This blog is somewhat different from my usual "all style and no content" blogs. This is a result of the research I was forced to do when I changed my daughter's school. Some of the things written in this blog are experiences shared by like-minded people though most of them are impressions formed by me during my visits to various schools.
I thought of writing this down as we have a huge inflow of professionals moving into Gurgaon from various parts of the world. One of the first things they start looking for is a good school for their children. Hopefully, this blog will be of some help to them.
As per me, the schools in Gurgaon can be categorised into three categories
A) Alternative school (Also known as Progressive schools) :
These are the schools who follow a completely different methodology of teaching. Usually these schools will first stress on teaching orally and students are taught to write at a much later stage. Often these schools will not teach alphabets in their usual sequence but in context to how they are used in the children's perception. Thus they will probably teach "B" ahead of "A" as they would then try to teach the child how to spell "BALL". These schools also believe in not giving any homework and keeping a very low stress level on the children.
Typical characteristics of these schools are
1) Completely different teaching approach at the primary level. Does not follow the NCERT method at all.
2) Teaching is often project-based or experience-based instead of text book based.
3) Usually has a setup for the children with special needs (with separate teaching staffs for them).
4) Merges into regular NCERT / CBSE or ICSE format after class 8.
5) Has plenty of outdoor activities like summer camps etc
There is some debate about this form of schools. The concern points raised by many parents are
The name can be deceptive as most of the schools these days have added "World" or "International" as their middle name. I am classifying those schools as "International" which have the following features
1) Will follow a modern form of teaching (may not be entirely progressive but a close second to this)
2) Will not have excessive academic pressure on the child (in line with international practices). Usually these schools will have less or no homework and parents are discouraged from teaching the child separately.
3) Will have SMART class rooms for all standards and all classes
4) Will have elaborate sports facilities (usually including a few exclusive facilities like Horse Riding, Golf etc)
5) Will have external faculties / institutions coming in for added value (like British council, external Theatre workshop, elocution classes etc)
6) Usually will also have options of other boards (IGCSE, OB etc)
7) If often accused to be a bit too flashy.
The following are the schools which fall in this category
The feature of these schools are as under
I thought of writing this down as we have a huge inflow of professionals moving into Gurgaon from various parts of the world. One of the first things they start looking for is a good school for their children. Hopefully, this blog will be of some help to them.
As per me, the schools in Gurgaon can be categorised into three categories
A) Alternative school (Also known as Progressive schools) :
These are the schools who follow a completely different methodology of teaching. Usually these schools will first stress on teaching orally and students are taught to write at a much later stage. Often these schools will not teach alphabets in their usual sequence but in context to how they are used in the children's perception. Thus they will probably teach "B" ahead of "A" as they would then try to teach the child how to spell "BALL". These schools also believe in not giving any homework and keeping a very low stress level on the children.
Typical characteristics of these schools are
1) Completely different teaching approach at the primary level. Does not follow the NCERT method at all.
2) Teaching is often project-based or experience-based instead of text book based.
3) Usually has a setup for the children with special needs (with separate teaching staffs for them).
4) Merges into regular NCERT / CBSE or ICSE format after class 8.
5) Has plenty of outdoor activities like summer camps etc
There is some debate about this form of schools. The concern points raised by many parents are
- their teaching methodology is excellent for young students but not so good for older children. Hence when the students reach Class 8 and is introduced to the conventional NCERT syllabus, most of the students don't fare well.
- a child finds it extremely difficult to adjust into any other main stream school (in case one needs to change the school)
- unconventional way of teaching - hence finding teachers and retaining them is a challenge.
The schools in this category are
- Heritage School (Sector 62) : Pioneer in this form of teaching. Uniformly acclaimed as excellent among the progressive schools. Off late, there has been some report about the standard of the school having deteriorated. Also the students seem to find it difficult to merge into the NCERT based syllabus after Class 8 and consequently, there is a trend of students leaving Heritage after Class 5.
Rating : 4/5
Board : CBSE - Shikshantar (South City I) : Excellent school in Progressive format. Seem to have a better balance between the progressive form and conventional form. Mid term admissions are not very easy.
Rating : 4.5/5
Board : CBSE - Matri Kiran (Sohna Road) : New school started last year (is now till Class 3). The principal is the former principal of Shikshantar. The secondary section will be at Hero Honda Chowk.
Rating : not known.
