[hangover]

Originally Posted by ashokrajagopal

I only have 2 requirements -- large grounds, and 100% pass(not distinctions and ranks).

You may consider BEML Shishya school. It's in GM Palya, Kaggadasapura. It's got a huge 1 acre compounded ground. It has another half acre unfenced ground for general activities.

Though it is indeed founded for BEML employees, only 30% are factory staff kids. The rest are from all social backgrounds.

It's CBSE based. Couple of my office guys kids are studying there. They say good things. Now they've received investment from some big group and have spruced up the classrooms and generic school equipment.

I seem to recall the fees being around 60-70k. Far as I know they don't ask for donations. The road in front is BEML property though open for public use.

In a twisted PSU mentality the road is deliberately kept in a terrible state. It's like an Iraqi road. Their logic being, if roads are good, people will go fast.

That aberration aside, it's a good school.

2nd choice can be Frank Anthony Public school in Ulsoor. They issue forms in the 1 st week of each calendar year.

3rd choice is Bishop Cottons. Donations are supposedly requested.

4th choice is poorna prajna in Yelahanka.

All these have real estate for kids.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by ashokrajagopal

It seems to me like the older convent type institutions that have about 50k fee per year would be able to accommodate children from a wider background. Am I way off reality here ?

I dont know if it is too much to expect a school to have children of roadside workers and NRIs in the same class. But is there a bunch of schools I could look at where normal people(read teachers, nurses, clerks, police men ) etc could afford the fees ? I only have 2 requirements -- large grounds, and 100% pass(not distinctions and ranks).

Depends on the area where you are based. The older schools probably will satisfy your criteria better. Considering Bangalore traffic, it will be advisable to pick a school in such a way that the commute time is reasonable.

Originally Posted by hangover

So if nothing else, my kid knows perennial rivers better than a hydrologist.

My point being, we gentlemen have to take an interest in kids studies.

Hopefully we can explain better. Since we know about this and that.
Except differential calculus. That, to me is more blood chilling than facing a man eating tiger. A tiger is just an overgrown cat.

Else, as many have commented, there's a good chance "mugging" and merely passing useless exams becomes accepted as normal. It's not. It shouldn't be.

Nice post. Reflects my thoughts exactly right down to differential calculus . Another curious trend I see in my circle and surroundings is that teaching at home seems to be a 'mothers job'.

[sairamboko]

Been reading the recent posts. I am in a similar situation . My kid is June born and he is just 2 now. Should I enrol him in a Montessori or wait till he turn 3.5 and enrol him in LKG. Also any suggestions for affordable but good schools near Kasavanahalli or Sarjapur Road please.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

My kid is June born and he is just 2 now. Should I enrol him in a Montessori or wait till he turn 3.5 and enrol him in LKG.

Joining a kid to a Montessori at 2 years is the biggest mistake one can make and is realized only after learning from experience.

Children don't know anything at 2, what happens is they put stuff into their mouth at school and get sick often and also most of these caretakers wack/hit the children at Montessoris taking advantage that small children cannot easily articulate and complain. Children will gain nothing by joining early and all that needs to be learn't at that tender age can be learned at home (like music based animated learning DVDs, rhymes etc) Its just the over-eagerness/anxiousness of parents that make them hurry to join them somewhere fast.

Better wait till the kid is 4 years and join him in LKG. They will be a lot more mature (relatively compared to 2 years) by then.

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

Been reading the recent posts. I am in a similar situation . My kid is June born and he is just 2 now. Should I enrol him in a Montessori or wait till he turn 3.5 and enrol him in LKG.

Hi,

If there is a play school close by which you have heard good things about, you may consider enrolling your child at a playgroup (2+) or nursery (3+) My daughter went to one such place since she was 2 years and 3 months old before moving onto UKG to a bigger school this year at the age of 5 and our experience has been good. Don't expect too much 'learning' to happen at this stage but the child has an opportunity to interact with other kids, make friends and generally be oriented to spending some time every day away from home which would be the case when they start going to a proper school. As someone else commented, nothing substitutes parents spending time and effort teaching their kids.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

Been reading the recent posts. I am in a similar situation . My kid is June born and he is just 2 now. Should I enrol him in a Montessori or wait till he turn 3.5 and enrol him in LKG. Also any suggestions for affordable but good schools near Kasavanahalli or Sarjapur Road please.

Would recommend enrolling in a big school in June 2018 when your kid turns 4. You can technically start Pre-KG or Mont 1 in June 2017 at 3+. But since your will just turn 3, may not be advisable to start in pre-kg in a big school.

If there is a good play school near by, you can think about sending your kid there. Not to learn anything, but more as an opportunity to interact/play with other similar age kids. 2-3 year old kids have a lot of energy and even with a stay at home mom (or dad) keeping them engaged the whole day is not easy. So a play school will be a good change. Caveat is that it should be a good one and close to home.

