Skip to content.

Site Map

Schools Information and Search Facilities


The information on individual schools, articles, and the search facilities that we make available, are most easily accessed through the menus that appear at the top and on the left of every page.

If you are a current subscriber to the Guide online and are logged in, you will be able to see our critical writeups and notes on the schools that we visit and review, as well as articles about living in different countries and general articles about schooling systems, curricula, transitions etc.  If you are not, there is still a good deal of public information that you will find for free - contact information, links to web sites, basic school features etc.

The available options are:

  • Quick search: enter part of a school name or country
  • Features search: Enter one or more of a large number of characteristics of the school - name, location, religion, age range, etc, etc
  • Location search: enter city or country to see schools considered by expats, including schools we’ve covered and schools we haven’t. You can filter this list by a number of characteristics such as age range, single sex/co-ed, independent/state, mainstream/special ed etc
  • Text search: searches the text of our reviews
  • Schools that we cover: lists of schools that we have reviewed

Here is a complete outline of countries and articles in The Good Schools Guide International

Australia

  • Melbourne

            Melbourne Schools Considered by Expats

  • Perth

            Perth Schools Considered By Expats           

            Expat Overview: Living in Perth

            Upside Down or Right Way Round? The Seasons and School Year in Northern Hemisphere v Southern Hemisphere                    

  • Sydney

            Sydney Schools Considered By Expats

            Educational Overview of Sydney (New South Wales)

            Expat Overview: Living in Sydney                    

            Expat Overview: Sydney Mothers with Children Under Five

            Day Care and Pre-Schools- Sydney

Barbados

            Educational Overview of Barbados

            Expat Overview: Living in Barbados

            Barbados Pre-schools Used By Expats

            Mothers with Children Under 5 (and Miscellaneous Family Entertainment)        

Belize (coming soon)

Botswana   

  • Gaborone  

             Gaborone Schools Considered By Expats

             Expat Overview: Living in Gaborone

             Reading Your Way to Botswana: To Begin…

Brazil

  • Brazilia

             Brazilia Schools Considered by Expats

             Expat Overview: Living in Brazilia

  • Rio de Janeiro (coming soon)

Canada

  • Calgary

            Finding a School in Calgary: The Practicalities

            Educational Overview: Schools in Calgary

            Expat Overview: Living as an Expat in Calgary

  • Montreal

             Montreal Schools Considered by Expats

             Expat Overview: Montreal

             Educational Overview of Montreal

China

  • Beijing

             Beijing Schools Considered by Expats             

             Beijing Pre-schools and Kindergarten Considered By Expats

             Expat Overview: Living in Beijing

  • Hong Kong

             Hong Kong Schools Considered by Expats

             Kowloon Schools Considered by Expats

             Educational Overview of Hong Kong

             Expat Overview: Living in Hong Kong

             We Didn’t Think We’d Stay So Long: Things about Hong Kong We Wish We’d Known

             Reading Your Way to Hong Kong

  • Shanghai

             Shanghai Schools Considered By Expats

             Educational Overview of Shanghai             

             Expat Overview: Living in Shanghai

Czech Republic

  • Prague

             Brief Educational Overview and Schools Considered by Expats

             Expat Overview: Living in Prague

Egypt

  • Cairo 

             Cairo Schools Considered by Expats

             Educational Overview of Cairo

             Expat Overview: Living in Cairo

France

The French System: In All Its Gloire

We Live In France: If I can Wake Up My Teenager, Can He Get a Summer Job?

  • Toulouse

             Toulouse Schools Considered by Expats                      

             Expat Overview: A Flying View of Toulouse

  • Cannes         

             Cannes Schools Considered by Expats              

Germany

  • Berlin

             Educational Overview of Berlin

             First Do Your Homework: What to Read (and Watch) About Berlin

Hungary

  • Budapest

             Budapest Schools Considered by Expats

             Educational Overview: School Choices in Budapest

             Expat Overview: Living in Budapest

India

  • Bangalore

             Bangalore Schools Considered By Expats

  • New Delhi

             New Delhi Schools Considered By Expats

             Educational Overview: New Delhi

             Expat Overview: New Delhi

Italy  

  • Rome

             Rome Schools Considered By Expats

             Educational Overview of Rome

             Expat Overview: Living in Rome (to Which All Roads Lead etc)

Japan

  • Tokyo

             Tokyo Schools Considered by Expats

             Educational Overview of Tokyo and Yokohoma

             Preschools and Kindergartens Considered by Expats

             Expat Overview: Living In Tokyo

Jordan

  • Amman

             Amman Schools Considered by Expats

             Expat Overview: Living in Amman

             Reading/WatchingYour Way to Jordan: Books/Films Before You Go

Korea

  • Seoul

             Expat Overview: Living in Seoul

Kuwait

  • Kuwait City

             Kuwait Schools Considered By Expats

             Educational Overview of Kuwait

             Expat Overview: Living in Kuwait

Luxembourg  

Mexico

  • New Mexico (coming soon)