Board : ICSE
The name can be deceptive as most of the schools these days have added "World" or "International" as their middle name. I am classifying those schools as "International" which have the following features
1) Will follow a modern form of teaching (may not be entirely progressive but a close second to this)
2) Will not have excessive academic pressure on the child (in line with international practices). Usually these schools will have less or no homework and parents are discouraged from teaching the child separately.
3) Will have SMART class rooms for all standards and all classes
4) Will have elaborate sports facilities (usually including a few exclusive facilities like Horse Riding, Golf etc)
5) Will have external faculties / institutions coming in for added value (like British council, external Theatre workshop, elocution classes etc)
6) Usually will also have options of other boards (IGCSE, OB etc)
7) If often accused to be a bit too flashy.
The following are the schools which fall in this category
- Ridge Valley International School (Near Galleria Market) : New school backed by the India Today Learn India movement. Focuses majorly on self learning / project based learning. Expensive (approx 45k per quarter)
Rating : 4/5
Board : CBSE - Lotus Valley International School (South City II) : New school (presently upto Class 8). Excellent facilities and innovative teaching methodologies. Tie up with several external institutions (British Council, Cambridge Education, Maxmuller Bhavan etc). Already have an established school in Noida which is considered a premium school.Rating : 4/5.
Board : CBSE - Pathways : New school. Good setup. Has separate section for Special Needs children. Extremely expensive (approx 70k per quarter). Predominantly focuses on Expats and NRIs (the admission form asks whether you earn in Indian Rupees or Foreign currencies!!!)
Rating : 3/5
Board : IGCSE (Cambridge) - Scottish High : One of the first true "international" school in Gurgaon. Well established and well known. Off-late have heard a few negative remarks about this including some pretty damning stuffs on mouthshut.com. Expensive (approx 45k per quarter).
Rating : 3.5/5
Board : ICSE - Banyan Tree : Feedback on Internet is quite high. Did not check personally
Rating : 3.5/5 (based on Internet)
Board : ICSE - American Excelsior : Feedback on Internet is quite high. Did not check personallyRating : 3.5/5 (based on Internet)Board : IGCSE (Cambridge)
There are a few others on which I have no feedback like
- K.R.Mangalam World School
- G.D.Goenka World School
- Euro International
- Indus World School
- Shiv Nadar School (yet to start)
C) Conventional Schools
The feature of these schools are as under
1) Will follow the NCERT prescribed norms. Within this, the good schools with use techniques which are modern and more child-friendly.
2) Academic pressure will be high. It is expected that the parent will also actively teach the child from an early age.
3) Good schools may have SMART class rooms (though this is usually not common)
4) Good schools will have elaborate sports facilities (though conventional ones like football, cricket, basketball etc)
For such schools, it is recommended that one takes careful feedback from students / parents as often what they promise and what they deliver is starkly different.
Grade 1 : Ratings between 3 to 5
3) Good schools may have SMART class rooms (though this is usually not common)
4) Good schools will have elaborate sports facilities (though conventional ones like football, cricket, basketball etc)
For such schools, it is recommended that one takes careful feedback from students / parents as often what they promise and what they deliver is starkly different.
Grade 1 : Ratings between 3 to 5
- Sun City : Rated very high. Teaching style and staffs are extremely good. Good setup and nice balance between education and co-curriculars.
NB : Is known to ask for donations and/or part of the entry fees in cash. I have personally not experienced this but a close friend had this experience.
Rating : 4.5/5
Board : CBSE - Sri Ram International : Could not even enter the reception after trying thrice. I believe one has to admit the child in nursery itself or will have to be a celebrity to even enter the school. Usually the interview will be conducted by the school "darwaan" and you will be shooed off with a flea in the ear.
Rating : 3/5
Board : ICSE - Shallom Hills
New school. Modern style of teaching; child friendly.
NB : Even for Class 1 children, they ask for an entrance test (carefully veiled under a phrase "bench-marking") while they themselves don't have exams till Class 5.
Rating : 4/5
Board : CBSE - Delhi Public School Sector 45 : Standard good school. Academic pressure is on the higher side.
Rating : 3.5/5
Board : CBSE - Amity International Sector 43 and Sector 46 : Standard good school. Nice infrastructure (in Sector 46), large playground.
