Garden Rayong vs Belfry

Ask both schools to state the child’s proposed class, start date, age cut-off and following year. Garden publishes Nursery through Year 13; Belfry publishes Early Years through Year 6.

Request the placement test, class equivalence, current cohort and written progression route. At Belfry, treat the Year 6 move as part of today's offer rather than a distant problem.

Garden records English as the teaching language alongside Thai, Spanish, French and Mandarin. Ask for weekly allocation, subject language, newcomer support and the transition from British primary into Cambridge IGCSE and the IB Diploma.

Belfry records English. Ask how teachers assess English readiness, support newcomers and document progress within project work as well as literacy and mathematics.

At both visits, request anonymised work and the report format. Observe how teachers explain unfamiliar tasks and whether language support builds independent subject learning.

Garden's latest 2026/27 tuition runs from ฿147,000 to ฿609,800. Application is ฿5,000, enrolment ฿60,000–฿120,000 and the refundable deposit ฿40,000. Bus costs ฿18,000–฿32,100 per term, boarding ฿297,000–฿345,000 per year plus a ฿20,000 deposit, and compulsory EAL or learning support is priced on request.

The whole Belfry 2026/27 fee sheet is labelled “4th year Family”; it does not define eligibility. No usable general-family tariff is established. Published amounts are non-comparable until the school confirms a child-specific offer. Check the other school’s dated record separately; a range comparison cannot establish like-for-like cost.

Catering, trips, clubs, events and other optional services cost extra but the fee document does not price them. Annual payment receives 5% off standard tuition; a separate “4th year Family” table shows a further reduced tariff whose eligibility and cumulative treatment need written confirmation. Ask both schools for personalised complete totals.

Garden publishes Cambridge IGCSE followed by the IB Diploma. Confirm which senior years accept newcomers and which subjects operate for the enrolling cohort.

Belfry ends at Year 6. Ask which secondary schools recent pupils enter and what transcript, curriculum map and references support transfer.

Rehearse relocation after two years. Request the transcript, curriculum map, grading scale and teacher references each school would supply.

The whole Belfry 2026/27 fee sheet is labelled “4th year Family”; it does not define eligibility. No usable general-family tariff is established. Published amounts are non-comparable until the school confirms a child-specific offer. Check the other school’s dated record separately; a range comparison cannot establish like-for-like cost.

If support matters, request the staff member, group size, minutes per week, review date, progress measure and exit criteria. Separate English acquisition from other learning needs.

Bring existing reports before assessment and ask admissions to state any limitations in writing.

Garden publishes an established IGCSE-to-IB sequence. Ask for current secondary subjects, the latest IB cohort size and average points, timetable constraints and university-counselling evidence.

Belfry has no secondary stage. Ask how Year 6 pupils are prepared for transfer, which destinations recent cohorts entered and what transition support is included.

For either school, request anonymised work, a sample transcript and the transition timeline.

Belfry appears in the OPEC international-school directory. Its Montessori-informed wording describes an educational approach, not a separate qualification or accreditation. Garden is independently listed by CIS and the IB, while its Cambridge and ONESQA claims remain school-published in the sources reviewed.

Compare teacher qualifications, class size, project documentation, homework and reporting cadence for the child's class.

The whole Belfry 2026/27 fee sheet is labelled “4th year Family”; it does not define eligibility. No usable general-family tariff is established. Published amounts are non-comparable until the school confirms a child-specific offer. Check the other school’s dated record separately; a range comparison cannot establish like-for-like cost.

Keep every concession separate from standard tuition until it appears in the written offer.

Garden is in Ban Chang, Rayong; Belfry is in Nong Taphan, Ban Khai. Drive both routes at arrival and collection times, including work and sibling stops.

The whole Belfry 2026/27 fee sheet is labelled “4th year Family”; it does not define eligibility. No usable general-family tariff is established. Published amounts are non-comparable until the school confirms a child-specific offer. Check the other school’s dated record separately; a range comparison cannot establish like-for-like cost.

