debenture will do, agrees mum-of-three Kelly Allan, whose eldest son spent two years on waiting lists. She became so frustrated with the lack of places that she was considering moving with her children to Phuket and having her husband commute to Hong Kong.

Kelly, who estimates she has spent about HK$40,000 on application fees, balked at the idea of shelling out for a debenture, but, in desperation, stumped up HK$1,000,000 with the intention of securing a place for her son at Australian International School. She was then told three people were ahead of her on the list. Kelly is grateful that at least the school warned her, and in the end, she decided not to buy. She says she knows other schools let parents purchase debentures knowing no spots are available.

Stories like these are common, says Kelly, “We go to a school sports day and you’ll have 40 families all with worse stories. It’s diabolical,” she says. The system has forced Kelly to change her views on how her children should be schooled. “I have tiger-mummed my three-year-old so he can read and write so he can gain a place in school. My oldest was never exposed to that, nor do I believe they should be. I was quite principled about education when I arrived, but that soon went out the window. You fnd yourself doing crazy things because you are desperate,” she says. She has also changed the way she applies to schools and cast a wider search for her second son. His acceptance into Hong Kong Academy, which ensures sibling priority, has fnally given Kelly some sense of security when it comes to embarking on the search for a school for her third son.

Alternative choices Others just embarking on the applications journey are panicked. Ann Lin Khoo held her twin boys back from kindergarten feeling they weren’t developmentally ready. Now she has discovered that they will only be accepted into classes with pupils the same age, which, of course, are already full. With debentures spiralling and costs

at international schools rising, she feels that fnancially her options are limited. Many parents tend to disregard schools without fancy facilities or a big reputation, says Ruth Benny, founder of Top Schools, a school advisory service, who has been investigating some of the less well-known schools across the territory. Her website (topschools. hk) profles schools, from famous international institutions to new, small and independent schools, and government-run English-medium and direct subsidy school (DSS) options. Hong Kong Academy and The Harbour School are just two newer options worth a second look, Ruth says. Parents should try to plan in the medium- to long-term. “ESF is not the only option. I wish I could shout that from the rooftops. Think about the

ISF Academy. Five years ago, no one knew what that school was,” she says. For Julie Forte, a mum and former crèche manager, discovering her child was 270th on Bradbury School’s list was the impetus to look for other options. Friends recommended the new Island Christian Academy, opening this year in Central. She feels the school will suit her child’s needs well and, in the end, what she thought was an alternative option may prove to be a winning one.

Take action

It can be tempting to blanket-apply to every big name school in an effort to gain at least one place. This can be a waste of time and money, says Anne Murphy at ITS Educational Services, another placement specialist. A better solution is to

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