At beijingkids, our secret weapon (or maybe it’s not so secret as they are featured at the front of the magazine every month) is our group of dedicated parent board members who we meet with monthly over lunch to discuss things ranging from life in Beijing to which schools are doing a great job or really ruffling people’s feathers. We rely on these amazing individuals to help us stay up-to-date, and they just so happen to be a fun bunch to grab a bite with.

For this particular meeting, we decided to focus on what are some of the right questions to ask if you are looking at schools for your child. Picking a school can be a very difficult decision, especially if you are fresh off the boat and also have a million other things to consider when first adjusting to life in Beijing. As our parent board is well versed in both life and education in this city, the discussion was very heated! What you’ll find here are some highlighted questions and tips for things to ask potential schools that many newcomers might be unfamiliar with, so that you can move beyond the standard “how far and how much” kind of questions that we primarily consider when selecting a school.

[From left to right] Lise Floris, Dominika Mejia, Juliette London, Elisabeth Koch, Marianne Daquet, and Mike Signorelli

For a non-English speaking family, language and a curriculum that supports that language can be super important. For the people that come and go after three years, they also need to consider where they will be learning after China. For example, the French School uses the French program, so after your child can go to any French school around the globe to complete their education after you and your family leaves China. The same applies to International Baccalaureate students and any other curriculum that is internationally recognized.

How would you define your campus culture?
The cultural mix of the students and teachers at the school is an essential consideration. While living in China, you want your children to study with Chinese students, because that’s essential when it comes to the experience of immersion and learning the Chinese language and culture. But alternatively, there’s the recognition that if you have an uneven number of Chinese and expat students, this can change what happens in the classroom academically and also make it more difficult for your child to make friends. Finding a balanced classroom and a balanced curriculum (one not centered on test scores) can be a challenge for many new families.

What’s included in the price?
This varies from school to school and can be a source of a headache for many parents. Some schools include transportation and lunch, while some schools don’t. Some schools include the price of uniforms and school trips, while others don’t. This is worth doing your research to determine whether or not the prices you are given are the actual price or there will be other things eventually tagged on. One way to check for this is by looking at our listings in this School Choice Guide, where all costs including the application fees are carefully listed to make sure that you are getting an accurate idea of how much you will eventually be charged.

What’s the school’s current availability?
Beijing is one of those cities where people come and go in equal measure. This can lead to varied class sizes, and if you have multiple kids that you want to attend the same school, availability at the school of your choice needs to consider before applying (and paying the application fees). One child might get in while the other child’s class is at capacity, so make sure about this before you move forward.

What kind of learning support does your school have?
It’s important to see if your school has programs for extra help for learning disabilities and if it comes free with tuition or at an additional charge. This is a hot topic at the moment. Sadly, learning support for children with difficulties is not always available at Beijing international schools leading to many families having to go out and seek support privately. This being said, regardless of whether or not your child needs this sort of support, this question can tell you a lot about a school and how they make both their curriculum or facilities more accessible to those with difficulties.

How good is the school at communicating with teachers, administrators, and parents?
How a school communicates can be a complicated thing to work out before enrolling but taking a look at their website is a good indicator of how might will be. If they are not communicating well in the public forum, then it is likely that they are not going to be successful communicating within the school community. But, this isn’t always the case and should be taken with a grain of salt. Not every school has the money or resources for large marketing departments and must depend on their academic reputation, and there’s nothing wrong with that. To determine if this is the case, we suggest you also ask other parents. Ask if there is an active parent community or if there are WeChat groups that you can get connected with to learn more about how the school manages the flow of information between the classrooms and parents.

Photo: Kipp Whittaker

Check out the beijingkids School Choice Guide 2019-2020 for more helpful Beijing international school info

There are many factors when choosing a school. Location, facilities, ethos, and fees all need to be considered. However, one choice faces families in Beijing’s international community which few need to consider in their home countries: the curriculum to be followed.

Most governments around the world have established a national curriculum, to standardize the content and quality of education in their country. The US is one significant exception; there the idea of a federally-mandated curriculum was explicitly prohibited by legislation in 1965, with state and local government having a significant role in setting the agenda. However, most US schools adhere to a voluntary curriculum called the “Common Core.”

