School Fees for 2022/23 – Abacus Kindergarten

Dear Parents

I would like to personally thank you for your ongoing support and commitment that makes ESF such a success. The challenges we have all faced over the last few years, have brought into sharp focus the importance of your engagement in your child’s learning. Simply put, we could not do it without you.

It has been a productive year but one that has challenged us to continuously review and adapt our practice. We can, and will do even more to ensure your children thrive, no matter what. My promise to you is that we will be relentless in our efforts to support each and every one of our students, your children, to flourish.

We are proud of ESF’s strong record of exceptional academic results but more than that, our reputation for creating a safe and nurturing environment for all. We know from your feedback that parents not only want their children to be confident and successful learners but also to be happy in school.

It is time for us to set the budget for the next academic year. The ESF Board has approved the annual budget for 2022/23 and has set the school fees for the year ahead.

In setting the budget, the Board balanced a range of considerations, including the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on our families and staff and the need to ensure ESF continues to provide a premium education service into the future.

I would want to reassure you that delivering the best quality learning experiences for your children remains our utmost priority.

The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers and support staff. The Board is of the firm view that our success is dependent upon ESF attracting and retaining a team of high-quality teachers. The budget for 2022/23 takes into account the need for ESF to provide competitive salary levels, which have now been frozen since the start of session 2020.

I know how much you appreciate the great efforts of our teachers, and thank you for the many messages of support and gratitude recognising our work during these challenging times.

ESF operates a ‘best value model’ which ensures costs are carefully controlled and funds are used wisely. I want to assure you that our financial planning takes careful account of the need for financial prudence as well as the impact that any fee increase has on our parents.

No one wants to pay higher fees than necessary, however, the Board needs to ensure that costs are covered and that students and teachers have high quality support and resources in their classrooms.

ESF’s tuition fees have been frozen since 2020 in recognition of pressures on our families. The Board has put in place additional funding for the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) and furthermore, has agreed to use over HK$30m of ESF reserves to help absorb some of the rising costs and in doing so, keep the fee increase to a minimum.

The average fee increase of 2.9% for 2022/23 across all schools is at the minimum level required to ensure we cover our costs and maintain the quality of education.

The table below outlines the range of school fees for 2022/23, subject to final approval by the Education Bureau (EDB).

	2021/22 Tuition fees (HK$)	2022/23 Tuition fees (HK$)	Monthly increase (HK$)
English class	86,000	89,300	330
Bilingual class	100,000	103,800	380

Once again, I would want to personally thank you for your ongoing support and for entrusting your child’s education to ESF.

 

Yours sincerely

Belinda Greer
Chief Executive Officer
English Schools Foundation