After hearing about Saint Kentigern Girls’ School and visiting it last year, 11 year old Bella Jiang and her mother decided to pack their bags in Shanghai, China, and make the big shift to Auckland to attend the school.

Bella has been attending Saint Kentigern Girls’ School for the past 10 months and says she loves it: “It is a friendly and welcoming place to learn and didn’t take long for me to settle in and feel a part of the school.”

Bella says she enjoys spending time with her friends and that she finds the teachers very interesting. “At my old school, I found the teachers were not interactive.” Her favourite subject at the Girls’ School is Science as she can get up close and personal with the things they are studying - for example, she was able to look through microscopes at real feathers and insects, in comparison to looking at pictures in China.

Study at Saint Kentigern Girls’ School is diverse and makes Bella feel relaxed and comfortable, which helps her to focus.  She also enjoys how the environment makes her feel, and how she is surrounded by nature, plants, fresh air and animals.

New Zealand provides a safe and friendly environment for international students from all over the world to pursue their academic goals. Parents know that New Zealand gives their children opportunities they would not have had at home and the chance to develop passions in a supportive environment.

Bella is thankful to have made a lot of new friends and for the endless opportunities presented to her in both her academic and co-curricular studies. Bella says “If you can make the shift, do it! You won’t regret it.”

Saint Kentigern Girls’ School accepts applications from international students who are aged between 5 years and 11 years old. In order to study long-term in New Zealand students from Year 1-6 must live with a parent and Year 7 and 8 students who don't live with a parent must seek permission from the Administrator of the Code of Practice.

Students will be placed in an appropriate mainstream class and will learn alongside New Zealand students of similar age studying the full New Zealand curriculum. There is no specific English language requirement for international students applying to Saint Kentigern Girls’ School.