NB : Even for Class 1 children, they ask for an entrance test <
Rating 3/5
Board : CBSE
Grade 2 : Ratings below 3
- Ryan International
- Delhi Public School - Shushant Lok / Sector 29
- Delhi Public School - Maruti Kunj / Sector 28
- Summer Fields
- Tagore International : Excessive academic pressure. Old fashioned method of teaching. Has a reputation of hitting children regularly.
Rating : 1/5 - Blue Bells
There are many more schools in category 3 on which I have no feedback. A list of some of these are
- Presidium Galleria / Mother's Pride
- Presidium Sector 57
- Alpine Convent School
- Salwan School
- Manav Rachna
It would be nice to get some feedback or review on these schools.
I got plenty of help from some Internet sites which the readers may also find interesting. These are :
- http://livingingurgaon.blogspot.com
- http://www.parentree.in
- http://www.gurgaonscoop.com
And finally, there is no point in writing this blog unless we have discussions on this. I would sincerely urge all parents having school going kids to put their opinions as comments to this blog. This would certainly help the parents in Gurgaon who are in the hunt for a good school.
I got plenty of help from some Internet sites which the readers may also find interesting. These are :
- http://livingingurgaon.blogspot.com
- http://www.parentree.in
- http://www.gurgaonscoop.com
And finally, there is no point in writing this blog unless we have discussions on this. I would sincerely urge all parents having school going kids to put their opinions as comments to this blog. This would certainly help the parents in Gurgaon who are in the hunt for a good school.
very informative article...
ReplyDeletetwo thumbs up for all the information you have gathered.. this will help me a lot in deciding for admission of my son .. Thank you !
ReplyDeleteVery informative indeed, thanks.
ReplyDeleteAny updated information on K.R.Mangalam ? My child has been offered a place there but I havent been able to secure enough information about the school from a outsider's perspective.
Thanks again
i wdn't recommend K.R.Mangalam..while searching around for a good school ( when we were in the process of changing our daughter's school) heard some pretty bad reviews about it
ReplyDeleteI am planning to relocate from the Netherlands. We are quite pleased with quality of education here. So a good school is a big factor in decision making with respect to relocation. Any suggestions - a school with too much homework will be a culture shock so want to avoid that.
ReplyDelete@Preeti - what class are your kids in? I would recommend you short list the following schools
ReplyDelete- Lotus Valley International
- Ridge Valley
- Banyan Tree
Basically better stick to the "true" International schools mentioned by me in the article. Can also try "Shiv Nadar School" and "Gurgaon Valley" which seem to have a lot of promise.
We will be shifting to GGN from Noida in coming session. I have been trying to chase DPS Sec 45 and DPS Sushant Lok. My experience- Sec 45 staff's response is really pathetic over phone. They dont guide and tell you clearly about any thing. I just wanted to know the admission test date. When i went to school perosnally today, they didn't eve let me go inside. Watchman at gate was very rude and it appeared as if i was trying to cross Indo-Pak border.
DeleteSushant LOk- I found staff was quite reasonable over the phone. I went today and brought the form from there. Can anybody please suggest more about DPS - Sushant Lok, how is this school?
Please reply asap... How is DPS Sushant Lok?
ReplyDelete@ Monika : DPS Shushant Lok is an average school. I also found their response to be nice and friendly but overall I won't recommend it.
ReplyDeleteWhich class is your kid in? If you want to try out the more "modern" schools, I recommend Lotus Valley International. My daughter is studying here and we are immensely satisfied. It being a new school, they also are more receptive towards transfer cases et al. The other options are Manav Rachna (of late heard good things about it) and Ridge Valley (expensive).
If you want to stick to conventional schools, then my bet would be on Suncity, Shallom Hills and Amity in that order. Suncity is extremely structured (to the extent that they have a dedicated PRO for handling the parents!!!), so appointments / tests are handled rather well. Shallom Hill is friendly but they have a rigorous test. Amity Sector 43 is rather rude - so better try the Sector 46 branch.
Atanu,
ReplyDeleteWe are considering a few schools for my daughter, LVS one among them. Did you have a chance to visit Summer Fields in Gurgaon, any thoughts...
Dear SKP,
DeleteWe did visit Summer Field and was hugely disappointed by it. It claims to have three playing grounds - one of which is actually the courtyard within the school. I could only find teachers will a sullen look and students with equally morose look. I have seldom seen a more desultory and lifeless school in my life.
