Kids Avenue vs ISC

Ask both schools to state the child’s proposed class, start date, age cut-off, core hours and following year’s class. Kids Avenue advertises Preschool–K3 stages; ISC publishes Early Years 1–2, Reception and British primary years. Similar ages do not make the labels or weekly hours identical.

ISC publishes two- to five-day half-day and full-day Early Years options before Reception and primary. Ask Kids Avenue to quote the same attendance pattern. Observe the actual room, transitions, meals, rest and outdoor time rather than comparing a part-time endpoint with a full-time place.

Kids Avenue describes an EYFS framework with Montessori-inspired practices for Preschool–K3, ages 1.5–6. Its public learning pages do not set out a class language timetable. Ask which adult uses each language and how early reading, numeracy and inquiry are sequenced.

ISC records English as its school language and publishes English National Curriculum stages from EYFS through Year 6. Ask how work maps to year-level literacy and mathematics expectations, how Thai fits into the week and how progress is documented for a later secondary transfer.

At both visits, watch how teachers explain unfamiliar tasks, how children ask for help and what happens when they work at different speeds. Request anonymised current work and the report format parents receive. The useful comparison is classroom practice, not the word “international.”

ISC’s 2026/27 standard tuition is the sum of three term instalments: EY1/2 half-day ฿180,000–฿252,000 or full-day ฿199,800–฿271,800; Reception ฿304,200; Years 1–2 ฿352,800; Years 3–6 ฿370,800. Its earlier discounted annual figures of ฿174,600–฿359,676 are historical because full-year payment was due before the June 2026 Term 1 deadline, now passed.

ISC separately publishes a ฿3,000 application fee, ฿70,000 registration for a first child or ฿20,000 for a sibling, and ฿2,000 annual insurance. Lunch is ฿9,360–฿21,960, transport ฿52,580–฿200,000 and combined EAL/learning support ฿21,000–฿70,000 a year. Ask admissions which rows apply to the child.

Kids Avenue publishes no tuition or extras tariff. Request tuition, application, registration, deposit, meals, materials, uniform, trips, transport, holiday care and extended care in writing. The quote should name the academic year, weekly hours, payment dates, notice requirements and refund conditions.

Create totals for money due before attendance, the complete first school year and a normal recurring year. Mark one-time and refundable sums. A missing Kids Avenue number cannot be filled with an estimate, and ISC’s published tuition should not be described as its complete first-year cost.

Kids Avenue advertises through age six. Ask where recent leavers entered primary school, which year groups accepted them, what records were supplied and when applications began. Identify two plausible destinations and check language, curriculum, commute and current fee basis.

ISC extends the British route through Year 6, postponing but not removing the transfer. Ask where recent pupils entered Year 7, which assessments or reports were required and how ISC supports the process. Identify likely secondary options before accepting and revisit the plan in Year 4.

Rehearse an international relocation after two years. Ask each school what transcript, curriculum record and language evidence it would provide, then ask a likely receiving school how placement would be decided. Familiar curriculum words do not guarantee a place or identical year mapping.

Ask who identifies language, learning, developmental or wellbeing needs, what support occurs inside class, when an outside assessment is requested and which provision carries an extra fee. Kids Avenue publishes no support tariff; ISC publishes a combined EAL/learning-support range but a child-specific plan is still required.

If support is important to acceptance, request the responsible staff member, frequency, group size, duration, review date and price. Separate English acquisition from other learning needs. A general assurance is not a child-specific plan.

Kids Avenue is in Surasak, Si Racha; ISC is in Banglamung, Chonburi. Drive both routes at intended arrival and collection times, including work, sibling stops and activities. Record door-to-door time on a normal weekday and repeat the uncertain route during rain.

Confirm transport separately because Kids Avenue has no public tariff and ISC publishes a zone-based annual range of ฿52,580–฿200,000. Ask for pickup windows, likely vehicle time, supervision and cost. Place both school calendars beside family work dates and identify care required outside core hours.

1. Placement: exact class, hours, language pattern and next class.
2. Learning: programme map, current work and reporting evidence.
3. Cost: acceptance cash, complete first year, recurring year and refund exposure.
4. Support: named provision, staffing, review and price.
5. Transition: Kids Avenue’s age-six primary move or ISC’s Year 7 plan.

Save the offers, calendars and placement answers together. Write why the selected classroom fits this child now and how the next transfer remains workable. Keep every missing charge or support commitment open until the school confirms it in writing.

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 both schools for an anonymised example of the starting assessment, a mid-year progress record and work from the proposed class. At Kids Avenue, look for evidence of development in Thai, English, early literacy, numeracy, physical coordination and social routines. At ISC, ask how assessments and class work connect to EYFS or National Curriculum expectations and how readiness for the next British year is judged.

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, toileting, rest, illness procedures, late collection and after-school care. Kids Avenue advertises after-school provision but publishes no tariff; request hours, staffing, food, booking rules and cost. ISC prices lunch separately by year and attendance pattern, so confirm the applicable charge, menus, allergy management and any care after the standard day.

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.

Kids Avenue’s school website and OPEC record use adjacent street numbers in Surasak, so verify the entrance and contract address before payment. ISC is in Banglamung. Test parking, gate queues and the return journey, not just navigation to the map pin. If a grandparent, driver or caregiver will collect, have that person rehearse the route too.

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, Kids Avenue requires a new primary place while ISC can continue; compare the application work, likely curriculum change and budget at that point. At age eleven, ISC also requires a move, so identify likely secondary routes and the records they require. This timeline makes ISC’s longer runway visible without mislabelling it as all-through provision.

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 attach corrections to the offer email, keep copies of the fee schedule and calendar, and note who supplied each answer. The resulting record gives the family a fair comparison even though only ISC publishes a current tariff.