Bangalore international school ranking

From Page 6 of DNA newspaper that has this article 

International, CBSE/ICSE, Alternative, Home – Options for schools in Bangalore

Good schools in Bangalore can cost you between INR 50K – 9.75 Lakhs a year ($1000 to $21,000). The class size varies from 20 – 55 children in the class. Most schools have a bus and lunch service. The curriculum varies from ICSE/CBSE to IB/ IGCSE (see legend at the end of the post) to "Curriculum prescribed by the Ontario Ministry of Education". Like the cost and curriculum there is a huge variation in teaching style but there are options. That is the part I iterate on the most – now in India there are options.

When we moved here I was rather lost on where to start a school search. I knew what ICSE and CBSE were but little about IB and IGCSE. Considering that my children are rather ( ahem … very…) weak in Hindi (a requirement for ICSE and CBSE schools) we opted for an International school. Even with international schools the choices in Bangalore are plenty. What they offer and their fees can vary a lot.
Reviews from friends of the school and its location were both criteria that made us zone in on TISB.

During our search here we were not completely aware of the alternative schools present in Bangalore. I had heard of the Valley school and love the concept but I also know Ankit well – he does well in a structured competitive environment - so making the decision to keep him in a school similar to one he was in Seattle seemed like the right choice.

Besides these options, twice in the last month, I have met moms that discussed homeschooling with me. This used to be an alien concept in India but seems to be a budding trend. There is a group in Bangalore that caters to such parents and it has over a 100 members.
Below is a breakdown of schools into International, Traditional and Alternative. The fees are just what I found from looking around so please use them to get a rough idea. I came across some good blogs/reviews and have linked them too. Let me know if you see any corrections or have any comments.

	Location	Curriculum		Cost per year in INR (Approx.)	School year	Blogs/Reviews
International Schools http://blog.bangaloreschools.net/2008/05/24/moving-to-bangalore-expat-school-options-in-bangalore/ http://www.edu.pushpi.com/international-schools-in-bangalore.htm
TISB – The International School of Bangalore	South Sarjapur Road	IGCSE IB		RF: 250K YF: 400K to 600K	August - June	BangaloreSchools.net
Indus	South Sarjapur Road	IGCSE IB		350K	August - June
StoneHill	North Jala Hobli	IB		RF:250K YF:365K to 975K	August - June
Canadian International	Yelahanka	OME IB		RF: 25K YF:310K to 510K	August - June
Ryan International	Multiple locations	ICSE		60K to 90K	June- March
GreenWood High	South Sarjapur Road	ICSE & IGCSE		100K to 180K	June- March
Inventure Academy	South Sarjapur Road	ICSE & IGCSE		RF:60K YF: 1,00K to 215K	June-March	Parentree.com
Indian/Traditional School
National Public School	Multiple locations	CBSE	YF:66K		June-March
Bishop Cottons	St. Mark's Road	ICSE	RF: Varies YF: 30K		June-March
St Joseph's Boys High School	St. Mark's Road	ICSE	RF:25K YF:24K		June-March
Delhi Public School	Multiple locations	CBSE	RF: Varies YF: 60K		June-March
Alternative Schools
Valley School	Kanakapura	ICSE	80Kto 110K (maybe more for NRI)		June-March
Prakriya	Sarjapur Road	ICSE	RF: 20K YF: 70K Fee varies per student		June-March	smitha-myviewsonlife vishwak blog
VidyaShilp	Yelahanka	ICSE & IGCSE	RF: 24K YF: 66K		June-March

Legend
RF	Registration Fees
YF	Yearly annual Fees
IB	International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
IGCSE	International General Certificate of Secondary Education
ICSE	Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
CBSE	Central Board of Secondary Education
OME	Curriculum prescribed by the Ontario Ministry of Education

The International School of Bangalore (TISB) – review and a field trip with the pre-kg class

Ankit and Ashvin at school

For a breakdown of schools in Bangalore please see http://kindazesty.blogspot.com/2011/03/international-cbseicse-alternative-home.html
Ashvin goes to TISB as a pre-kg student. This is the youngest class in the school. We sent him their because it is the school Ankit goes to but are very happy with the decision. He gets onto the school bus with Ankit and we get updates on him via his brother, it is easy and convenient for us but to add to it the school has proved to be good too.

Ashvin’s class is comprised twenty children cared for by three teachers and an assistant. It is a bright cheerfully decorated class with a circle time rug in the center and areas for reading, building, eating etc. There is a big sandbox and a playground where they are taken to twice a day.

Lining up for a field trip

His day begins with a bus ride at 7:35. School starts at 8:10am and ends at 1:15pm. His bus drops him home by 1:40pm. On the bus all the little ones are kept in the first few rows, buckled up and overseen by a teacher or some assistant. There are three school buses from TISB to our community but all the little ones are kept on one bus. During the day in school too they are well chaperoned. Ankit smiles when he tells us how the pre kg class walks holding hands guarded by teachers on both ends and the commotion caused by Ashvin breaking the chain by running towards him.

They have been learning phonetically and do a lot of drawing, coloring and real life learning. The teachers are well trained and seem to really enjoy teaching these kids. My questions about places to take kids or what to do with Ashvin after school hours have been responded to in great detail. Besides that there is a parent teacher diary that Ashvin takes to school daily that helps keep communication flowing.

