The Garden International School

The Garden International School has two Panyu campuses: the Primary campus at No.480 Shaxi Avenue and the Kindergarten at Agile Cambridge in Panyu District. Both campuses are in suburban Panyu — reachable by car or local taxi services from central Guangzhou; the school lists local phone numbers for admissions on its website.

The school operates an Early Years/Kindergarten provision (ages from about 2) and a Primary school (typically ages 6–12). Public listings and the school site describe separate kindergarten and primary campuses rather than a secondary/upper‑school.

The Garden International School is co‑educational and operates as a day school. It is listed with the IB organization and teaches in English and Chinese (bilingual streams are offered).

Public information indicates the school runs multiple curricular streams (full Chinese, Chinese with English inquiry lessons, and full inquiry‑based international) and that primary entrants are assessed in English, Chinese and maths to inform placement and support. This suggests EAL/learning‑support arrangements and entry assessments are in use; parents should ask admissions for details about formal SEN provision and individual support plans.

The school is located in China and follows bilingual (English–Chinese) and IB approaches, but it is not presented as being affiliated to another country's national school system.

The Garden International School does not present a religious affiliation on its public pages and directories; it is described as a bilingual/IB school.

The school's public pages do not publish a full daily timetable for primary students. A school directory lists kindergarten hours (start about 08:00, finish about 16:00) and notes that pupils may be assessed on entry; for exact primary start/finish and break times contact admissions.

Directory listings indicate the school offers a school‑bus service, but the school website does not publish route or operator details. Prospective parents should contact the admissions office (contact details are on the school site) for current routes, pick‑up points, fees and safety arrangements.

The Garden International School (Guangzhou) operates a bilingual English–Chinese Early Years (Kindergarten) and Primary programme built around the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) and inquiry-based approaches. It serves roughly ages 2–12 (Early Years through Primary) and the school website lists only Kindergarten and Primary pages. The taught curriculum includes core academic areas (English, mathematics, science and social studies) alongside specialist provision in music, art and physical education, with daily opportunities in both English and Mandarin. The PYP is the qualification/framework followed at Early Years and Primary; the school's published materials and directory listings do not show secondary external qualifications such as IGCSE, A‑Level or the IB Diploma on the website, so families requiring Year‑7+ pathways should check directly with admissions for current progression routes.

The school's public website includes a director's message saying the community aims for children to “be happy, to have fun and to be truly engaged in learning,” but it does not publish a named SEL programme, dedicated SEL staff, or specific SEL initiatives on its site. There is no page describing a PSHE/SEL curriculum, whole‑school wellbeing framework, or explicit pastoral programme in the English or Chinese site sections. For further details the school lists admissions contact emails that parents can use to request more information.

The school's website does not publish information about Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, the types of needs supported, specialist staff, or whether it operates as a specialist SEN institution. There are no SEN policy documents or learning‑support pages available on the public site in English or Chinese. Parents seeking confirmation about SEN support are directed to contact the school via the published admissions email and telephone details.

The IB directory entry for the school notes English as the language of instruction, but the school's public website does not describe specific English as an Additional Language (EAL) programmes, EAL staff, or placement/withdrawal arrangements. The site does not publish an EAL policy or programme outline in the English or Chinese sections. Families wishing to confirm whether targeted EAL support is available should contact the school directly using the published contact details.

The school's published content includes a general statement about aiming for children to be happy and engaged, but there are no publicly available pages describing a whole‑school mental‑health strategy, on‑site counselling service, or named wellbeing team. The website does not provide mental‑health policy documents, referral pathways, or details of external counselling partnerships. For specifics about counselling or mental‑health provision, the school asks that parents contact the admissions office.

The school's public website does not publish a standalone safeguarding or child‑protection policy, nor does it list designated safeguarding leads on the English or Chinese site sections. The site does display contact information, addresses and an ICP number but does not provide a downloadable child‑protection policy or named safeguarding contacts for public view. If you need the school's safeguarding policy or the contact details of safeguarding staff, the school's admissions contact details are provided on the site for direct enquiry.