China too has a national curriculum. Until 1988 this was very prescriptive, with set syllabi and textbooks, but has been gradually loosened as part of a general drive to modernize education in the country. The curriculum includes moral education, which will sometimes have a political flavor to it.

Schools which only accept foreign passport holders are free to teach however they wish. However, schools which are open to Chinese students are required to teach certain elements of the Chinese curriculum from Grade 10 onwards. These requirements include not only Chinese language and culture, but also Chinese history, geography, and politics.

Beyond the Chinese curriculum parents broadly have a choice of following either the US or British system. The British curriculum – or more accurately the English curriculum, as Scotland has its own educational structures – includes an international program. Exams are taken in two stages: IGCSE at age 16, which covers a broad range of subjects, then more specialist A-levels at 18. Many international schools though prefer to work towards the IB (International Baccalaureate), which allows students to study a wider range of subjects than for A-level.

The American system does not rely on a final examination, but on grades earned throughout secondary education. A student’s “Grade Point Average” (GPA) will often be a crucial factor in gaining admission to college. Students also take standardized tests: Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs) or American College Tests (ACTs).

For younger students, there is a wider range of approaches. Many kindergartens use the Montessori method, where the child’s interests and curiosity lead their learning, rather than a fixed timetable. Other child-centered Early Years approaches include Reggio Emilia, and Multiple Intelligences.

Another important question in an international environment is the language which is used for teaching. Most international schools in Beijing offer tuition in both English and Mandarin, with many offering a third language such as French or German. Some teach predominantly in the student’s first language, while others adopt a variety of bilingual approaches.

The choice of curriculum is a significant factor in choosing a school, but not an all-important one. It may seem, for example, that if you want ultimately to attend college in the US, that you would be better following the American curriculum, but this is not necessarily the case. International schools work toward internationally-recognized qualifications, and the curricula all cover the same core subjects. There is enough flexibility too within curricula for individual schools and teachers to express their own style and approach.

As always when it comes to choosing a school, the question is not “which is best?”, but “which is best for my child?”

Photos: Uni You

Download the 2019-2020 beijingkids School Choice Guide for up-to-date info on Beijing’s international Schools here!

Beijing No. 55 High School Christmas and New Year Party
Students and teachers from Beijing No. 55 High School International Department had a wonderful get-together in a party to celebrate Christmas and the New Year on December 23. The performances showed the talents of students.

YCIS Beijing Christmas Concerts
Yew Chung International School of Beijing ECE Kindergarten and Primary students joined in Nativity-themed Christmas Concerts on December 12, celebrating the meaning of holiday through a mixture of singing, dancing, acting, and instrumental performances.

SE21 in Dulwich College Beijing
A large group of DCB Year 5 and Year 6 students joined in the first Hackathon held in the school’s brand new and new state-of-the-art STEAM center, known as ‘SE21,’ last December 13.

Keystone Winter Celebration Honors Global Citizenship
International-Mindedness was this year’s theme at Keystone Academy’s Winter Celebration, held on December 15. Being internationally-minded is a value that Keystone aims to foster in our children through our curriculum.

Preschool and Elementary Winter Concerts at CISB
The annual preschool and elementary winter concerts at Canadian International School of Beijing were a great success. Classes sang lovely holiday and pop songs, danced to inspiring music and presented several student-written plays. They were so pleased to be able to share them with their families and friends.

WAB Elementary Students Write, Perform Original Musical
Elementary students at Western Academy of Beijing took active roles in creating their original production, Come Fly with Me, presented last December 13. Rather than just finding a part, memorizing the lines and performing, all 39 of them were integral in every step of the process, including story development, script-writing, set design, costumes, music, choreography, stage direction and beyond.

ISB’s Compass Quest Series Explores Northern Yunnan
International School of Beijing’s middle school students opted to spend their first week of winter break discovering northern Yunnan as part of ISB’s Compass Quest Series.

BSB Sanlitun Reception Christmas Production
On December 7, all of the hard work of students from The British School of Beijing, Sanlitun paid off when Reception performed the Christmas Extravaganza to their family and friends. From Santas, to Reindeers, from Toys to Snowflakes, they sang and danced their way to the top of Santa’s good list!