The Netherlands  

  • Amsterdam

            Amsterdam Schools Considered by Expats

            Educational Overview: Schooling in the Netherlands     

  • Arnhem

            Schools in Arnhem Considered by Expats

            Educational Overview: Schooling in the Netherlands

            Expat Overview: Living in Arnhem

  • The Hague

           The Hague Schools Considered by Expats                   

  • Hilsum

           Hilsum Schools Considered by Expats

           Educational Overview: Schooling in the Netherlands

           Expat Overview: Hilversum and Het Gooi

Pakistan

  • Islamabad

Portugal

  • Lisbon

           Lisbon Schools Considered by Expats

           Educational Overview of Lisbon

           Expat Overview: Living in Lisbon  

Philippines

  • Manila (coming soon)

Russia     

  • Moscow

           Moscow Schools Considered by Expats

           Educational Overview of Moscow

           Expat Overview: Living in Moscow

           Points to Ponder: Choosing Schools in Moscow (Even Day Schools)

           Moscow Playschools Considered by Expats

           Jane’s Travel Bullet: When You Arrive in Moscow…

Singapore

           Singapore Schools Considered By Expats

           Educational Overview of Singapore

           Expat Overview: Living in Singapore

           Jane’s Travel Bullet: When You Arrive in Singapore…

South Africa

  • Johannesburg (coming soon)

Spain

  • Barcelona/Cataluna

           Barcelona/Cataluna Schools Considered By Expats

  • Costa Blanca

           Costa Blanca/Costa Calida Schools Considered by Expats

           Educational Overview of Costa Blanca/Costa Calida

           Expat Overview: Living in the Costa Blanca (or Never a Dull Day in

                             Dolores)                      

           The Costa’s Explained

  • Costa del Sol (coming soon)

Switzerland

  • Geneva

           Geneva Schools Considered By Expats

           Educational Overview of Geneva

           Expat Overview: Living in Geneva 

  • Lausanne/Vevey

           Lausanne/Vevey Schools Considered by Expats

           Dubai Schools Considered by Expats

           Dubai Nurseries and Pre-Schools Considered by Expats

           Dubai Educational Overview: Schooling in Dubai

UK  

  • London

           Educational Overview of London

           First, Do Your Homework: What to Read (and Watch) About London            

USA

  • Connecticut(coming soon)
  • Houston, Texas

           Expat Overview: Living in Houston       

  • Los Angeles, California (coming soon)
  • Massachusetts (coming soon)
  • New York (coming soon)

Vietnam

  • Dongguan

           Dongguan Schools Considered by Expats

  • Ho Chi Minh City

           Ho Chi Minh City Schools Considered by Expats

Zambia

  • Lusaka (coming soon)

Featured Articles

Schooling abroad, special education needs, differences between curricula, the fine points of “the footy” (round ball or pointy): articles to fill in the blanks, help you plan, or give you heart…

International Schools: In Name Only?

By Jennifer Sharple - Expat, parent, journalist. When is an international school not an international school? Or even a school where most students aren't international at all, but instead locals whose parents want them to have a British or American education...at least on paper? What should you look for, what should you ask?

Citizens of the World aka Third Culture Kids

By Jennifer Sharple – How do these modern nomadic children cope as they ride the coat tails of their parents’ dreams and lives? 

Schools Abroad: How Do I Even Begin?

By Jennifer Sharple. What to look for in an international school and how to strategize the search: pitfalls to beware of, what should wave a red flag; what to look for in accreditation, staff, special needs, financial stability.

Glossary  

Words, agencies and phrases that are found peppered throughout the GSGI, many that are peculiar to one country (especially Montreal), or wander into a range of jargon for a particular area (say, US Financial Aid).

The Basics of an English Education  

Find everything you need to know about the British school system....wherever you find it, in this article written for Paragon by Sandra Hutchinson, one of the leading editors from The Good Schools Guide.

The Footy: Football, Soccer, Neither, Both?

There are many mystery words amongst English speaking peoples, but some are more likely than others to incite international incidents....

We Live In France: If I Can Wake Up My Teenager, Can He Get a Summer Job?  

The trials and tribulations of finding jobs during a teenage holiday...

Small Children Abroad: Schooling and Entertainment  

Some of these are excerpts of other GSGI articles, or stand alone articles in their own right. So some are country-specific, but much of the information is universally useful, so here it is in one folder.

