[Samurai]

Originally Posted by carnutfrombanga

I am curious what do differences do you remember?

After 40 years, it is hard to remember the details. Do realize that the world exposure of a teen until the early 80s was very limited. First Indian serial started in 1984, and we had just one TV channel, that started at 5pm and ended at 10pm. The newspaper/radio/TV only had important news that interests adults.

Therefore, the typical exposure of a teen was only to his/her immediate surroundings and school. It didn't take much to surprise us. So a kid from a different kind of school was almost like a foreigner in his viewpoint, compared to the traditional kids.

In today's time, where we are lot more used to high level of variance, it won't feel that odd.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Roark

Are you open for a residential school?
Then, Rishi Valley is a good option that is about 3-4 hours from Bangalore. They allow residential options from the 4th Grade onwards.
The school generally, looks to follow the principles and teachings of J Krishnamurthi.

Although Rishi Valley and Valley school follow the same ethos, the Rishi Valley kids who come out are outstanding. They have done very well in life in all fields. They also bond very closely.

[akshaysawant]

Originally Posted by carnutfrombanga

Hello Team bhp members.

I have a 3 year old son and we live in Bengaluru.

My wife and I were quite keen on admitting him into an alternative school and was hoping to get feedback and suggestions from parents who have their kids in these schools or know someone in their close friend circle.

My criteria are lesser academic pressure, eg. No tests until 5th Standard or so, spending more time outdoors, lesser or no homework.

I have found a few schools like Centre for Learning and Shibumi that I will be visiting soon.

I was also hoping for more suggestions around Bengaluru.

Thank you and looking forward to hearing from all of you.

Hi,

I was in a perfect dilemma like you for years since my child was born. I never wanted her to do normal schooling and by the time she was 2 years I was sure as my daughter was not the one who would sit and concentrate. Rather full of energy, I will do what I want types.

Initially I thought homeschooling. But my wife was not convinced with anything else but normal schooling. Wife’s reluctance to let go her career prompted me to think about something else. Thats when accidentally I met a friend who lives in my building but rarely meets. He explained he was in a same fix and he chose Waldorf for his daughter.

And that was it! Hours and days of research, visiting the school and I was sold. My wife was little reluctant initially but now she is the happiest person knowing how our daughter is shaping up and actually enjoying the school. Inodai, in Andheri east currently (they are coming to Andheri west next year) is solace in our lives.

If you want to know more, PM me and we can share our numbers.

Regards,


Akshay Sawant

[RaviDBLR]

My son went to Pramiti School on Kanakapura Road for his 11th and 12th. They follow Cambridge curriculum, but offer more than what the board requires. Being small, such schools do experience operational difficulties. You need to identify the school, talk to the parents and children who study there and make your call.

Around that area, I've heard good things about Airaa Academy, of course the Valley, and a new one near BSK 6th Stage (I forget the name).

Even after you get the child in, it is important to keep and eye though. Things can change, as schools are as good as the management and the teachers they have.

[stantheman]

Originally Posted by carnutfrombanga

As pointed out by others, our involvement and the things they are exposed to outside of school play a major role as well.
We are willing to relocate close to the school and I agree that some of these schools do have a rigid philosophy, I guess we just have to avoid those.

Hi carnutfrombanga, we are in exact same boat, my son has also just turned 3 and we are also looking at some different options. I had a look at Valley school, met a parent of 2, both of whom are studying at that school. But from what I could perceive, it felt as if we have to be in sync with their idea and way and followed by that it would be clear to them as well as us if our kid could get assimilated in their methodology. I might be wrong but I would be having a word with other parents.

There is a Waldorf school near Kasturi nagar that I have heard of (Notty Feet). It's play school and nursery (Waldorf style) and their primary school is also nearby.

Also check out The Green Pocket near indira Nagar. Have heard good review of it. There is Kunskapsskola near Chandapura road. It's Swedish style of education. (Beats me to what that is though). Would be checking it more.

And yes, we are also open to relocate for a good school. Let me know if you find any other leads.

Originally Posted by akshaysawant

Hi,

And that was it! Hours and days of research, visiting the school and I was sold.

Thank you for positive feedback on Waldorf schooling system Akshay, I would look further on it.

