Moscow news
-
25-Aug-2008
International Schools in Moscow
There are now at least four major international schools offering English-medium education in Moscow. In the last two years, new arrivals - the English International School and the International School of Moscow - have challenged the monopoly held by the Anglo-American and British International Schools in previous decades.
Demand is such that all these schools have packed classrooms, and some have plans for extension. There are advantages and disadvantages with each school, and negotiating this maze of educational possibilities has proved bewildering for both parents and children. In Moscow, there seems to be a greater incidence of switching from one school to another than in other cities, and this is largely due to real or perceived inadequacies of a particular institution. The subject remains an emotional one with expat websites and discussion groups often witnessing heated debates.
LATEST NEWS
Ukraine to hold air defense drills with live firing in September
16:38 04/09/2008 | Ukraine is planning to conduct large-scale air defense exercises with live firing on the Crimean peninsula at the end of September, a Ukrainian navy source said on Thursday.
Court sanctions arrest of Euroset vice president Levin
16:30 04/09/2008 |A Moscow court sanctioned on Thursday the arrest of a vice president and a deputy security chief at the Euroset company, Russia's largest mobile handset retailer, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
Ukraine parliament speaker says ruling coalition dead
15:16 04/09/2008 |The Ukrainian parliamentary speaker said on Thursday the Our Ukraine party, headed by the country's president was pulling out of the pro-western ruling coalition after just nine months in power.
Cheney hails 'courageous' Georgia, condemns Russian 'invasion'
14:51 04/09/2008 |U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney urged the "free world" on Thursday to rally with Georgia against what he called Russia's invasion, and pledged to bring Georgia into NATO.
more news
The oldest international school in Moscow is the Anglo-American School (AAS), founded in 1949, as an independent, coeducational day school, chartered by the American, British and Canadian Embassies in Moscow. They offer pre-kindergarten (4-year-olds) up to grade 12 (18-year-olds) following an international curriculum that can be supplemented in high school with International Baccalaureate certificates or a full IB Diploma. The AAS campus, on the banks of the Moscow Canal near Tushino, was opened in August 2000 and overlooks scenic Pokrovskoe Streshnevo Park.
The facilities in this new high-security castle (described by one parent as having a "disturbing and surreal atmosphere") include wireless Internet throughout the school, computer and science labs, art rooms, theaters, an extensive library, fitness facility, playing fields, tennis courts and even an ice rink in winter. Recent additions include a much-heralded swimming complex, a particularly welcome feature for families at the school, as is the large cafeteria that offers pizza, pastries and frothy coffees to students and their parents. In terms of facilities, AAS wins hands down. None of the other current competitors even come close and yet the fees are no higher than some other schools. Add to this the fact that it is a lively, not-for-profit international school and you would seem to have the answer to every parent's prayer.
The main problem with AAS is that despite having 1226 students currently enrolled, they do not have enough places to satisfy the demand. AAS has long waiting lists in most grades and operates a ruthless system of prioritization by which diplomatic families and those from certain companies are allowed to jump the queue. The system of admissions is far from transparent, with some students having to wait years for a place in the school. The thousand dollars' registration fee does not even guarantee that your child will automatically stay on the waiting list until a place becomes available and, of course, in the meantime, the unlucky children have to look elsewhere.
But there are other reasons why some parents deliberately opt for other schools. Some claim that the academic standards at AAS are lower. Certainly, the international program and American-style ethos favored at AAS are not identical to the ‘UK' system, and some British parents prefer to opt for a school that follows the National Curriculum, especially in the early years, when the discrepancies are most marked. Some also complain about a lack of flexibility, particularly in terms of special-needs provision. With no shortage of applicants, the school can afford to make its own rules about who to admit. There is also the problem of size. For some children, AAS is overwhelmingly large. There is, at times, a corporate rather than a family atmosphere.
The AAS Director, Drew Alexander, says: "AAS offers... outstanding educational opportunities to students representing 60 nationalities. AAS faculty, students, staff, parents and sponsoring businesses are all partners with high expectations who work together to achieve quality results."
The next school to appear in Moscow was the British International School (BIS), founded some 14 years ago and teaching a variety of ages and curricula at a variety of locations throughout the city, including a primary section in the elite residential compound at Rosinka. This chain of schools was originally jointly owned by British and Russian partners and is now wholly Russian-owned with ambitious expansion plans and a new central campus. The facilities in the older branches, especially the northern campus, which has traditionally been favored by foreigners, could never compare with AAS. The buildings are old, the classrooms are small and the ‘theater' consists of a makeshift stage at one end of a stuffy, overcrowded hall. Add to this numerous complaints about the management and organization of the school (described by one parent as "bordering on the chaotic"), and you can see why when the new International School opened in the Krylatskoe area, there was a mass exodus of (mostly British) families from BIS.
But BIS has weathered such storms before. When AAS opened its new campus there was also a temporary drop in numbers, but the school survived and continues to follow its own course with a few compromises, such as a massive order of new books for the woefully inadequate library. The school teaches the English National Curriculum from ages 3-16 and then offers the International Baccalaureate for 16-18 year-olds. It survives in part because it has become one of the schools of choice for wealthy Russian families who want their children to learn English from an early age. After a year or so at BIS, the students are often totally fluent.
The strength of BIS is its academic standards. The small class sizes (often around 16 in a class) compare very favorably with other schools and are conducive to learning. The exam results are high, and parents have commended the school's flexibility in moving children between year groups and sets as appropriate. Moscow parent Jennifer Eremeeva says BIS has "excellent teachers," but she complains about the lack of infrastructure and communication. She is planning to send her 11-year-old daughter to boarding school in America. Eremeeva added: "It's unfortunate that Moscow doesn't offer more viable options, because like me, a number of friends have or are considering boarding school options outside the country."
Two years ago, the English International School (EIS) opened in the east of the city. The Headmaster, Ross Hunter, has an enthusiasm that is infectious for Moscow and for education. The school has grown from 36 when it first opened to 150 students in the coming September and has plans to open a second primary section. Like BIS, it makes a virtue of being a small, friendly school with a family atmosphere, and Hunter also puts emphasis on the PE, art and music programs and the new summer school. During ‘Culture Week' at the end of last term, the students took the boat through town, and the joint art/history trips to the Tretyakov Galleries end with an architectural tour to the head's own house in a riverside Stalin Skyscraper. "Business in Moscow is always a challenge," admits Hunter, but the city is always "buzzing energy into you." Like the city, he says, the school is always changing and adapting, it is "a verb not a noun;" as for Moscow, he says "see it, live it, enjoy it."
One year ago, the International School of Moscow (ISM) came crashing onto the scene, heralded by an intensive advertising campaign that was all too successful. Frustrated parent, Erica Newland, who has moved her children to AAS after a year she describes as "particularly difficult," said, "I found the teachers at ISM to be completely overwhelmed with the number of students and the expectations." Having said that, many parents are happy with the atmosphere and some are delighted by the ultra-smart uniform, speech day at the Marriot, featuring the British ambassador, Sports Day at Luzhniki Stadium, and so on. Gro Larsgard from Norway says: "My two kids, Peter, 8, and Marie, 6, are at ISM, and we are very happy. The school is not too big, so I feel that my kids know most of the other kids at school. The thing with us as parents is that we just want our kids to be happy, and my kids are."
The Moscow News