Quick bullets by Martine Self from the GSGI Moscow section, but helpful for choosing schools for all ages anywhere, especially kindergartens and day school.

More brilliant reassurance from Charlotte Sherston for mothers picking up their babies and carrying them most of the way around the world and all the way down under.

To Board or Not to Board?  

Thoughts from parents of boarders, and boarders themselves: how to choose, how to plan, or whether to do it at all.

A shot cross-cultural snapshot of things your children will deal with if they join in this nomadic life with you.

No nonsense advice from parents (posted in the Middle East) who sent three children back home to board...two were "Enid Blyton" perfect fits (although one was a boy) but the third was a square peg and expected by the school to "stand up to the bullies"...

What students should expect from boarding school, and how to prepare....by someone who graduated about a minute ago and wrote this for her school paper, called "Hey You".  

Special Education Needs: International Schools  

Definitions, descriptions, resources, solutions....these mini-guides to Special Education Needs in the UK and US will equip you for those countries, but help you find your way (and at least know what you're missing) in more far-flung corners of the globe.

What can you expect, and to what are you entitled? How do the laws affect you, even if you're not a US citizen, and only in the US for a short time; definitions, bibliography, and who to call for help....written by Karen Moffitt, one of the leading SEN authorities in America.

Global Special Education and Disabilities Sites - how to find Special Education Needs help when it isn't available in schools abroad.

Eligible disabilities as defined by US law, specifically IDEA 2004 under the American Disabilities Act.

Thousands of words of US law and regulations whittled down to a few clear and succinct pages by Karen Moffitt, one of the leading US Special Education Needs authorities (who wrote a few of those laws herself).

Does my child have a “special education need” or are the difficulties he seems to have actually pretty ‘normal’? How to know the difference, how to get help....definitions, resources, and help contributed by some of the top experts in the SEN field, much of it from Sandra Hutchinson's excellent and comprehensive "Good Schools Guide: Special Education Needs" (if we do say so ourselves).

Who to call in the UK about special education needs, how to get help.

A crisp, clear guide for parents to this labrynthine, often frustrating world, adapted from the Introduction to The Good Schools Guide: Special Education Needs, by Sandra Hutchinson.

Not a school as such, but a useful resource for those with children in or near Lisbon with Special Education Needs

Transitions: Between School Systems, Hemispheres, Countries  

Can you transfer out of the American system into the British, or out of the British into the IB? If summer is winter in Australia, when does school begin? What happens to children who need someplace to land in between, for extra work, visa help or beefing up on skills?

The rigourous French schools are undoubtedly the most difficult to transfer into from other systems, but the best if you want a dependable and seamless transition within the same system, no matter where you go.

Touted as the best system for the most seamless transition, country to country, but it ain't necessarily so....

Certainly one of the most difficult of transitions, but not impossible. And then what's needed to get into American unis from the British system?

Accreditation/Inspection Agencies

How can you find out about accreditations of international schools? Are all international schools inspected by Ofsted? Which accreditation and inspection agencies are legitimate, which ones aren't, how do you tell the difference, why do accreditations matter... in this section, you'll find everything we can think of that you might need to know.

If schools outside the UK say they're inspected by Ofsted, can you believe them? (Mostly not). How do you know, and what other agencies should you look for?

How to separate the sheep from the goats, the authorised from the bogus. Beware the alphabet soup of lookalike initials and reversed titles: all accrediting agencies are not equal.

How far does the IBO oversight go, and what does a school have to do to qualify as one?

All schools in this book with full reviews are accredited or inspected by one or more of these agencies.

School Systems, Curricula and Exams  

All curricula, exams and systems for international schools mentioned in the Good Schools Guide Intwrnational (with descriptions as we find authorities who can put each one in clear concise terms....which is almost NEVER the official and mostly useless website set up to do that). If you need information on one we haven't defined yet, just let us know.

SATs, GCSEs, APs, A levels, IB....what are they, what do they mean? In an international school, does one equal or substitute for another, who needs them....?? What age child takes which exam in what year? Here you will find equvilencies between systems (GSCE vs American Diploma), the IB explained, transitions decoded.

The GCSE is technically regarded as the equivilent of an American high school diploma, but if you're applying from abroad, is it enough to get into a good US college or university? Unlikely....

What's the best SAT score, are they necessary, where are they accepted, why do some good international schools have lower-than-expected scores, what is the ACT?

What are acceptable IGCSEs? How do you qualify the raw data between so many schools in the UK, much less British international schools? This should help you judge for yourself when a school says they have "outstanding" results.

Use this cryptic chart to figure out which age and stage your child will take various examinations for the English or Scottish National Curriculum systems, or the IB.