PlayGround at Jerry Marten Farm

I had the pleasure of joining his class on a recent field trip and got to spend the whole day with his class and teacher. The whole process was very similar to the field trips I went on with Ankit in US. They were counted again and again, given their school hats and then taken to the school bus. Everyone was buckled and counted again. A little speech on treating farm animals nicely was given and a short bus ride took us to Jerry Martin’s farm. At the farm there was the usual running around, feeding farm animals (and in the case of one kid the want to feed on the ducks, sheep, rabbits and pig – he wanted to eat everything). They sat and had snacks provided by the school and then played on the monkey bars, swings and see-saws. At noon they were herded back into the bus and driven back to school.

Lunch in the dining room. TISB

At this point I joined them for lunch which consisted of both Indian and continental options. I was impressed by the food – I went to a boarding school and our food was nothing like this. They even had oranges and Indian sweets for desert. They were not expecting any parents at lunch so I can honestly say that the food there seems to be good (it is always vegetarian for lunch, boarders that stay there have chicken and meat during dinner). Post lunch there was a short play time in the sandbox, some running around,  followed by a farm animal story time (with lots of animation and sound effects).
I had had my concerns about what an Indian school for a preschooler would be like and I must say that this school is at par and in some cases better than a preschool in the US. They have a good learning style, plays that kids participate in from an early age, swimming classes, field trips, caring teachers and a secure campus and classroom. Price wise it costs almost the same as a mid-range Seattle preschool (very expensive from Indian standards for a preschool) but it does have a 5-1 student teacher ratio and above all Ashvin loves going there.

Lunch Menu to that day

View of playaround outside classroom TISB

Sandbox

Moving from a US to an Indian School

Ankit studied in schools in Seattle till he was 11, we moved to India just as he started sixth grade and were tasked of looking at schools in Bangalore. We looked at what one would call a typical Indian school - Bishop Cottons, National Public School - with the Indian CBSE and ICSE syllabus. We looked alternative schools like the Valley School and International Schools like Indus, Canadian and TISB.

Looking at these schools made me realize how much India has changed from when we studied here and was amazed at the variety and variance in education options. These options come at a cost for sure (some schools in India rival ones in US at $25,000 a year). Then watching Ankit adapt was also very interesting.

For years in Seattle Ankit was used to getting A's and there were many kids who got A's. He learnt and excelled but was never pushed to be the best. There was no best. There was an A and an A+. Then he came to India. During his first test he was not sure what the numbers were next to questions (surprising I know as most Indians know this by the virtue of being born in India). Then he got his results. There was an A but there was also a mark there - 85/100. Then there was Rahul and other kids asking him not what grade he got but what his marks were. The marks were added and he knew exactly where he ranked in class. This has worked with Ankit - he is competitive and loves to study. He is no longer satisfied with an A or an A+. He wants to know where he lost half a mark.

Ankit explained the difference between the two systems beautifully - In the US they teach you a few facts but teach you how to make the connection between them, in India they teach you a lot of facts and you learn how to make the connection between them.

He has been lucky in a way; he learnt to learn and is now learning to be competitive, which in this global economy might not be a bad thing. While Ankit is thriving in a competitive environment it might suffocate the creativity of another child.

Based on this I have to say that while you cannot totally generalize education styles, social requirements and years of repetition have ingrained some principles into each system.
Generically the Indian system
• prepares children to read, absorb and memorize way more material than you'd think possible – preparation for college entrance exams can begin in 8th grade and most third graders can tell you what 13 x 13 is instantly.
• is competitive. Very competitive.
• has large class sizes with 'stricter' teachers – there are smaller classes in many schools but in general you can expect 30 plus children in a class. The teachers in India are shown more respect and are more like to threaten you with extra work and minus points in tests for misbehavior.
• places great value on academic excellence – prizes for coming first, ‘topping’ a test, getting into IIT are all praised and announced at multiple school events.

Generically the US system
• is about learning and learning to learn – children learnt and knew what multiplication meant and how it worked however most fifth graders needed some time or a calculator to tell you what 15 x 26 is.
• prepares the children to ask more questions and explore – Ankit learnt about the life cycle of a butterfly by raising them in their class. They learnt Civics by forming a society and running for elections in fifth grade,
• encourages them to think outside the box – ideas were encouraged more than stressing on just the end result, egg drop competitions (dropping eggs in homemade contraptions from 100ft) were bigger events than general knowledge quizzes in school.
• has smaller classes with more approachable teachers.
• does not stress as much on academic competition. Academic competitiveness does not show up till high school and even then excelling academically in not as important as it is in India. Being the school's best basketball player is as good (if not better) than getting all A+'s

The above mentioned points are all generalizations – there is a more competitive streak in India and a more nurturing streak in the US – but the wonderful thing I discovered is that there are many options now in India. What style brings the best out in your child- it depends on the school, it depends on the teachers, and it depends on your child. You have to know your child and find what works best for them.


For a breakdown of schools in Bangalore please see http://kindazesty.blogspot.com/2011/03/international-cbseicse-alternative-home.html