ESF Bradbury School

Since August 2020, Kate Gower BSc PGCE NPQH. British, but Hong Kong born and raised, she was educated in the UK (boarding school followed by University of Greenwich and King Alfred’s University) but hot-footed it back to Asia as soon as she

Academically non-selective, but students must demonstrate sufficient English skills to ‘access the curriculum’. Those arriving from ESF Kindergartens (since 2022) are guaranteed a place all the way through primary and secondary ESF schools. Those

Those who finish year 6 tend to transfer to their ESF senior school of zone (mostly to nearby South Island School and several to West Island School). Bradbury school now feeds directly to South Island School. This transfer is ‘seamless’ (‘transition

In 2021, 50 per cent of IB DP candidates at ESF secondary schools achieved a 40+ score.

When ‘trailblazing’ ESF (English Schools Foundation) switched from the English national curriculum to IB PYP (International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program) over a decade ago, parents (particularly the British ones) took quite some convincing

SEN (or learning diversity as ESF are now calling it) provision at Bradbury is ‘outstanding’. We spoke to parents of children with dyslexia, and a range of processing disorders, who told us that while diagnoses need to be arranged externally, support

While children at Bradbury come from every corner of the globe, students admitted to ESF schools in Hong Kong need a level of English strong enough to ‘access the curriculum’. All children are given an interview and this is one of the main

We are told you ‘need to tap into the after-school clubs’ to get full-coverage of arts and sports, but the ‘variety is very good, with different options put on each term’. These activities sometimes cost extra (not unusual for Hong Kong) and are both

Sports teams (netball, football, tag-rugby and cross-country) are ‘low-key’ especially since Covid. PE lessons are twice weekly, once with a specialist PE teacher and another with the class teacher.

Being a primary school (in high socio-economic area), there are very few serious problems needing discipline beyond the usual classroom management. Parents tend to be hands-on, rather than neglectful (some schools in Hong Kong have issues with absent

Parents are a relatively down-to-earth bunch for Hong Kong, although it has been remarked that since the government subvention (subsidy) has been phased out, the demographic of the school has changed quite a lot, with more local and Mainland Chinese

ESF has traditionally been subsidised by the Government, making fees much less than other international schools. This subsidy was removed for primary years in 2021, and is being phased out for secondary years. Fees are now on a par with the lower end

A great option for those onboard with the IB philosophy. Bradbury School is a happy, welcoming and inclusive learning environment.