1. Initial enquiry and information gathering. Use those contacts to request the current prospectus, term dates and to ask about open days or tours, because the website's public pages are brief and many administrative details are handled directly by the admissions office.

2. Submit the online registration / enquiry form. The homepage points parents to online registration links (jinshuju forms) for both Primary and Kindergarten and asks families to complete those forms so the school can follow up; make sure you enter a working phone number and email and note whether you want an on-site visit or an initial phone/WeChat call. Completing the online form is presented as the formal expression of interest — the site says the school will contact families after submission, so treat this step as required to be considered for a place or further assessment.

3. School follow-up and scheduling. After you submit the registration form the admissions office will contact you by phone, email or WeChat to confirm next steps — this may include scheduling a campus visit, an assessment or a short interview depending on the child's year group. Parents should be prepared to provide school records, passport/ID and any recent school reports when asked; bringing these documents to the visit or uploading them in advance will speed the process. If you prefer a particular start date, confirm availability at this stage because places (particularly in some year groups) can be limited.

4. Assessment / interview (Primary and older kindergarten applicants). Public information for this school indicates that Primary applicants are typically interviewed by teachers and may be given a written assessment in English, Chinese and Mathematics where appropriate; the international-schools-database summary notes interviews and subject assessments are used to place children at the correct level. Parents should prepare copies of recent school reports and be ready to discuss the child's literacy and numeracy levels and second‑language experience — the school operates bilingual programmes and placement aims to match the child to the right classroom. If your child has identified additional learning needs, declare this before assessment so the school can plan appropriate support during testing and placement.

5. Offer letter and fee schedule. If a place is available the school will issue an offer or an invitation to enrol; the offer letter should list the fee schedule, deadline for acceptance, and any one‑time enrolment or deposit amounts. The school's public site does not publish a full fees schedule online, so expect the detailed fee breakdown to be sent with the offer letter or provided on request from admissions — ask explicitly for a written fee schedule that shows tuition, deposits, meal/bus charges and payment dates. Because the fee information is not publicly posted, get the payment deadlines and refund/withdrawal terms in writing before you accept.

6. Accepting the place and completing paperwork. To confirm enrollment you will typically sign the acceptance form and pay any required deposit or first-term fee by the deadline given in the offer; keep receipts and confirmation emails for your records. Also complete any administrative requirements the school lists (copies of passport/visa if applicable, medical records, emergency contact details) so the student's start is not delayed on arrival day. If you need the school to help with logistics (uniforms, bus routes, start date adjustments), request these details at the time you accept so the school can prepare.

7. Orientation and start date. The school will advise on orientation arrangements for new students (sometimes a short induction day or staggered start for younger children); confirm who will meet your child on their first day and the drop-off/pick-up procedures. For Kindergarten families, follow the school's guidance about settling-in routines and bring any familiar items the child needs, and for Primary families confirm classroom placement and which languages are used in the child's class. If you cannot attend an in-person orientation, ask whether the school provides an online welcome briefing or a key-school-policies summary by email.

8. Ongoing communication. Keep the admissions email address and the school's WeChat contact saved and check for any pre-term forms (medical, dietary, bus route) the school sends; many administrative communications in Guangzhou schools are handled through WeChat, so add the official account if instructed. If you have special circumstances (visa timing, late arrival, learning support), raise them early with admissions so they can confirm whether the requested start date and support can be arranged. Documentation and deadlines are the most common causes of delay, so asking for all required lists in writing is the simplest precaution.

The school's public English pages do not publish a formal waitlist policy or an explicit “pool” system; instead the website directs parents to complete the online registration forms and states the school will contact families after submission, which functions as the school's expression‑of‑interest process. Because fees and full admissions policies are not published on the site, there is no clarity on whether completed registrations are held in a ranked waitlist or in a contact/notification pool — if you want to know your child's exact status (rank, likelihood of offer and any priority rules such as sibling priority), ask admissions directly and request the information in writing. In practice, for many Guangzhou international schools a submitted registration form places a family in the school's enquiries/selection queue; therefore parents who need a place for a specific term should register early, keep communications open with admissions (admission@tgisgz.com) and follow up by phone or WeChat if you do not receive a timely response.