Canadian Government Officials Visit BCIS
On November 16, Beijing City International School hosted a delegation from the Canadian government, including Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations. Mr. Hussen addressed Grade 11 and 12 students at the secondary school library.

BWYA fINe Arts Festival
The student council at Beijing World Youth Academy’s IN campus in Lido organized a special evening of performing and creative arts on December 15, inviting the school community to celebrate the artistic talent of its students. Called the fINe Arts Festival, the event showcased everything from music to dance, painting and sculpture.

HoK Christmas Celebration
Students and teachers of House of Knowledge Schools and Kindergartens assembled together on December 15 to celebrate Christmas. The festivities kicked off with a special performance for parents as the students sang and danced on stage. Santa Claus also joined us and brought lots of gifts!

Thousands of Families Gather at beijingkids and JingKids School Fair
The 10th Beijing International School Expo, which took place on January 13-14, looked to the future, as schools showcased cutting-edge ideas in education. Around 3,000 families gathered at Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel to meet and talk to representatives from 67 schools and 32 other education providers. CCTV 2’s Global Financial Report broadcast live and reported about the growing importance of the bilingual and international education sector in Beijing.

Lighting of the Tree at Harrow Beijing
All students from the Lower School of Harrow Beijing, together with parents and teachers, gathered to celebrate the holiday season in the Lower School’s annual Lighting of the Tree production on December 8. The pupils performed festive holiday songs and musical instruments for the audience and each class produced a wish to hang on the tree. It was a very sweet and charming concert full of festive cheer and a wonderful way to kick-start the holiday season!

Ivy Bilingual School Kicks Off Spring Festival Celebration
Ivy Bilingual School Orchid Garden Campus began a grand celebration for the Spring Festival on February 2. The school helps revive the traditional Chinese cultural legacies for the children to experience such as traditional lantern making and lantern riddles, all designed to leave kids and parents with sweet memories.

3e Elementary School Winter Recital
3e Elementary School students held their first Winter Recital in the new campus’ theater on December 19. The program included choral performances, piano, and violin solos and was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the first semester in the new campus and the festive season with their parents.

Photos: Courtesy of Schools; Uni You
This article appeared on p58-63 of beijingkids February 2018 issue.

Happy Chinese New Year from beijingkids!

Chunjie falls this year on February 16, and ushers in the Year of the Dog. The Dog is associated with action – it’s all about doing, not thinking. (It may not surprise you to learn that US President Donald Trump was born in the Year of the Dog.) By the end of the year, according to thechinesezodiac.org, you will feel “happy, yet frustrated, rested, yet tired, cheerful, yet dull!” So just another year in Beijing then…

Plenty to See at BISE 2018

January saw the return of the city’s biggest bilingual education event, the Beijing International School Expo. Over five thousand people packed the Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel to learn more about over 60 schools, listen to distinguished educators tackle the burning issues of the day, and find out about other education and development opportunities for their children. Cameras were in attendance from CCTV2, who broadcast live from the event.

Mr. Blue Sky Comes Back to Beijing

One piece of good news arrived at the end of 2017: the city’s attempts to improve air quality finally began to bear fruit. Pollution was lower across the whole twelve months than in any of the last five years. If you doubt it, visit the website of our sister publication the Beijinger, where you can see photographs taken from a Beijing rooftop every day by a local resident, and watch the blue skies increasingly replace the gray.

#MeToo is now #WoYeShi

The fight to put a stop to sexual harassment of women opened a new front in Beijing last month. Luo Qianqian, a former student at Beihang University, went public on Weibo about the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of Chen Xiaowu, a senior academic at the college. Luo used WeChat to find other women who’d had similar experiences, and they presented their evidence collectively. An investigation found Chen guilty, and he was stripped of his post and scholarships. The Ministry of Education has since announced they are developing new policies to protect students.

Photos: the Beijinger, Uni You, Pixabay
This article appeared on p6 of beijingkids February 2018 issue.

HD Bilingual Schools are popping up all around China at an astounding rate, in cities like Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, and as of 2017 in Beijing as well. We couldn’t be more thrilled about their vibrant addition to China’s educational landscape, and the prestige that comes along with their sister school affiliation to a school like Hurtwood House.

