International School Admission

Hi
I wanted to know about possibility of getting admission to International Elementary School after completing Japanese Public Kindergarten.
My son only knows only basic English so how difficult it will be to adjust in the totally different environment?
Anybody having experience of sending kid to international school Right after japanese public kindergarten?

Before I go too far with info - do you mind if I ask your nationality?

The reason I ask this - is attending an international school will limit your child's ability to attend Japanese school in the future. I'm yet to come across an international school anywhere which does 2 languages well.

As an international school teacher - learning English from this age is actually kind of normal. They will find it difficult for 6 months - but will pick it up quickly at this age.

Attending a school with more Japanese speaking students will be much more comfortable for your child - but will also significantly stagnate their ability to learn English as most of the communication outside of learning will be in Japanese. Note that these schools tend to aim at expats and charge an arm and a leg as businesses normally pay. YIS, ASIJ, St Marys, SEISEN, Canadian Academy and a few other come to mind.

So to put it simple - it's not really a problem with students to begin to learn English at the start of primary school. However - I would DEFINITELY look into the legal ramifications of letting your child attend an international school if they ARE JAPANESE with Japanese citizenship. It may have changed in the last couple of years - but international schools are kind of a grey area when it comes to legality for schooling.

Hi

Thanks for the reply!

I am Indian and planning to stay at japan till 2025 and if everything goes well than may be till 2027.

My son is attending japanese kindergarten from last 2 years so kind of adjusted now.He is enjoying alot and having many japanese friends but my only point of worry is the fact that he may find difficult to adjust once i will be back to my home country.

Also incase i will opt for japanese elementary school i am not sure if international schools will accept my son after grade 1 or 2 ?

There are quite a few indian schools in major cities in Japan. They are significantly cheaper than other international schools - but may not be up to the same standard as YIS or ASIJ. However - you'd also be able to send 4 or 5 kids to an Indian School compared to the 2 other schools.

From previous experience - quite a few of the teachers of the Indian schools are often the wives of Indian workers in Japan. I don't know enough about the teachers in this school to say that's a good or bad thing.

I do know that there are often very strong Indian community groups in major cities over the world. Getting first hand experience would probably give you the best answer than a general forum such as here.

Ok thanks for the info

I am staying at kobe so i don't have any nearby indian school but having many other international schools like Canadian academy,St Michael etc .

I will check in other forum as well.

Thanks

Canadian Academy is the best school in the Kansai region - but it is a bit pricey. It's also on Rokko Island so it's in a bit of an odd location.

I don't know much about St Michael's - but I have walked past there. It's in a bit of an odd area and playground space is an area of concern. It's also only primary from memory....