New location, new infrastructure: Go Samuin French International School has become Windfield International School offering two school courses, one in French and one in English.
Koh Samui’s French International School is preparing to move into a new campus and change its name to Windfield International School. From the start of the school year in September 2021, this new school will welcome students from kindergarten to 12th grade in the Lamai district east of Samui Island. Students will have the opportunity to join the French program (approved by the Agency for French Education Abroad) or the Cambridge International Program.
Stephen Salon, director of the French International School of Koh Samui, is at the forefront of this new school project. Windfield International School was born out of a meeting between two entrepreneurs, Babak, Sombop and Samad Yongchiri, and Stephen Salon, and the French International School is committed to relocating and expanding its campus.
“The French school is getting very small, we have 5 spokes (8,000 square meters) so the new land is big so we told ourselves that we will also add English speaking area.”, Explains Stephen Salan.
The relationship of two different school programs within the same institution is far from a unique formula. In Phuket, the International PCIS School operates uniformly, offering the opportunity to choose between two courses.
Multiple gateways between the two programs
However, the original nature of this new institution is that it offers numerous bridges between the two programs with common courses such as sports, art, and music, which can be taught in French or English. “We offer two school programs, students enroll in one or the other, take exams and receive school certificates specific to the program they take. However, we have included common lessons where children, regardless of their mother tongue, participate together. The idea is to allow children to bathe in both languages”, Adds the director.
According to Stephen Salan, having two courses is a real asset currently registered for French-speaking children so they are immersed in the bilingual universe. But the school can also appeal to French children currently attending another international school on the island. “These children can continue to follow the British curriculum when they are more fluent in French. We have many Russians who are interested in our school to follow the UK curriculum while offering French lessons.”, He explains.
The international schools offer is expanding in Samui
There are currently six international schools on Koh Samui Island, four of which offer a program in English. The opening of the new campus, Windfield International School, further expands the selection when the price range is within the average of other institutions.
Primary (Year 1 to Year 6) A full course English program costs 1.2 million baht (31,000 euros), while the French program is a little cheaper. By comparison, Samui International School costs 2.5 million baht (,000 65,000) for total primary classes, while the cheapest school is Lamai International School, which has a tuition fee of 1 million baht (,000 26,000).
To date, there are approximately 100 entries in the French-speaking section of Windfield International School, while statistics for the English program have not yet been confirmed. In total, the school can accommodate 250 to 300 students.
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