Hurtwood (HD UK) is regarded as being one of the most prestigious and academically rigorous educational institutions in the UK right now. With almost 50 years of experience refining their methods, they’ve carved out a niche for themselves as innovators in creative learning and teaching techniques, while also being a powerhouse in visual and performing arts study.

On January 13, beijingkids and JingKids had the pleasure of speaking with the founder of Hurtwood House, Richard Jackson, Headmaster Cosmo Jackson, and HD School partner Rick Johnson during their visit to the 2018 Beijing International School Expo.

It’s not often that we get the opportunity to have a dialogue with such individuals that have had such a major impact in the world of academia, so we leaped at the opportunity to pick their brains regarding the school’s founding, boarding life, and how they are prepping their students for a future that is full of uncertainties. 

(From right to left): Richard Jackson, Cosmo Jackson, Kipp Whittaker

beijingkids: Was it your immediate goal to open a school that was different from the more orthodox ones that you probably grew up with or did it just happen organically through being a product of the progressive educational landscapes of the 70s?

Richard: Absolutely, it was always designed to be a different school, but modeled of course on the great academic traditions of an English education. But this was the 60s and 70s, and this was a time of great change in England. These were exciting times. As indeed I sense this is a time of change in China. Also, there was a new spirit in the air, and everything was changing socially. I feel that if it wasn’t me, then somebody would have sprung up and said; “we can do things a little differently, we can keep the best of the old, but maybe we can just nudge things along a bit in a different direction.” That seemed really important to me at the time. Everything seemed to be moving at the moment, but maybe the great educational system was just a little complacent and could do with a shove.

beijingkids: We’ve noticed that Hurtwood House is very much known for its programs in the performing and visual arts. Has this always been a focus and what other areas of your curriculum are you particularly proud of?

Richard: I think that the performing arts, in particular, delivers so much to the individual student. I’m talking about their ability to think creatively, their ability to develop initiative, and their ability to develop self-confidence.

I can remember, that there has always been a bit of resistance in England by fathers in particular who think, “I don’t want my son to go on the stage, I want him to be an engineer or an accountant,” and one father was struggling with this concept when we were doing a tour of the school, and we passed a student and asked him if he could explain  to this nice gentleman why he was interested in theater studies and drama. He got up and said; “Do you want me to tell him about the curriculum or how it changed my life?”

So there are very few subjects that are life-changing in this respect. So I think the combination of academic rigor with the creative subjects, gives you a foundation for life. What is education? Is education just about these 18 years? Of course, it is about accessing the top universities, but it’s also about providing you with the equipment to cope with whatever a hostile world may throw at you over the next 80-years.

So that kind of ability, or the ability to think on your feet and to be creative, will help these people to become the captains of industry. They are going to be the decision makers and the leaders. So it’s always struck me that there is a form of education that breeds obedient followers, who sit in straight lines in the classroom and do what they’re told. At Hurtwood, we breed the leaders, the people who are going to give the orders, the people who are going to have the ideas, and that’s where the creative subjects come in. It’s not just theater studies in terms of art, textiles, music technology, and IT, there are many areas in which we’ve pushed forward and which we’ve valued.

Cosmo: I think that we are unique in our devotion to those creative subjects, but at the same time it’s the pillars of academic rigor that are allied to that creativity. So in terms of which department are we most proud of, yes the theater and the filmmaking departments but actually the mathematics department and the economics department. You know these are hugely important to us. More people at our school take maths as a subject, but understand in English education you have free choice. I’m sure that people in China would feel; “well surely you take maths!” You know it’s a given, but you have in Six Form a free choice, and you have a school that has a reputation, and you look at our literature, and you see a predominance of creativity throughout it, but actually beneath all of that, maths is by far the biggest and most important subject in the school, and that provides the foundation for so many of those university courses.

JingKids: When you’re recruiting your students from elsewhere, do you have a preference? Because you obviously put a focus on creativity, so are the kids favored if they are very talented in some way?

