Darasamut Phuket School/Dow Roong Vithaya School

Darasamut and Dow Roong Vithaya are non-denominational schools run by the Sisters Immaculate of Mary Catholic Order. Both offer kindergarten to primary Grade 6 education. Dow Roong Vithaya offers Grade 6 to pre-university diploma education as well. Lessons are in Thai with an additional one-hour English lesson every day. There are two terms per year (May-October and November-March). Classes are made up of 45 students. Fees are 2,300 baht per term.

Sister Srivieng Apornrat is Director of Darasamut and Principal at Dow Roong Vithaya. “We take our philosophy from our parent organization, the Foundation of Surat Thani,” she explains. “We believe that students should have a good moral foundation, high standards in all subjects, be well-disciplined at all times, develop the initiative to study for themselves, and leave here ready to help improve society.”

The success of students is judged on their completion of the curriculum and, like many Thai schools, there is an emphasis on being fully prepared for further education.

Sister Srivieng firmly believes that a school should benefit its local community. “Our Boy Scout troop does regular community work such as cleaning local temples and collecting food for the poor,” she explains. “We also have an annual handicraft fair to raise money for local disabled children.”

All staff at the school have BAs in Education. “We try to recruit the best graduates from all the teacher-training colleges in the area and staff attend annual seminars to keep fully up-to-date with developments in education.”
Tel: (66 76) 212 392. E-mail: darasamut@phuket.ksc.co.th

Dulwich International College

Dulwich offers a British-based curriculum from kindergarten to Sixth Form. Lessons are in English, with additional Thai lessons for all students. The school awards qualifications in GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education), IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and IB (International Baccalaureate). Maximum class size is 22. There are three terms per year, and the school offers boarding facilities. Fees range from 40,000-100,000 baht per term.

Christopher Charleson is the Headmaster. “We aim to create a friendly atmosphere and a spirit of community within the school,” he says. “We have 37 different nationalities attending the school – hopefully we can all learn from each other. Pupils should feel happy, secure, motivated and challenged here.”

The school advertises in the international press and recruits staff through Dulwich College in London. The staff are mostly British, are well-qualified and have experience teaching a British and international curriculum.

Dulwich has a very active PTA (Parent Teacher Association) that contributes greatly to social functions and the induction of new staff and pupils. “We provide parents with regular reports, consultations and newsletters,” explains Mr Charleson, “and we’re currently setting up a website to which they’ll have access.”

“I believe the school has contributed to making Phuket a more attractive place to live for families,” he says. “Our senior students are very active in the community and frequently visit local prisons, orphanages and hospitals to help out.”

“We aim to produce students who are well educated and well prepared for entering a global society, but who are also independent, socially aware, critical and ethical. Our measure of success,” says Mr Charleson, “is the high calibre of the students who graduate from the school.”
Tel: (66 76) 238 711/20. W-mail: admin.enquiries@dulwich.rsu.ac.th
www.dulwich-phuket.com

International Montessori Learning Centre

Montessori is a non-profit-making organisation providing a full education for children aged 3-12 years. Lessons are in English, with additional mandatory Thai lessons. There are three terms a year. Class sizes are interchangeable, but a maximum of 100 students can attend the school. Fees range between 26,000 and 33,000 per term.

The Centre’s philosophy, based on that formulated by Marie Montessori and followed by Montessori schools world-wide, is based on self-determination. The goal is to teach children not to memorise, but to think for themselves. It’s a child-centred philosophy with an individualized curriculum for each child. They work on the whole child, not just academics, to give them a framework of values.

Staff are certified Montessori teachers recruited mainly through the Internet. They are dedicated teachers who have a heart for education and aren’t just here to make money.

Montessori is keen to develop links with the local community. They have a scholarship programme for local kids, and try to get their kids to mix with the local community as much as possible. It’s very important for Western kids to be exposed to Thai culture.

It’s the current management team’s intention to eventually establish a foundation involving parents and the local community to run the school.
Tel: (66 76) 288 923. E-mail: monterssori@faraway.net

Quality Schools International School of Phuket

QSI is a non-profit-making school offering an American curriculum from kindergarten to 13 years of age. Lessons are in English, with additional Thai lessons for all students. Maximum class size is 18. There are three terms a year. Fees range between 38,000 and 145,000 baht per term.

Dr Ronald L Brown is the former Director. “We don’t operate strictly on a time-based calendar,” he explains. “Our classes are all mixed-age depending on ability, and subjects frequently cross over one another. We have individual learning targets for all students. It’s more important that a child understands than completes courses.”

“We judge our success on a child’s total performance. We consider ourselves successful if students leave here with the ability to transfer knowledge from subjects they’ve studied and use it for problem-solving in a different context. We believe all students can succeed, and it’s the school’s responsibility to provide the conditions for success.”

All of the school’s staff applications go through QSI’s headquarters in Yemen. Staff must be American or British certified teachers with two to four years’ experience.

The school has a PTA that is primarily responsible for the activity programme. “We also encourage parents to actively participate in classes and give guest lectures in their areas of expertise.”

Dr Brown believes that QSI benefits the local community by providing a choice of education. He adds, “Our students actively participate in beach clean-ups and other community programmes.”
Tel: (66 76) 353 076. E-mail: pintsch@loxinfo.co.th www.phuketschl.com

Satree Phuket School

Satree Phuket School is run according to guidelines laid down by the Division of Secondary Education, a department of the Ministry of Education. The school offers M1 (11 years old) to M6 (18 years old) education for girls and M4 (15 years old) to M6 education for boys. Lessons are in Thai, with an additional one-hour English lesson every day. There are two terms per year (May-October and November-March). Entry to the school is granted either through scholarship, lottery or entrance exam. The registration fee is 375 baht.

Describing the school’s educational philosophy, Director Miss Ranee Wisuttanawit says, “It’s really about the students wanting to learn, encouraging them to question things and giving them the confidence to express their own ideas.”

Miss Ranee believes it is very important for students to continue their education after they leave Satree. Last year only six students who graduated at the school failed to go on to university. “I also believe that it is very important that students have knowledge of local community issues,” she says. “For example, Satree was province mentor for the Dawn Project in 1998 which was a government scheme to integrate environmental and conservation concepts into all lessons at school.”

Satree has a very well-established community volunteer programme. This involves parents coming into the school either to give a guest lecture on their specialist area of knowledge or to help with administrative tasks.

Satree recruits its staff from all over Thailand, “But,” says Miss Rannee, “I am very proud to say that the majority of our teaching staff are ex-students of Satree.”
Tel: (66 76) 211 034. E-mail: streephuket@whale-mail.com

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