Comments about this Report

Good review. However, I've heard some negative comments from ex-students not being able to fit into the school circle as majority of the student population are made up of Thai and they tend to form their own cliques. As this as a result, affected the popularity of Harrow among expats looking for good quality British schools. Please comment on how true this is... I'm seriously interested in considering Harrow after reading about their curriculum on their website since I'll be moving to Bangkok soon. Thanks!:))

A fair review but what will be of most interest to potential expats is the fact that Harrow has become predominantly a school for the rich Thais. It has been impossible to enforce a "speak English at school" policy so non-native Thai speaking kids find it almost impossible to form friendships. Although the figures are not published, it is believed that now over 80% of the children are native Thai speakers with the approx 20%being made up of Korean, Japanese, and native English speakers who tend to be teacher's kids who in any case form their own cliques

Being a student at Harrow, I can say that all stated in the review is accurate. And addressing the concerns of others in the comments section about the shool circle and 'fitting in', I can safely say that there should be no concerns there. In all honesty, when I first came to Harrow (Year 4) back in 2005, I didn't like it very much. I had a small circle of friends, but after less than a year I made more friends. Now I'm currently in Year 12 and I'm able to say that Harrow is the best school that you can possibly think to send your child to. There is hardly a boundary between Thais and expats, and if there is, that slowly dissolves the higher up the school you get. It is true that the "speak English" policy has been impossible to completely enforce, but students at school are considerate and well behaved enough to speak English, anyway. There are also teachers and prefects constantly monitoring English levels during class and lunch/break times. There is also more intermingling with nationalities than you may believe. For example, my 'clique' as you call it, consists of Thai, Vietnamese, Canadian, British, Phillipino and Australian. This situation is very similar throughout other cliques in the school. It is also a common misconception that teachers kids hang out together, because from what I see, they don't. In fact, most of them seem to avoid eachother during the school day. I'd also like to add to this that the atmosphere around Harrow is very homely, calm and friendly. The openess of the buildings and abundance of trees, plants and bushes make it a very fresh environment where the fumes and pollution of the surrounding city is hardly noticable. There is also residence available on-sight for teachers (including a communal area for social gatherings, and a playground). Boarders, though they have less freedom than children at home, also have access to the whole school facilities during weekends (as well as are given the opportunity to go to a chosen shopping mall every saturday), and may even visit Khun Naii's Cafe across the road (which supplies a very wide variety of Thai foods at low prices and is EXTREMELY delicious). Appart from the living spaces in the surrounding sois, Hyde Park (a cul-de-sac of houses next to Harrow, partially owned by Harrow - Also where I live), provides convenient, reasonably priced, and high quality living for those who attend the school, and those who don't. It also allows students to cycle and walk to school. Whenever problems occur, the school is quick to react and help. This was evident with political protests, the floods of 2011 and also massive thunderstorms. You will be also interested to know that the school offers help with imigration to any that need it. But like any school, it has it's share of problems. Though they are minor. For example, Harrow (mainly because of our posh 'boater and blazer' image) isn't really... appreciated by the children of other schools because they believe us all to be posh and high class. In reality, many of the kids are on scholarships, and some can only just afford to be here. School food can also be a problem to certain people. If your child is a picky-eater, I suggest they have a packed lunch just in case the food at the dining hall isn't to their liking. If we experience heavy rain, the school football pitch also tends to flood and turn into a second lake! (In case you didn't know, Harrow and Hyde Park are situated next to a lake which activities such as water ski-ing and kayaking are held). Although, the pitch now has a special drainage system beneath it, the water may remain for a couple of days. If anyone has any other questions for me about a students point of view, feel free to ask and I will check back here often. I have been through the Primary, Prep, Secondary and now 6th Form and I believe I can give an accurate report about how your child will fair at Harrow.