Bangkok, Thailand Report of what it's like to live there - 08/22/23
Personal Experiences from Bangkok, Thailand
School Name:
St. Andrews 71 (Nord Anglia)- British School
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
2022-2024- oldest- Y4 and Y5 (3rd and 4th grade), middle- FS2 and FS3 (preschool), youngest- FS1
3. What years did you live here?
2022-2024
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
There are many schools available in the city. There are also multiple St. Andrews schools, though they not affiliated with one another. St. Andrews 71 has two campuses. The high school is located within walking distance of the Phra Khanong BTS station. The primary school is located a bit off of the train line, but the school provides shuttles from the Gateway Ekkamai BTS station to the primary campus. We chose this particular school because it seemed very centered on the child. We had special education needs, and St. Andrews 71 was the only school willing to do the necessary testing to properly place our kids in the grades they needed to be in. They listened to us.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
Yes, they are. We applied prior to arriving at post. We did a placement test and sent it in remotely. After it was graded, we sat for a 2-hour interview for each of our children and answered many questions surrounding their growth and development. At first I thought it was excessive, but it really helped smooth the transition because they got to know my kids as individuals.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
The school is very hands-on with the students. I received timely responses to emails, and the school had many meet-and-greets with the teachers and administration at the beginning of the year, so we could get to know one another. St. Andrews 71 is truly an expat school, so most of the kids are from other countries. My kids didn't feel left out because students are always coming and going. My oldest routinely came home and told me about when other children planned to return to their home countries. The school has over 63 nationalities and routinely talks about how much they value inclusion.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
Overall the communication is good. If I email the teachers or the Family Support Team, I receive timely responses. My only critique is that they don't give us enough advance notice on events to plan for them. I found myself scrambling to get costumes for the Christmas holiday show or for the themed character book parade. Communication is facilitated through email, Seesaw, and Moodle. They also lack in telling people when event comes with additional fees.
2. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
There are fees for uniforms, residential sleepaways, extracurricular activities and their requective equipment (such as a gymnastics practice leotard and separate competition leotard or the school's swim suit), summer activities, and the annual fun day event.
Uniforms- A full set of uniforms includes your uniform tops, uniform bottoms, PE kit (top and bottom), swimsuit( the students all receive weekly swim classes as part of the curriculum), and house shirt. Rule of thumb is that each item will run about the equivalent of $10-12 USD.
Extracurriculars- depends on the sport. Soccer- cleats and a personalized soccer jersey or in gymnastics- practice leotard and competition leotard. Prices can vary. The most expensive items for me were soccer cleats and the gymnastics performance leotard (about equivalent to $80-90 USD).
Annual Residential- 2 night class trip to iCamp- around US$350 (11,000 Thai Baht)
Fun day- US$400 Thai Baht ($11-12USD) per student ages 4 and up; 300 THB for parents.
Summer activities- you pay by the day, so if each day of camp is about $12-15 USD (400- 500 THB per day), then the week at camp will be about $60-75 USD
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
I have younger children, but I imagine that there are dedicated college counselors in the high school.
Personal and Academic Counseling Support as Follows:
Academic support and intervention can include:
-Support from Teaching Assistants in lessons
-Targeted teaching groups in English, Maths and Science (Core Subjects)
-Exam Access Arrangements – testing and application of arrangements
-Primary and Post 16 transition advice & guidance
-Preparing for Adulthood – social communication, life skills and Well-Being curriculum
Social, Emotional, Mental Health & Well-being Intervention:
-Counselling and Well-Being Team
-Art therapy
-Play Therapy
-Behaviour mentoring from pastoral team
-Lunchtime clubs
-Sensory diets
-Extra-Curricular activities (ECA’s) offer
-Social Communication groups
-SEMH Intervention groups (including Friendship Groups, Social Skills groups, Wellbeing Groups)
-Primary transition support
-Post 16 and 18 transition support
2. Is there before and/or after-school daycare available? What are the costs?
Thailand is a very nanny- centric country, so the children can take the bus to school and will have bus services home after their extra curriculars, but you'll need to provide childcare beyond that. It is routine to have a nanny or a helper to receive the children if you are at work.
3. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
I can speak for the Primary school. They have a good sized library with all age-appropriate books. The books appear to be up to date and the children are allowed to check out books from the library and bring them home. They just opened a STEAM room at the library.
4. What are the technology requirements for students? Do they need their own laptops/ipads? How is technology integrated into the classroom and homework?
The children are issued iPads at school starting in Year 5 (4th Grade). They need tech at home to log into Seesaw for their spelling homework. At school they also use computers or iPads to access Bug Club ( reading) ,Epic books, and Top marks Maths.
5. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
They receive iPads to use during the day.
6. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
Red Room for gymnastics, multiple playgrounds and a lot of open green space for the kids to run around. There is also a swimming pool and an indoor gym space.
7. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
Preschool: About 5:1- The teacher has a primary assistant but also 2 class aids
Primary: Maybe 15ish: 1
8. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
IB curriculum- unsure if the full diploma is required, though I doubt it based on its focus on education diversity. The school says that every student is put on a path to graduation no matter their education needs.
9. Are students generally challenged appropriately by the curriculum? Please describe any particular strengths or weaknesses in this area. Do you have any thoughts how the curriculum is applied and implemented at this school?
I feel that they were. There were multiple expos during the year where I could see my child's essays on bigger subjects like their focus on Ancient Egypt. I was impressed with the level of detail included in the children's writings.
10. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
The kids had weekly spelling and nightly reading assignments. They also had optional holiday break homework around the larger modules they were studying. They had standardized testing and the children performed very well, so I feel the homework was sufficient given that the students exceeded grade-level expectations.
11. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
Music- singing and various instruments but not enough for a full orchestra
Drama- yes
Visual Arts- unsure.
12. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes, all of the teachers are from the United Kingdom and I met one teacher from Canada.
13. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
Gifted and advanced students are challenged within the classroom. Students are given optional assignments for holiday breaks and are encouraged to push themselves in their assignments.
14. What services are available for students with learning disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
St. Andrews 71 welcomes kids from diverse educational backgrounds with needs such as autism spectrum, dyspraxia, dyslexia, global developmental learning delays and physical disabilities. Children with additional needs are fully integrated into classes where appropriate, with additional support provided as necessary.
15. What services are available for students with physical disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
The campuses are inclusive and wheelchair accessible. I see many ramps. It is not U.S. standards but it is a huge step up from the rest of Thailand because the country has no disability access.
16. What services are provided for speakers of English as a second language at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
The school has an EAL program at an additional cost. They also have first language curriculums for Japanese, German, French, Mandarin and Korean. Depending on the language designation, thee student will be tracked into Thai classes and a modern foreign language. There is chart on the website around which child goes where. My daughter is a native English speaker. She took one Mandarin classes and Thai classes during the week. It's comparable to foreign language classes in the U.S.
17. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
Soccer, basketball, gymnastics, ballet, etc. You can sign up by term, so if your child is not interested, they can drop it for the next term. There are many sports offered in the school and countless other extracurriculars. Many of the children take multiple extracurriculars through the week.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. What is the climate for children with special needs? Is there a general attitude of inclusion for children with special needs?
St. Andrews 71 welcomes kids from diverse educational backgrounds with needs such as autism spectrum, dyspraxia, dyslexia, global developmental learning delays and physical disabilities. Children with additional needs are fully integrated into classes where appropriate, with additional support provided as necessary.
The kids with special needs participate in the classroom as long as they can and then are pulled out for their specific supplemental education and returned to class. The goal is to keep them as integrated as possible.
2. What is the climate for LGBT+ kids at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Does there appear to be any exclusionary behavior?
I can't speak on this due to the age of my children, but I have seen indications that the school is LGBT+ inclusive.
3. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
Yes, absolutely. There is a huge international day at the school including a culture parade and potluck.
4. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
I am sure that there are, but I found that the kids really include one another. When my child struggled socially, I found that she quickly resolved the issues with her friends. I have not heard of any larger issues.
5. What is the climate for students who identify as ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious minorities at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Have your children had any experiences in this area?
There is a ton of diversity in the school and my children have been able to bond with members of their racial and cultural backgrounds. Our family has not experienced racial, ethnic or religious discrimination and as far as I can tell, I haven't heard that complaint from any other parents.
6. What can you say about diversity among the faculty and staff at the school and their experience in supporting minority students?
The staff is very British, so the teachers and administration is majority white. The support staff, teachers aids, cafeteria workers and grounds keepers are hired locally.
The minority students do have a community in the school and they have teachers to look up to.
Overall Impressions:
1. What letter grade (ranging from A, excellent, to F, fail) would you assign to this school based on your overall experience? Would you choose it again?
A. Every school has room for improvement, but St. Andrews 71 puts their money where their mouth is. I would absolutely choose St. Andrews 71 again. The school has met all of our academic and social needs, and we could not be happier
2. Please describe some of your child's/children's highlights and challenges during their time at this school.
Highlights- great friends, interesting school topics, friendly teachers, tons of clubs, and a lot of encouragement to be independent.
Challenges- long school bus rides due to traffic (our pick-up time was 6:50 in the morning), and short notice on events at the school which can be particularly difficult for working parents. Getting up to the primary school is difficult during rush hour because the primary school is pretty far away from the trains.
3. Please tell us anything else you think prospective parents and students should know about this school. Thanks for your contribution!
There are countless schools in the Bangkok area, so it's easy to miss St. Andrews 71 (because there are a million St. Andrews schools in Bangkok). The school genuinely cares about the students. I watched my children flourish during our first year at the school. I can't wait to see where we go this year.
