Parent's Review of Ipoh International School in Ipoh, Malaysia

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

Ipoh International School

In what town or city is this school located?

Ipoh

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

International

What grade levels are represented at this school?

pre-school to pre-university

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Mostly parents' own transport (car) causing traffic jams in the morning and at dismissal time. This was a culture shock to us as in Japan, all the kids in elementary school walk to school.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

The facilities are adequate but can be better. All the classrooms are air-conditioned so that makes them comfortable in this climate. And there are interactive white boards in all the pre-school and junior school classrooms. They have a covered basketball court but a very small field.

You should pack food from home for your child since choices are very limited in the school canteen.

We heard from the management that they are moving to a new school complex in 2013 so we are expecting much better facilities there.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

The best I would say is the environment as everybody speaks English. This is important to us as we will be moving more due to my husband's job.

My son, who only spoke Japanese at home picked up very quickly from the time we moved here. There are also Chinese and Malay classes from pre-school onwards. Since the international school system is very different from that of Japanese schools, I cannot comment on the transition process.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

There is a Parents Association which is quite active. Teachers are not members. Only some of the school leaders sit in the committee with the parents.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

Request for a school tour and ask as many questions as possible before enrolling. It is also a good idea to speak to the head teacher.

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