[MadinMumbai]

Originally Posted by carnutfrombanga

My criteria are lesser academic pressure, eg. No tests until 5th Standard or so, spending more time outdoors, lesser or no homework.

Having studied at one of the 'better' residential schools of India to now being a parent of two adults, for whose education we contemplated the same question before opting for the nearest walking distance school, I offer my two paisa bit to my friends in a similar conundrum - don't go looking for something that can't be found.

Of course, most don't take this advice. Some don't even like it.

My rational is simple; schools play a minor role in specific development direction a child takes. While schools form the backbone of childhood, and learning, most of this is generic and replicated adequately in any school. Family, and values imbibed around the house, are probably far more important.

Children grow and learn at their own pace and evolve their development interest and trajectory based on inherent qualities. Schools might provide the opportunities but seldom shepherd them into any specific area of excellence based on a predisposed path.

FOMO is a great driver when it comes to parents seeking the right school. This is especially true for rich or upwardly mobile parents. A great number of options competing for the parent's money often confuse and confound with their dazzling sales pitch. Often it's just a mirage and one school is just as good as the next.

[skrao]

We have been with CFL since 2003, our daughter and two sons studied there. it Is IGCSE/Cambridge. Just note they are about 45 kms out of the city and are semi residential. Great teachers , lovely campus and a small school. No exams till 10th. Academically and sports wise they are really good. Daughter went on to study journalism and one son is on his way to uni this year, another will complete 12th in 2 years, all at CFL. CFL doesn't take kids til they are 8 due to it being a semi residential school

Our nephew studies at an alternative school called Pramati on Kanakapura Road , also a very good one and a day school.

Valley School is expensive, Shibumi is too small

[ronk]

Great thread!
My 5 yr old daughter goes to a Waldorf primary school in Indiranagar, and will mostly be going to a waldorf grade school from the coming academic year.

Initially I was rather keen on sending her to one of the classical old Bangalore schools.
However, after meeting a bunch of parents and kids in our residential complex and friends circle we got intrigued about Waldorf. The kids I have seen span across pre-primary to grade 8, and we have been rather impressed. It’s not like they are spectacularly different from other kids. I think schooling only plays that much of a role. However, generally confident happy kids. The best part is that their habits are aligned to what we wanted our kid to build. Limited screen dependency, enjoys the outdoors, good food habits, very capable of enjoying anywhere with simple toys,stories, music…

Honestly, as parents our journey with Waldorf has been great and a bit transformational for us as well. Its a bit involving which you need to account for. Also, Steiner’s (waldorf founder) core philosophy might come across a little bit cult-ish, but we dont see that being pushed in the schooling. Krishnamurtis education philosophy is also similar and you could explore that as well.
Feel free to DM me if you want more info and specifics about the school.

[Kosfactor]

A Fancy school used to loan our daughter to us for keeping overnight, used to give us tips about how to raise her, a chinese tea ceremony like parent-teacher`s meeting etc.

Anyhow, You already know that boarding \ residential school is not needed - that is a good sign, you are ready to raise a child and its good to take full responsibility of it.

Yes, We did move her to a government aided Christian School afterwards, It was an unbelievably competitive environment though but she worked hard through her school years, they taught her what was supposed to be done at school and left the rest to us.

She is an artist and a budding Jeep driver, hope to take it to college as well, So I guess that counts for BHPian spec education from home.

Not being a spoilsport but - invest in your kid`s future by raising them well yourselves, do not leave it to a commercial establishment.

[kiran_cr]

Originally Posted by carnutfrombanga

Hello Team bhp members.

I have a 3 year old son and we live in Bengaluru.

My wife and I were quite keen on admitting him into an alternative school and was hoping to get feedback and suggestions from parents who have their kids in these schools or know someone in their close friend circle.

My criteria are lesser academic pressure, eg. No tests until 5th Standard or so, spending more time outdoors, lesser or no homework.

I have found a few schools like Centre for Learning and Shibumi that I will be visiting soon.

I was also hoping for more suggestions around Bengaluru.

Thank you and looking forward to hearing from all of you.