On schools, there are tons of schools in the Sarjapur Road area. Unfortunately most are on the expensive side. The closest and cheaper ones would be Notre Dame Academy and St Peters. I think these are in the range of 50-60K per year + transport and other stuff. Vibgyor is another one that will be close. As you go down Sarjapur Road, schools just keep coming. For Sarjapur Road, the 'mid-range' schools will be the ones with ~1-1.2L fees (including transportation). Of course, these increase on a yearly basis.

[raghu.t.k]

Originally Posted by NPV

...

Even if the child has to join a year later, do not worry. It is good for the child as mental development will be better when he is in school. In my daughters class, she was one of the youngest and we found that the other older children found it easier to cope up at least till class 3.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Agree with NPV. I am also of the opinion that its better to be older in the class than younger. Your son will just over 3 years in June 2017. That is too young to be in lkg. As NPV said here in Karnataka for lkg the child should be 3 yr 10 months. Many schools still take kids above 3 years 6 months. But have not seen schools take into lkg before that.

But I know in TN, the general trend has been lkg at 3.

Originally Posted by hangover

Frankly my kid too had this minimum age problem to face. I was told by well wishers to declare a false age and put the kid in a good school.

I refused. Not because I'm honest and law fearing. I refused because my kid has 12 years of school to "suffer". Let them enjoy a little now. So my kid was 4 years 6 months when Lkg started.
...

Thanks guys, as I checked the CBSE criteria, it mentioned 3.5 years. Even I am not of the opinion that we need to rush him to school, given the competition of dog-eat-dog world. At the same time I dont want him to be at a disadvantage.

Will look at some pre-school just to get used to the fact of schools and classes.

[kvish]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

Been reading the recent posts. I am in a similar situation . My kid is June born and he is just 2 now. Should I enrol him in a Montessori or wait till he turn 3.5 and enrol him in LKG. Also any suggestions for affordable but good schools near Kasavanahalli or Sarjapur Road please.

Having a daughter aged 5, I can say that enrolling her to a montessori was a very good decision. I know I have to go through the tough task of hunting for a school next year, which is not very easy, but the last 3.5 years, she has really enjoyed every minute of it.

It boils down to the specific school and how much they are focussed on taking the Montessori method seriously. I also believe that if you do get your kid to Montessori, stick to it for the entire duration till he is 6.
The reason is that when the kids are between 3-4, there is a huge variation in the grasping abilities and since the child is not forced to learn in montessori, they may be at the wrong end when they go out to the full fledged schools. Giving them enough time will make them more comfortable and at the end of the term when they are 6, they are almost at/above par with what is needed for a 6 year old.

Yes, there are infant montessori programs that start from just over 2 years. Visit the school and decide.

Hope this helps.

[kutoos]

Originally Posted by ashokrajagopal

My 3.3 years old daugher is now going to a Nursery ( half day); planning to send her to day care post noon.
I am in that "worried" frame of mind regarding admitting her to LKG in a proper school in 2017 june.

I am from a typical middle class background. Eventhough I did schooling in a private ICSE school in TVPM, consider myself fortunate to have had class mates from a wide variety of economic backgrounds.
Judging by the price range of fees, it looks to me like the high rated schools can be used only by wards of IT guys, business men or anything upwards.

It seems to me like the older convent type institutions that have about 50k fee per year would be able to accommodate children from a wider background. Am I way off reality here ?

I dont know if it is too much to expect a school to have children of roadside workers and NRIs in the same class. But is there a bunch of schools I could look at where normal people(read teachers, nurses, clerks, police men ) etc could afford the fees ? I only have 2 requirements -- large grounds, and 100% pass(not distinctions and ranks).

Ashok Sir,

The term "Proper School" is a misnomer, for it is entirely prejudiced by the way our peers respond and also to a greater extent the marketing efforts done by the school.

Please do your research well keeping in mind the following factors:

1. Distance from your residence, trust me when i say that this is a biggest factor to be considered, as the small kid will end up travelling 50% of his/her waking hours leading to ennui at a very early age.

2. With boards aplenty, check the history of the school, typically any school which has been in existence for more than 10 years will have their teething done and be more inclined to conducive learning eschewing the hype and noise which surrounds the educational system these days.

3. Schools with well ventilated class rooms and fair enough space for them the oplay are also important as it will not dull them.

4. Prepare to spend a good amount of time with your kids during their formative years, this is out of my own experience as i was too busy trying to fill up the leprechaun's seventh pot of gold.

Getting fixated on a particular school and getting all worked up will not help. Children these days are quite smart and are able to grasp things quickly, they just need a little patience and they will bloom.

Also regarding your query of getting a mix of students from all social strata, i guess these days the RTE act is in prevalence and schools who admin under this guideline take on students from the less privileged sections of the society as well.

I've heard stories from my wife, who incidentally is a school teacher, stories about kids from the upper / lower echelons of the society (both good & bad) and it's hard to say that this company is good or bad based on their social standing.

As a parent of two kids, i've run through the gamut of emotions, from wanting to get them in a school where everyone else would appreciate to a more saner what is best and practical. So far there are no regrets.

Cheers

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by ashokrajagopal

It seems to me like the older convent type institutions that have about 50k fee per year would be able to accommodate children from a wider background. Am I way off reality here ?