The receptionist had a very "sarkari" attitude. She took down our names when we wanted to meet the principal. After waiting for 2 hours, I discovered that the request has not yet been sent to the principal!! I also met a couple of parents who were running between accounts and this prima donna at the reception trying to pay the remaining dues and apply for a transfer certificate.
From what I could gather, Summer Field in Delhi is an old school and has a certain reputation sheerly by their history. The Gurgaon branch is a pale shadow of the same and tries to bank on the reflected glory. Also, being an old school, they have a lot of clout with the news paper - which explains why they feature in HT list of top ten schools.
To Summarise : Give it a miss by a mile and a half!!
I need suggestions on ryan and the maurya school gurgaon. As my kid will be 3 in march 2012.
ReplyDeleteI had a look at Ryan International as well. I found it to be a bit too commercialized. Overall it seemed to be strictly okay (about 2.5 or 3/5 rating). The play facilities are not enough.
DeleteThey have one advantage which is transferability i.e if you are transferred from one city to another, you need not pay any deposit / admission fees etc. I, however, do not think this is a very significant factor.
No idea on Maurya School. I'll try to ask around.
I need suggestion on Shiv Nadar School, any thoughts.
ReplyDeleteShiv Nadar School is new but has a lot of promises. 2012-13 will be their first academic session. I have a good feeling about this school. They also are following the "international" style but with a lot of social commitment and involvement.
DeleteI saw their school building as well - at that time it was still incomplete. Being the first year, they might take 1-2 years to set up the infrastructure completely. If you are ready to bear with this inconvenience for first 1-2 years, go for it.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have visited Ridge Valley couple of times around last sep-oct, they had no clue about admission process.. also, they offered cbse (certification pending) and were in no way "international".or expensive.
Pls let me know if anything has changed recently.
Also, why have you put salwan as grade 3, coz this was ranked 5th in the last ggn school rating by HT (if i remember correctly).
Are we talking about the same Ridge Valley school? The one am talking about is near Galleria Market and is a India Today venture. It is certainly expensive going by its 45,000 per quarter fees. But I found the school to be excellent. The link to its website is
Deletehttp://www.ridgevalleyschool.org/
I personally find the HT school ratings to be heavily biased. A couple of schools appear over there like Salwan, Summer Fields and Blue Bells which have no business to be there. I recommend you check out the school yourself (and please give your feedback over here so that all can read it).
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply.
I have been to all the schools u mentioned except blue bells. I found Salwan to be okayish, it seems to be similar to the DPSs and the DAVs, what would you say? The infra was also good enough although not swanky like some of the new schools. I also heard from someone I know (an ex principal @ other salwan school) that the principal here takes keen interest in the development of the school.
And Yes we are talking about the same Ridge Valley School near Galleria. Although I have not visited it in last 6 months, but the impression I got when I visited it couple of times was really not good due to foll. reasons:
1)that time there was no principal
2)approval(or whatever it is called) for CBSE was not in place
3)they did not have a date for admission process
4)there were hardly couple of children in 4 & 5 grade
Please let me know if anything has changed since then.
Sometimes we go thru a schools website and find it really good and professional, but when we see reality on ground things can be quite different (ex both RVS & Dihika)
I have not personally visited Salwan but someone else also gave me a decent feedback about it. This matches with your feedback. This is also the reason why I have not rated Salwan School.
DeleteAbout RVS :
1) Ridge Valley now has a principal - who seemed to be quite impressive. She spoke well and had a very clear vision. She is the ex-principal of Vasant Valley.
2) Their CBSE affiliation (preliminary) is in place.The final thing will come once the first batch goes it for the 10th standard. They are till Class 6 at the moment and adding one class every year. This seem to be the norm in any new school.
3) I got a date when the admission forms will be available. It was middle of September I believe. I later checked it - the forms were really available.
4) I think this is probably for the same reason as point 2. nevertheless, the number students in Class 5 were definitely more than 2.
Hi,
DeleteI just wanted to post my feedback on Ridge Valley School.
My Kids have been here since October 2011 and they are extremely happy with the school. The teachers are excellent and the focus on extracurricular activities is great while ensuring academics as well.
The kids in school all look happy and it is difficult to get them to leave school.
If you are looking for a school for your child which allows them to grow, learn and be happy, then you should definitely consider ridge valley.
