Looking for an International School in Beijing ? Some schools propose specific national curriculum, such as the German School, the Canadian Schools, the French School, the Japanese School. Still, most of the Schools in Beijing propose the cjoice between the UK Curriculum and the US Curriculum. Which one is best for your children ?
First, a reminder of the schools in Beijing that offer the US Curriculum.
US Curriculum :
- International Academy of Beijing
- Beanstalk International Bilingual School
- Beijing International Bilingual Academy
- Saint Paul American School
Actually, the US Curriculum is state-based. Every US State defines its own curriculum but actually most of it is uniformized. In International Schools of Beijing, it is more internationalized to suit the country, the schools actually have a large choice to adapt their teachings methods and topics.
Nevertheless, American Schools must receive accreditation from any one of three different relevant organizations to ensure that they meet the standards : the WASC, the NEASC and the SACS. This procedure is there to be sure that the children can easily change school and at at ease once they are back in their home country, and that the teaching philosophy is in accordance with what id expected from US Schools.
Most of the US Curriculum schools will deliver a AP (Advanced Placement) diploma recognized by the US Universities and Colleges all over the world.
Now a few words about the UK Curriculum in Beijing, with a list of schools.
UK Curriculm :
- British School of Beijing
- Dulwich College Beijing (together with IB Curriculum)
- Harrow International School Beijing
- Yew Chung International School of Beijing (together with IB Curiculum)
The organization in charge of the UK Curriculum is the UK department of education. There are exams at the end of end 10 (GSCE) and year 12 (A level). The A-level is designed to allow access to Universities. The curriculum is more standardized than in US School since all the children follow internationalized versions of the national programme.
In addition to that, please note that some schools offer the IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum n addition to the national curriculum.
Anyway, when you want to choose a school, you’ll have to do your own homework and above all visit the schools, meet the staff, maybe parents and know what you want for your children and hat most suits them. This is the first step even before thinking about an apartment.
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