You are right, around 50K these days would accommodate those from a wider background especially when many mediocre schools are charging 1.5 lakh plus. My son goes to a 50K school and I really like the fact that many of his peers are children of ordinary working-class folk -- I think it helps him to stay grounded and there is no peer pressure unlike for instance my nieces who go to an international school and constantly hanker for specific brand name merchandise (shoes, clothing, backpacks, phone, etc.) based on what their friends have.

We were surprised recently when someone lower down in my wife's team used his entire annual bonus to pay his child's school fees of Rs. 2.5 lakhs. That school requires the fees for the entire year to be paid at the beginning of the year. And strangely, that school is just an ordinary one.

I studied in a convent and older convent schools do tend to have larger grounds in most cities considering that most of these date back to pre-independence times. Over 12 years ago when I was looking for a school for my son, I was adamant that I would put my son in one of Bangalore's oldest convent schools, but I had to change my mind when I found out how far it is (Even 7 kms can take an hour or maybe two in Bangalore traffic). I therefore enrolled him in the first school he got into and I am happy with my decision.

100% pass means that the school weeds out underperforming children in 9th grade and enrolls them in NIOS or issues a transfer certificate. So this criterion of yours may be of no importance at all.

Originally Posted by kutoos

The term "Proper School" is a misnomer, for it is entirely prejudiced by the way our peers respond and also to a greater extent the marketing efforts done by the school...

All excellent points!

[sairamboko]

Thanks all for your replies!! I really dont see the point in getting an admission in the so called international schools. I am just going to put my son in a play school, just for him to interact with other kids. I read a reply where they said Sarjapur Road has all expensive schools. Any pointers on an affordable schools? Any reviews on Sri Ravishankar's school? I heard the fees is 60k and they give receipts for donation, which is 50k.

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

You are right, around 50K these days would accommodate those from a wider background especially when many mediocre schools are charging 1.5 lakh plus. My son goes to a 50K school and I really like the fact that many of his peers are children of ordinary working-class folk -- I think it helps him to stay grounded and there is no peer pressure unlike for instance my nieces who go to an international school and constantly hanker for specific brand name merchandise (shoes, clothing, backpacks, phone, etc.) based on what their friends have.

All excellent points!

Wow! 50k fees? Which school is it?

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

Wow! 50k fees? Which school is it?

Closer to 60K actually, Bethany High in Koramangala.

[ajitkommini]

Originally Posted by for_cars1

Joining a kid to a Montessori at 2 years is the biggest mistake one can make and is realized only after learning from experience.

Children don't know anything at 2, what happens is they put stuff into their mouth at school and get sick often and also most of these caretakers wack/hit the children at Montessoris taking advantage that small children cannot easily articulate and complain. Children will gain nothing by joining early and all that needs to be learn't at that tender age can be learned at home (like music based animated learning DVDs, rhymes etc) Its just the over-eagerness/anxiousness of parents that make them hurry to join them somewhere fast.

Better wait till the kid is 4 years and join him in LKG. They will be a lot more mature (relatively compared to 2 years) by then.

Unfortunately you seem to have had a particularly bad experience but just to take a contrarian view here, a lot depends on which school you choose. A large majority of institutions claiming to be montessori accredited are in fact more like informal playgroups geared towards daycare than any actual learning. My daughter attended an actual montessori school from age 2 and we are really happy with the outcome. Probably better to enrol in a good montessori than stay home - but also better to stay home than put them in a mediocre playschool.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

My kid is June born and he is just 2 now. Should I enrol him in a Montessori or wait till he turn 3.5 and enrol him in LKG.

Montessori based schools generally have a 2 yrs and 8 months to 3 years minimum age, this will ensure that the child is at least 5 years 8 months or more when he/she is in Class 1 since Montessori schools follow the 3 year pattern instead of 2 years as with the KG pattern.

I'll be surprised if any school is ready to enroll him at 2 years!

Also, for better mental development of the child I suggest you don't send him to school till he is around 3 years old.
For my daughter, we were told by the school where we wanted to admit her for the Montessori that they wanted children to be raw, that is no prior knowledge of the alphabet and said it is better to avoid sending her to any play homes - apparently this works very well for the Montessori method as their style of teaching will ensure the children learn the right way. This was one of the best decisions we ever took since we saw her learn so quickly and so well (it was a very different experience for us as parents since we'd never seen this before)

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by hangover

Frankly my kid too had this minimum age problem to face. I was told by well wishers to declare a false age and put the kid in a good school.

My kid is December 2013 born and is 2.5 years old now. People in my friends and family circle kept asking about our plan for his school admission, and few suggested to get him start with Nursery this year. I checked few school websites about age range/limit for admission and now I am very confused. I think he is too young for Nursery admission this year, and will be 3.5 years old by beginning of next school calendar year.

If he start next calendar year
3.5 - 4.5 - Nursery
4.5 - 5.5 - Junior KG
5.5 - 6.5 - Senior KG

I think it is OK, your views please.