1. Placement: exact class, live operation and next class.
2. Learning: language allocation, programme map, work and reports.
3. Cost: acceptance cash, first year and recurring year.
4. Support: provision, staffing, review and price.
5. Transition: Garden's British-to-IB sequence or Belfry's Year 6 secondary transfer.

Save offers, fee schedules, calendars and placement answers together.

Arrive before the class begins and watch the transition from gate to room. Record how quickly the child separates, who welcomes them, which language adults use and whether the routine is understandable without repeated prompting. Ask what happens on a difficult morning and how parents are informed. A polished tour after children leave cannot answer these questions.

Ask for a starting assessment, mid-year report and anonymised work from the proposed class. At Garden, trace English, Thai, Spanish, French and Mandarin through British primary and into later IGCSE and IB stages. At Belfry, trace English National Curriculum work through Key Stage 2 and ask how pupils demonstrate progress in project work and core subjects.

Record the balance of adult-led, child-initiated, individual and group activity during the visit. Ask how teachers adapt the same task for a child who is new to English, already reading or reluctant to join a group. The right environment is not defined by one teaching philosophy; it is the setting where staff can explain how this child will participate and progress.

Confirm arrival supervision, meals, allergies, illness procedures, late collection and activities. Garden prices meals, resources, transport and boarding separately. Belfry prices catering, trips, clubs, events and optional services separately without publishing their amounts, so model the child's actual routine rather than comparing tuition alone.

Place both calendars beside the family’s work calendar. Count closures that require alternative care and ask whether holiday programmes are offered, separately registered or guaranteed to enrolled pupils. A school-year tuition comparison does not capture care purchased during long breaks.

Garden is in Ban Chang, Rayong; Belfry is in Nong Taphan, Ban Khai. Verify each entrance, transport route and contract address before payment. Test gate queues, parking and the return journey.

Belfry is day-only. Garden offers boarding from Year 5 in an off-campus residential-estate house capped at 12 students. Ask whether each address is served, then obtain pickup time, route duration, supervision and price in writing.

For each school, finish the sentence: “This place works if…” Include the quoted total, language routine, classroom fit, support availability, care hours, travel ceiling and next-school plan. Then write the conditions that would trigger a review. This prevents a single attractive feature from hiding an unresolved cost or transition risk.

Run the same exercise for two future dates. At age six, both schools use a British curriculum family, but ask how classroom evidence, language provision and teaching approach differ. At age eleven, Garden may continue while Belfry requires a secondary transfer.

For a Belfry family approaching Year 6, ask admissions for a destination list that separates applications, offers and actual enrolments, then request the preparation calendar for assessments, references and records. For a Garden family considering the same age, confirm the proposed Year 7 cohort, curriculum, subjects and later IGCSE-to-IB sequence. Put those answers beside the child's likely relocation date. Continuity is valuable only when the next stage exists, accepts the child and supplies the subjects or support the family expects.

Before signing, compare the two schools’ invoice language line by line. For Belfry, include application, registration, deposit, catering, trips, clubs, events, transport, books, uniform, examinations and support.

Also rehearse a mid-year move. Ask what notice is required, which reports and curriculum records would be released, how deposits are returned and whether prepaid services are refundable. Families using the Eastern Seaboard industrial corridor should test both routes at real collection time, because a lower fee cannot compensate for an unsustainable daily journey.

Ask how each school handles a mid-year departure before assuming either transfer will happen neatly at the end of a stage. Record required notice, reports supplied, outstanding-fee conditions and whether unused services can be refunded. A family expecting relocation should weight these documented terms alongside teaching and price.

Do not pay while a condition remains material and unanswered. Ask admissions to correct the offer email, retain Garden's latest 2026/27 schedule and Belfry's 2026/27 schedule, and note who supplied every grade and support answer.