International Schools

[TallGirl]

I've been doing some on-line research about International Schools in Jakarta. One thing I don't yet understand is how easy/difficult it will be for my kids to return to our home country (USA) if they have been attending an international school like BIS which seems to follow a UK model. My oldest will be in middle school.

Since it seems that JIS and BIS are very full these days it seems prudent to look at other schools. Also, can anyone tell me what National Plus school are well respected?

Thanks!

[HugoBoss]

It depends what you want. Middle School and High School students can make the move from system to system. Apparently BIS is full in Grade 6 (Year 7), but has vacancies in the other year groups. Give them a call - I found them helpful.

[Puspawarna]

I can only give you my experience, which may or may not have relevance to you depending on the ages of your children. When we moved here, my son had completed 2 months of 4th grade in an American-style school. He was not accepted at JIS, so he attended AIS, which not only follows an Australian (Victorian) system, but also adheres to a southern hemisphere academic schedule, AND combines grades. (5th and 6th grade are together.) When it was time for middle school, our son shifted out of AIS and into JIS, returning to an American curriculum and schedule.

It seemed like a big deal at the time, but in retrospect it was really no problem. Because of the differences in school schedules, he essentially skipped 4th grade, as he went into 5th grade at AIS. However, he was then in 6th grade for a year and a half, since he left AIS mid-year to start JIS at the beginning of their school year.

Given his age and the extent to which both schools are pretty good about individualising their approach, it was a lot less disruptive than it sounds, and I don't think any harm was done. Of course, the situation could be quite different depending on the age/flexibility of the children concerned, and what you anticipate doing following the posting here.

[waarmstrong]

Hi, You might want check out Sinarmas World Academy (SWA) it is unique international school located in BSD, west of Jakarta, located 20 minutes from Pondok Indah and 40 minutes from the Jakarta CBD.

I hope your other information regarding the school is more accurate than the travel time estimates.

[kaseyshiver]

Attending JIS and then going back to the states would be no problem at all.

[werjin1029]

agree with ^

[ReveurGAM]

To ensure your child won't have a lot of trouble, you first need to consider if your child will go to a public or private school in America. If it's public, and you put your child into a high quality International or (some) National Plus school, your child should have little trouble adjusting. If your child starts in one place with a special curriculum and then switches to a more traditional one, there will be a period of adjustment that may or may not be significant depending on just how big the differences are (not just the curriculum but the style of interaction and learning, etc.).

For example, a child moving from a non-standard Australian Primary Years Program to a National Plus school I worked at initially had some serious trouble but, with help, was able to catch up.

If you're looking to put your child into something special like Montessori or Waldorf, oossibly IPC or a grade-flexible program, it's best to do the same in America.

Best of luck,
Glenn