I will be moving to Ggn by the end of the month and have been at my wits end in choosing the right school. How is Shalom Hills ? Does anyone have any idea or personal exp to share?
ReplyDeleteIt is a conventional school and good. Nevertheless, I recommend the international schools like Lotus Valley, Manav Rachna, Banyan Tree etc.
DeleteAlso Shallom has too many pictures of politicians and filmy heros on their school board for my comfort.
I was considering Manav Rachana too... I met the Principal and see seemed to be a woman with direction and focus. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteMRIS is supposed to be quite good. Even I have got very good feedback about it.
DeleteHi Atanu,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the overwhelming research you have done on Gurgaon schools. Just wondering has anybody of your acquaintances has any direct association with Shalom Hills? Actually all the reviews in the web are very positive. But when I talk to real people the impression is slightly different. We are quite new to Gurgaon. So just wondering...
Best Regards.
Sobhan Bhowmik
I agree with your perception. As a conventional school, it is okay. But the overall facilities are not great and the school board boasts a lot about the film stars and politicians who have visited the school. The teachers are probably good but nowadays the focus is on holistic education which might be lacking.
DeleteAlso they ask even 5 year old students to appear for a test which is illegal. They mask it nicely by calling it "Bench Marking" but its a bloody test which lasts for 1.5 hrs for a 5 year old kid!!!
Hi Atanu,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot again for your quick feedback. Actually we did a blunder last year when relocated back from Australia. As my daughter (now in class IV) did not know any hindi and 3 year old son also speak Bengali mostly at home, put them in Tagore International, DLF 3. Also treated it as a testing ground for them as my ofice and apartment was very close by. They did relatively well and only last week we were informed that TIS GGN is now going out of the old franchise. So we were at a loss and not sure what to do as it was already late.
The first positive response was from Shalom and they both appeared for tests and got qualified. Of course, for my son it was just an hour long(!) interaction as he is less than four yrs now.
But then talking to a few people, the response was not that enlightening. So we are thinking of exploring some other schools including Suncity and Lotus Valley. Also regarding Manav Rachna, though the feedback is quite good, some people are telling that they don't have sufficiently qualified teachers. But I feel that may be a general problem with so many schools coming up in NCR region.
You seem to have committed the same blunder that we had done. We had also put our daughter in Tagore International and were hugely disappointed by it. Which is why we had to change the school mid-session. Our daughter is now in Lotus Valley and we are extremely satisfied by it.
DeleteWe also had tried Suncity but by the time we got a response from them, we had already put our daughter in Lotus. Suncity is also a definite possibility though the educational pressure is probably more than Lotus.
I am planning to send my kid(Nursary) in MRIS, but lately have not received and good feedback for school. Everyone seems to be recomending Shikshantar,Heritage..... Moreover i haven't seen too many discussions happening around this school over net as well. I am getting a little confused, can anyone share feedback about school
ReplyDeleteI think you are comparing two different categories. Shikshantar & Heritage belong to the "Alternate" category of schools which has its own plus & minus as I have mentioned in the article. MRIS is supposed to be a good school in the "International" category though I would rate Lotus Valley, Banyan Tree and Ridge Valley above this.
DeleteRegarding excelsior amrican school, it is much hyped and very very expensive school. They charge rs. 70,000 in name of annual fees and quarterly charges comes around rs. 30000. Transport charges are one of expensive around rs. 3000 per month.so approximately rs. 2 lacs for a nursury student. Which is equivalant fees in us or uk wudent. If u can afford than only plan. 15% is compulsory hike in fees every year.
ReplyDeleteAdd to this, American Excelsior has the problem of board affiliation at the moment - so not sure how well it is for "non-NRI" Indian students.
DeleteThe fees seem to be on the same category as "Pathways".
Need help. I am trying admission for my Daughter for 2nd Class. Need feed back on K.R.Mangalam World School, Manav Rachna & Lotus Valley. Which one is better...
ReplyDeleteI am inclined to rate Lotus Valley higher than the rest. I'll ask a friend of mine to comment on this as he had done extensive research on these schools.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteAny feedback on Lancers International @ DLF V?
We have visited the school, but do not have any first hand feedback.
The fee structure is similar to pathways. Only advantage is its closer.
Plz share any feedback.
Don't have any first hand feedback but have not heard too many praises of this school either. Nevertheless, will try to get a feedback.
Delete