Are AP classes different from run-of-the-mill courses of the same name, and do you really need to work this hard? Do university admissions offices weight them more heavily, and can they really give advance credit for university work?

Only someone like Mary Langford, who has set up, run, and inspected IB schools herself, could produce such a clear, condensed, no-frills treatise on this popular curriculum that is gaining momentum around the world with the speed of a rip tide.

All curricula mentioned in the Good Schools Guide International; brief descriptions of each as we find sources and succinct descriptions in clear English), and schools that use each curriculum. (Most with descriptions as we find authorities who can put each one in clear concise terms....which is almost NEVER the official and mostly useless website set up to do that).

Good Schools Guide International schools offering the International Baccalaureate curriculum: 

Good Schools Guide International schools offering the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP)

Good Schools Guide International schools offering the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP):

Good Schools Guide International schools offering the National Curriculum of England and Wales (often just known as British Education, including IGCSEs, A levels, and/or IGCSEs):

Good Schools Guide International schools offering IGCSEs:

Good Schools Guide International schools offering IGCSEs and/or A Levels in conjunction with an adapted curriculum: 

Good Schools Guide International schools offering the American High School Diploma (College Prep): 

Good Schools Guide International schools offering Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum:

 Good Schools Guide International schools offering the French National Curriculum:

Good Schools Guide International schools offering the New South Wales (Australia)curriculum and High School Certificate:

Good Schools Guide International schools offering Victoria Certificate of Education (VCE)(Australia):

Use this cryptic chart to figure out which age and stage your child will take various examinations for the English or Scottish National Curriculum systems, or the IB.

Sydney has more than its share of very good schools, but places for expats are in short supply. Beware, and plan early. It's not impossible, but read carefully to sort out a backup strategy.

A quick description of the ins and outs of the French education system: how it works, what to expect and how non-French children (and parents) make the system adjust to themselves (they don't), or learn to fit in (and it is possible).

Find everything you need to know about the British school system....wherever you find it, in this article written for Paragon by Sandra Hutchinson, one of the leading editors from The Good Schools Guide.

This may be the clearest, most succinct description you'll ever find on these elite European Schools funded by the European Union, run for the dependents of that vast bureaucracy, and resulting in the European Baccaulareate (but not to be confuse with the IB).

What to expect from American schools in America, what is the "American curriculum", and what makes it different from other curricula?

Getting Into University From Anywhere

Jane's Travel Bullets  

Just as definitive as, but not to be confused with, the famous military publishers of the same name, these travel tips come from a globe trotting consultant who makes it her business to enjoy the process of travel, and to find the comforts and shortcuts in every conceivable language and airport. Check your destination: if Jane Mason goes there, we have her up-to-the-minute advice for your city.

Navigating Narita - the airport in Tokyo

How to meet people in and navigate the airport and other stories

There are two airports in Moscow. Many choices of vodka in both. More humourless officials than you can shake a stick at. Enjoy!

Welcome to the calm oasis that is the airport in Singapore. With a garden on the roof, a spa, a gym, lovely shops, and thousands of orchids, you may be tempted to stay put!

A whistle stop tour thorough this great little airport

The most important bit of travel news really is contained in this article...

...iso easy!

Aiport fine - traffic not

...shame about the distance from Seoul itself!

 

Want to Work for Us?  

Everything you need to know about writing and advising for the Good Schools Guide International.

A long but pretty thorough description about writing/advising for the Good Schools Guide International.

Help us get the Good Schools Guide International going, and share in the revenue.

What do editors do, and what kind of person would like it?

A brief job announcement for GSGI country editors, who also serve as GSGI advisors.  

Before You Go: Recommended Reading for Beach or Plane

Novels about your new country (also listed under some GSGI country sections); how-to books on parenting, relocating, life on the move.....books in this chapter are recommended by readers and our editors. 

In Depth: Focus on UK Schooling  

Coming from abroad, understanding the system, whether your child has a chance of getting in, whether British schools are as daunting as their reputation, how to check out a school....a wealth of articles reprinted from The Good Schools Guide.

aka: Sussing Out a School and Horses for Courses; long standing article reprinted year after year in The Good Schools Guide. If you don't read anything else, this is a must. It will arm you with the questions and courage you need to make the right decisions for your child.

Public or private, English or Scottish, advantages of each, how to get in (including the impossibly difficult labrynth of the state school system).  

Buy the Guide(s)  

Purchase any of the Good Schools Guide books: GSG Special Education Needs Guide, etc

Individual or Corporate rates; discounts for subscribers of any of the Good Schools Guides...

Links

Links with people, companies and agencies we think might be helpful to expats and parents.  We decide which links we like; while we are not responsible for their content, we don't put them on our site unless we have taken a good look, have good reports on them or have used their services ourselves.