Cosmo: I personally meet every student, so I do the interviewing. That was something my father did for nearly 40-years, and to be honest we sit down and recruit the young kids that we like. When you’ve sat down and had a conversation with them, sometimes they are going to be incredibly academic business students of the future, sometimes they won’t be so academic, but they’ll have passions and flair for something. I don’t want everyone to be the same. If we had 350 identical students that would be terrible. So generally, we are looking for the passion and the enthusiasm in a student, and we are looking at their character.

Richard: And the contribution that they are going to make to the school. It’s a two-way process. We are going to contribute to them, but they also have to contribute to us.

Richard Jackson

beijingkids: Going further into this, we understand that Hurtwood is very popular among Chinese students looking to study abroad. How have you made your school more accommodating to international students?

Richard: I think there’s an irony here because we’re expecting someone to shift from their entire culture, to travel thousands of miles to move to an environment where they know nobody. It is staggering how well the Chinese students adapt. And, the irony is that we have English students who live within twenty minutes of the school and have been to boarding schools before, who find it more difficult. It is extraordinary, so we often find ourselves singing the praises of the Chinese, in particular for their ability to adapt very quickly to their new surroundings.

Cosmo: That’s also something I’m looking for in an interview. We don’t have an entrance exam for our Chinese kids, so I do interview about 500 Chinese students a year. I have at least 500 inquiries that I start with and must interview about 150-200, and I probably recruit about 25 each year. So, somehow I’m making some personal, instinctive decisions.

JingKids: You can also refer these students back to HD Schools in China now.

Rick: I think that’s very much part of the sisterhood as well and the whole concept of what we’re trying to do here. So if we were looking at the read-across between the two groups, the recruitment of teachers is a primary example of help that is being directly provided by us in the UK, but also the preparation of kids here in China at HD schools to make that transition much more relaxed and to give them a head start so that they can come ideally to Hurtwood. 

beijingkids: As all of you have been involved in education for quite some time, what in your opinion makes a great School?

Richard: I think the most important thing for us has been establishing a genuine contact with each student. I also think that is the most difficult thing for a school to do, and the bigger the school, the more difficult it is to make sure you are reaching the student in the classroom and catering for their individual needs. So one of the things that we did from day one in our school which was different from any other school was to put in a very comprehensive system of weekly monitoring. Not only of the student’s academic grades but also how they were feeling and how they were settling in and contributing to the community. This has made a huge difference.

beijingkids: This system of constant student feedback must not be an easy thing to maintain, was this always a part of the Hurtwood model?

Richard: Right from day one. What I found upsetting as a parent was getting reports from schools saying another wasted term. So the feeling was why didn’t you do something about it, it’s a bit late to be telling me now? So the point was, let’s fix this as it can be fixed every five working days. I think again this process of engaging each person begins with that first interview with Cosmo. You sit down with the student on a sofa in our drawing room, and you establish a personal relationship with that student, and that personal relationship survives through the two years that they are at Hurtwood.

beijingkids: How would you say that Hurtwood is preparing students for a future that is full of uncertainties, especially regarding the job market?

Rick: This question also links back to the great school question. With the job market being uncertain, for kids going to school now and starting here at HD at age three-years-old, those jobs don’t even exist yet. So, 25 years from now, when they’re in their late twenties, they will be doing jobs that we don’t even know today what they will be. There will, of course, be doctors and lawyers and so on, but there will be whole sectors of industry that will be created over the next generation for and by these kids. If my child can graduate with options and with the ability to apply the learning that they’ve had in any way that comes out, then they’ll have a really good chance at being successful rather than being a direct line, singular product that just thinks in one particular driven way. They must have the ability to think right and left as well as ahead. That creativity which flows through the Hurtwood ethos again is all about being able to look left, right, straight ahead, and in fact behind.

JingKids: You are opening so many schools in China now, and I understand that the essence of British schools is their boarding system. But in China these schools aren’t always necessarily boarding schools, do you think it needs to be?

Cosmo: I don’t think it has to be. There’s an essence that is delivered through the boarding, but it can also be done through the daily experience. I think the moment that you remove the child one stage further from their parents, at whatever age is appropriate, then suddenly they have to learn how to stand on their own two feet. I think going back 50-years in British education (in reference to “The Crown”) is that if you made life really unpleasant for these students, then they became men. That worked for some people, but it broke a few people I think in the process. So, we’re not trying to break people.