I would definitely recommend The Valley School on Kanakapura road. Both my kids are in a KFI school (The School, Chennai) and for reference they are in 2nd Grade and LKG now.
1. Im unsure if you can visit the school campus unless you are called by the school management

2. The admission to a class opens only on availability, else they dont open at all, hence LKG is the best place to get in.

3. Please check the school website, normally they have all the information about admission and availability. (https://www.thevalleyschool.info/)

4. Also read about JK's teachings w.r.t. education, im saying this because in case you apply, they definitely will call for an interview (both parents) and will admit your kid only if the parents idealogy matches that with of the school's.

Please DM me if you require additional information.


Thanks,
Kiran

[abtyagi]

My Son attends Prakriya Green Wisdom School, and my daughter will start next year.

As someone has mentioned, it's based on J Krishnamurthi's foundational philosophy.

The primary idea of being more competent than competitive. We love it. My son is happy pretty much all the time.
Academically:
Unlike most schools, each day focuses on 2 subjects, and most focus is on concepts and creative skills like writing. Most homework is for small projects.
It may seem slow during the academic year, but at the year-end, they are as good as any academically focused school.
Board:
ICSC
Meals:
All meals are on-premise. They have farms inside, and they grow about 60% of what they consume. Kids are given ample time to spend time around nature, climbing trees and whatnot.
Sports:
Till 5th it's only Indian sports like kho-kho, kabaddi etc. No cricket, football, etc.

Annual festivals & other festivities:
Unlike most other schools where choreographers prep the kids, and overload of a celebrity chief guest, It's all about them. They write the songs, prepare the drama and story and present it with live music. The creativity and concepts that kids bring out are delightful.


The biggest quality that I see coming out of these kids is how empathetic and thoughtful they are.

[carnutfrombanga]

I would like to thank everyone for pitching in, I am humbled at the responses and the helpfulness of everyone here, Team-BHP Rocks! I have got good advice and a list of schools to look into.

I'll update the thread with my experiences of shortlisting the School.

Originally Posted by Roark

Are you open for a residential school?

I would like my kid to go to a day school.

Originally Posted by akshaysawant

Hi,

I was in a perfect dilemma like you for years since my child was born... He explained he was in a same fix and he chose Waldorf for his daughter...
Inodai, in Andheri east currently...
If you want to know more, PM me and we can share our numbers.

Initially we were open to relocate to other cities but recently have decided to stay put in Bengaluru but I sincerely appreciate the offer.

Originally Posted by RaviDBLR

My son went to Pramiti School on Kanakapura Road for his 11th and 12th. You need to identify the school, talk to the parents and children who study there and make your call.

Even after you get the child in, it is important to keep and eye though. Things can change, as schools are as good as the management and the teachers they have.

This is good advice and I hope to follow it to the T, I will look into Pramiti School. Thank you.

Originally Posted by stantheman

There is a Waldorf school Notty Feet

Also check out The Green Pocket...There is Kunskapsskola...

And yes, we are also open to relocate for a good school. Let me know if you find any other leads.

Will update here if I find a school not mentioned on this thread.
I think I will be eliminating all schools which require partial or full time boarding of the child.

Originally Posted by skrao

We have been with CFL since 2003, our daughter and two sons studied there...
Our nephew studies at an alternative school called Pramati on Kanakapura Road, also a very good one and a day school.
Valley School is expensive, Shibumi is too small

Thank you and appreciate the insight into CFL, will visit them all and update here if our observations match about Shibumi and Valley School

Originally Posted by ronk

Also, Steiner’s (waldorf founder) core philosophy might come across a little bit cult-ish, but we dont see that being pushed in the schooling. Krishnamurtis education philosophy is also similar and you could explore that as well.
Feel free to DM me if you want more info and specifics about the school.

Hey Ronk, thank you, would you mind sharing the school name on the forum, so that other members can benefit, if not I'll send you a personal message

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Anyhow, You already know that boarding\residential school is not needed..

Not being a spoilsport but - invest in your kid's future by raising them well yourselves, do not leave it to a commercial establishment.

I agree with you, my wife and I are clear that our child will come home to us after school at least until the age of 17 or 18.

Originally Posted by kiran_cr

I would definitely recommend The Valley School on Kanakapura road....

