
NIST

Also thinking of checking out St Andrews.

Other than that, any other recommendatins or thoughts on those schools? Also have two other children about to start K (Yr 1) and 7th grade (Yr 8) and ideally would love all 3 in same school. I'd be workign in the city but would suck up a commute for myself to save the kids having one so we'd want to live quite close to whichever school we choose.

concordian school is good and goes up to age 18 from nursery

Thanks! Just looked but i should have said also need a school offering French for the ib programme because my dd really wants to continue with it and Concordian doesn't do that.
I think I'm down to those four on my list to check out.

Can recommend Harrow Bangkok - but it doesn't do IB. PM me if you'd like to chat more about the school

A really good international school should consider a student without GCSEs even for A-level, as they should be used to accommodating students from all over. So don't rule out A-level schools such as Bangkok Prep - get in touch with their Admissions department and see what they say.

IB and A-level are very different systems so figure out what would suit your daughter and go from there.

There are 2 St Andrews, both good. Both are owned by big school groups although once upon a time they were part of the same family. St Andrews 71 (Nord Anglia) is more central but has 2 campuses now, so can involve a tricky commute or use of school buses even if you're local. It's a popular school, well-established.

St Andrews 107 (Cognita) is less central (out towards Patana) but is literally at the entrance to the BTS, so many children arrive by BTS or parents live close to school and commute themselves using the BTS. I know this school better. Big changes recently, huge new sports arena just completed, plenty of green space. Definitely going through a really positive development phase in terms of mamagement and facilities, and growing but still has a small community feel. Early Years is particularly great. They offer Film, Psychology, and DT at IB which many schools do not. They have a good French department including a native French speaker. I believe 71 also has a good French department.

The other 3 on your list are all definitely 'top' schools but also often very oversubscribed. Patana in particular may not have spaces for all the year groups you need, though they are likely to prioritise a native English speaking family in order to maintain an international feel rather than becoming too Thai. Just a gut feeling but NIST 'feels' more American (I don't know NIST well but do know kids who go there).

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions that I might answer more openly than on here.

And enjoy your recce of Bangkok!

Thanks for that very helpful advice @Eledamorena

The thing about A level schools is not so much whether my dd could be accepted (I assume she could since she's obviously educated to GCSE level even if she hasn't taken the exams), it's the lack of GCSEs in Maths and English or 5 GCSEs overall. If she has the IB, then that obviously supercedes GCSEs and she'll do English and Maths as core subjects. But if she does A levels, say in History French and Economics, she won't have any proof of her level of English and Maths and would need to take GCSEs in those subjects at least, epsecially if she goes back to the UK at some point (which she probably will). So we definitely have a strong preference for IB over A level.

I think i'm down to visit the Nord Anglia St Andrews. Based on your advice, I think I'll also request to visit the other one.

My friends taught there, the education offered was good but the kids apparently were over privileged and poorly parented with severe drug and alcohol problems in even grades 8&9. Shocked them despite them being from inner London

ISB is the more ‘Amercian’ Of the ones you have listed. NIST is more IB oriented. Pagans is more ‘British’ but all three are offering the IB Diploma and courses.

With Bangkok, so much depends on where you intend to live and how much time you want you or your kids to spend on traveling.

Good point OP re IB covering core subjects, especially if returning to the UK. I love the IB anyway, just aware it isn't for everyone!

Agree with another poster re your location being so important. Many people choose schools based largely on location to allow for short school run and commute. BTS is brilliant so if you can use that for both, that's a bonus. But I drive to school/work and my husband has a drive and then BTS to work, and it's fine for us. In some parts of BKK you'd be mad to do this though!! Do you know where your work will be based? And if you will have slightly flexible hours?

I highly recommend seeing as many schools as you can squeeze in, and come armed with as many questions as possible! Ask to meet students if possible, not just admissions or the Head.

Best of luck!

My office would be near Rama VIIi bridge so no brt or mrt station close by unfortunately.

Priority is to find the right school and I'd deal with the commute somehow. I would want us to live reasonably close to whichever school we'd choose so the kids aren't spending hours each day in Bangkok traffic.I would have flexitime so could beat the traffic a bit.

I'm down to see 5 schools now:
Isb
Nist
Pataba
And the 2 st andrews.
I only have 2 free working days there so they're pretty packed now.

I second Harrow!

I was also running idea of a levels past dd1. She thought it was an awful idea and was quite horrified when i told her i stopped learning English and Maths as subjects at 16. She definitely prefers the IB!

Harrow does A levels which wouldn't be right for dd1

ISB and Patana are both a long way from Rama 8 bridge. It sounds like NIST or St. Andrews would probably be better for you.

Thank you @timetomoveon

I've also seen that ISB and Patana would be quite a commute but the main thing is really to find the best school and neighbourhood for the children and I could make it work. I was even looking at the Chao Phraya Express boat to get to work from around ISB!