Rick: There is boarding at both HD Ningbo and Qingdao, in the same way, that it is at Hurtwood, and the concept that boarding in our environment is very much an educational process. In part, the education continuity of teachers being in the classroom, on the sports field, and then in the boarding house putting kids to bed at night, and you get to see children in a completely different environment throughout your day. If we get to learn how to unlock them, or how to motivate them so that when you go back into the classroom the following day, and you see a child is not perhaps responding as well, maybe you can use another technique that you saw on the sport field or in the boarding house to motivate the child to learn a bit better. That is the concept of our pastoral care system; it’s not about accommodation or a nannying environment. It is very much an educational process, and it is very much a community.

beijingkids: How do you think that education has changed and will change, and are there any examples of Hurtwood driving innovative education practices?

Richard: We talked about never being complacent and moving on. I think there’s a lot of work which we do at the moment, studying the whole process of teaching and learning. What makes a good teacher? What makes a good learner? How do these processes work? How long can a student concentrate for in the classroom? What’s the best method of reaching them? I think that all schools now share their best teaching practices amongst their staff. None of this was happening 10-20 years ago.

Photos: Courtesy of HD

Here we asked international high school students about what extracurricular activities have been memorable at their respective schools. Beyond helping make a well-rounded student, extracurriculars provide all sorts of fun and opportunities for these young students to explore other areas of interest. Here’s what they had to say about their individual experiences. 

Caio Motta: The British School of Beijing (BSB), Shunyi

What are some of your most memorable academic endeavors, extracurricular activities, or school trips you have taken part in over the past four years?
The most memorable trip was the one in Year 12 where the teachers and Year 12 students went to Tanzania which also incorporated my IB CAS project work, charitable work, and a safari. This was a life-changing experience that myself and my colleagues will remember forever.

How have these activities provided by your school helped shape you as a person?
Completing the Tanzanian project taught me various skills such as how to build and use tools, how to talk to the locals and make myself understood, how to appreciate the wildlife and what is being done to conserve it in Africa.

Beyond academics, has your school been helpful in providing electives and extracurricular activities that cultivate your interests?
We have chances to take part in many IB CAS activities working at migrant schools; there is also a variety of sports programs that are held after school since we are part of ACAMIS.

Chelsea Lee: Yew Chung International School of Beijing

What are some of your most memorable academic endeavors, extracurricular activities, or school trips you have taken part in over the past four years?
Some of the extracurricular activities that were really meaningful to this change are football, Dew Drops Charity, and Roots & Shoots where I was able to learn and mature in aspects such as cooperation, leadership, and responsibility.

How have these activities provided by your school helped shape you as a person?
Through the welcoming environment provided by our school, and through working with innovative and enthusiastic teammates that were passionate about the club, I became more confident in attempting new things.

Beyond academics, has your school been helpful in providing electives and extracurricular activities that cultivate your interests?
Through our CAS fair, I was able to establish the Roots and Shoots Club and the Dew Drops Charity, developing them into fun and meaningful clubs that thrive both within and outside the school.

Simon Floris: Western Academy of Beijing

What are some of your most memorable academic endeavors, extracurricular activities, or school trips you have taken part in over the past four years?
My favorite thing to do at WAB is by far singing in a choir. I’m in two different school choirs, HS (High School) and the APAC (Asian Pacific Activities Conference) Choir. The former is mandatory for the latter, where we perform all over Asia. It’s challenging, but oh so worth it.

How have these activities provided by your school helped shape you as a person?
I think APAC Choir has taught me to improve my ability to feel more comfortable: in front of an audience, yes, but also next to singers I have just met, with homestay families whose house I’m invading, and even with conductors who have their own Wikipedia page.

Beyond academics, has your school been helpful in providing electives and extracurricular activities that cultivate your interests?
I absolutely love movies, and I’m lucky enough to go to one of the few schools in Beijing that take film seriously. Not only is there a course, but there’s the Identity Film Festival (for which I have been head of submissions), and many other opportunities to develop my skills.