Please DM me if you require additional information.

I'll definitely do so and thank you for the information.

Originally Posted by abtyagi

My Son attends Prakriya Green Wisdom School, and my daughter will start next year.
...
The biggest quality that I see coming out of these kids is how empathetic and thoughtful they are.

Thank you, we are definitely visiting this school to find out more.

[Silverfire]

Super thread!

Our daughter is 1.5 years old and we are starting the research on which education system we enroll her in.
It starts really with what role do schools play today, and how best can they equip the student for the future. The pace at which the world is changing is rapid and accelerating exponentially. We started with PCs, but the Internet, Phones, Youtube, and now AI - have fundamentally changed what is required to be happy and successful. Rote learning and focusing education on winning the competitive race to some college, may not be relevant skills in the future.

The ability to learn, to be engaged and have deep curiosity in your chosen subjects, to have a love and appreciation for the arts, to be physically active via sports and to be socially well adjusted are probably going to be key ingredients to a well educated mind IMHO. Schools which can provide an environment where a child can get these in a structured manner will probably be the right schools.

Some of our friends have sent/are planning to send their kids to Alternative schools, and this has given us good exposure to this different way of schooling. Some things which stood out to me about Alternative schools:

1. Mixed age classroom: Kids are grouped based on level of learning, vs an arbitrary age based cutoff.

2. Curriculum aligned but creatively executed: Most of these schools will map age based learning outcomes to some curriculum- usually ICSE. So the learning destination remains the same as a regular school - but the journey to that outcome is markedly different. E.g. Many schools focus on a single subject for X days vs 5 subjects being taught per day with crazy context switching. This week we will study Science and go really deep with experiments, nature walks, guest lectures, presentations, projects etc. Kids are allowed to engage in the topic as per their interest. If you are super interested go deeper, if not - cover the basics.

3. Good teacher to student ratio: Some of the schools we have researched have a teacher to student ratio of as low as 1:10

4. Affordability: Many alternative schools cost ~Rs 2lakh in tuition. Compare this with the Bangalore international schools which are 3 to 5 times as expensive (not counting the international study tours and the like)

5. Vibes: Many of these schools e.g. Prakriya, Valley school are set in nature, kids get to run around and play etc. Additionally many of these schools have a strong focus on kindness, empathy, respect, learning etc vs competition, one upmanship, scholarships and olypiads etc. The children seem to be happier and in love with education.

So net net these schools do present a strong case, as alternative options to a regular CBSE, ICSE school. The opposite arguments are- 1) Will kids coming out of such a system have the academic rigor and discipline to grit and do stuff that they many not necessarily enjoy (an important skill in life) and 2) How much can you as a parent participate in this process. Most of these alternate schools require significant participation from parents in mirroring the teachings of the school at home. Additionally since you have chosen an alternate path for your child, you as parent will have to take the additional responsibility to ensure your child covers any gaps that may exist in this system. We are still researching, and would love to learn from othe rparents on the forum.

For Bengaluru do check out the following schools in addition to the ones already mentioned in this thread:
1. Bhavya learning
2. The Atelier school

[carnutfrombanga]

Originally Posted by Silverfire

Our daughter is 1.5....
....
For Bengaluru do check out the following schools in addition to the ones already mentioned in this thread:
1. Bhavya learning
2. The Atelier school

Silverfire, I appreciate your eloquent and thoughtful post on this matter.
You also raised very good questions.

[VaibhaoT]

School is a very delicate topic for every parent. Everyone has different expectations from school. My expectations are inline with some of the thoughts mentioned by OP.

We had our own experiments with schools for our daughter. Currently she is in IB curriculum. We are happy with the school and curriculum. It definitely put a dent in my budget. But I am fine with that considering my daughter is happy.

The Creative School
During our research, we found one school very interesting. I wish we were in position to enroll our daughter in this school. But its far from our home and changing home is not an option for us.

I know the founder of school professionally. He is very respected person in his technical field. I donate their foundation every year.

The Creative School

Sahyadri School
One of my neighbor's kid is enrolled in a boarding school in Pune. Sahyadri School

I have seen phenomenal changes in the kid. Its a J Krishnamurthi Foundation school.