Photos: Courtesy of BSB Shunyi, YCIS Beijing, WAB

This article originally appeared on p96
of beijingkids School Choice Guide 2018-2019.

Beijing International School Expo 2018, which took place this weekend (January 13-14), looked to the future, as schools showcased cutting-edge ideas in education.

Parents plan their route around the stalls

Thousands gathered at the Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel this past weekend, to meet and talk to representatives from 67 schools and other education providers. In recognition of the growing importance of the bilingual and international education sector, cameras from CCTV2’s Global Financial Report were present to cover the weekend.

CISB were just one of the top international schools at the Expo

The theme of the Expo was Innovation, and in packed lecture halls leading educators from all round the world tackled the issues of the day: what sort of education will be needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century? At the VIP Salon on Sunday evening, educational entrepreneur Chris Whittle presented his vision of a modern school: global, personalized and open.

Chris Whittle sets out his vision for the modern school

As always, the Expo recognized that not all the learning children do takes place in a classroom. Some of the most valuable lessons happen when they’re being challenged to create and work as a team. Parents could learn more about scouting, skiing, and swimming, as well as graphic design, fashion, filmmaking, and other hobbies which will stretch and develop growing minds.

Parents were able to talk to a wide range of educational providers

For many Beijing students the ultimate goal is a place at an American college, and the Expo introduced them to organizations which can help them achieve their dream. Wailian Education Group is one example, offering consultation with current admissions tutors at top US schools, help with bumping up that all-important Grade Point Average, and even career advice for after graduation.

Hyde Academy Principal Jennifer Sachs meets prospective parents

But it wasn’t all serious business. Kids built dinosaurs under the safe supervision of Baowei Kindergarten, while their parents got a free styling courtesy of Blow+Bar. One surprise hit of the Expo was Gululu, an interactive water bottle, with cute animated characters encouraging kids to stay hydrated. And Beijing International Bilingual Academy (BIBA) enticed families to their stand with tins of magnetic goo, which fascinated the little ones.

Gululu interactive water bottles were a big hit

Feedback on the event has been overwhelmingly positive, with schools reporting many leads for new students, and also commenting that it’s a great opportunity to meet and network with other schools. When it comes to planning the educational future of your children, Beijing International School Expo is still the biggest show in town!

Photos: Uni You, Andy Penafuerte III

Haven’t gotten a chance to go to the first day of the 2018 Beijing International School Expo? No worries, our school fair continues today until 4pm. 

The first-day turnout reached approximately 2,500 people – or roughly 900 families – who all sifted through the tightly-packed booths, all wanting to find the right school for the education of their children. Besides that, all of the six lectures yesterday had gone beyond full capacity.

To save you from all the hassle of lining up, we recommend that you register before going to the third floor of Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel. Also, remember that we have six more talks happening today. For the full list of Day 2 lectures, visit this page.

Remember that there are a lot of restaurants in the area. Just hop across the street and go to Viva Mall, or look at this article to find the best places to get grub. Our yellow-clad volunteers will also be there for any questions that you might have.

See you around!

Photos: Uni You

We hope you are excited as we are for the eighth annual Beijing International School Expo (BISE). It should be a great weekend of communing with the best of the best of Beijing educators in Shuangjing’s Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel. What’s more, the entire beijingkids team will be there on site helping out, so you can meet us in the flesh.

As we approach the date, we would like to kindly inform you that though it looks like the weather won’t be too much on the frigid side, with the temperature resting between 3-7 degrees Celsius, the AQI should be in the 150-200 range for the entire weekend. So get those dusty masks out of the cupboard, and filters changed.

It may be slightly polluted outside, but we won’t let anything hinder you and your family from meeting personnel from over 65 Beijing international schools and 35 extracurricular programs. We will also feature supervised play areas for the little ones, a series of informative lectures in English and Chinese, and much more.

Don’t wait for the day to come before you register! Scan the QR code below to go directly to our registration page.

Also, if you are looking for more to do while in the area following the event, here are some helpful blogs explaining some of the fun activities and delicious food to be found in the Shuangjing area courtesy of our knowledgeable editorial team.

The 2018 Beijing International School Expo is sponsored by