Of Properties and School Net 11
11名校網搵樓攻略
There are many factors to consider when purchasing or renting a property in Hong Kong; one such consideration is the school net the district belongs to. It's one of the first aspects that potential home owners look for, especially if they are planning on starting a family. As with everything else, there is a hierarchy, and certain school nets in Hong Kong that parents are more eager to get into.
Since the 2006/07 school year, the school network has been consolidated from 44 down to 37, however, there are still four school nets that are traditionally considered ‘prime' districts, namely 11, 12, 34 and 41, mostly positioned around the Central and Western district, including Wan Chai, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon City and Kowloon Tong. The breakdown of these four major school nets are as follows.
School Net 11
Central, The Peak, Sheung Wan, Sai Ying Pun, Shek Tong Shui, Kennedy Town King's College Old Boys' Association Primary School, Sacred Heart Canossian School, Saint Stephen's Girls' Primary School, Central & Western District St Anthony's School
School Net 12
Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley, Tai Hang, Jardine's Lookout Marymount Primary School, Precious Blood Primary School, Hennessy Road Government Primary School, St. Joseph's Primary School, St Paul's Primary Catholic School
School Net 34
Ho Man Tin, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Kok, Kadoorie Hill Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) Primary School, Heep Yunn Primary School, Farm Road Government Primary School, Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School, St Rose of Lima's School
School Net 41
Kowloon City, Kowloon Tong, Beacon Hill Road La Salle Primary School, Diocesan Preparatory School, Maryknoll Convent School (Primary Section), Holy Family Canossian School, Bishop Walsh Primary School
*This is not an exhaustive list of schools in these school nets. *只列出部份學校
Winning from the beginning with School Net 11
Known as the ‘King of the School Net' on Hong Kong Island, School Net 11 includes well-known schools with several renowned politicians and businessmen as alumni of its educational institutes, starting from primary school.
The first female former president of the Legislative Council, Rita Fan Hsui Lai-tai, attended Saint Stephen's Girls' Primary School while another president, Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, also attended School Net 11's heavyweight S.K.H. St. Peter's Primary School.
If parents are unsuccessful in obtaining a school slot for their child in the initial admission stage, they will have to wait until the Central Allocation stage, which is a random draw and depends largely on luck. Consequently, the average quality of education is very important among schools in the network.
With 16 government or subsidised schools making up School Net 11, and its traditional reputation of having no ‘bad schools', many say you can't lose if allocated into this notable school net, describing it as a very stable choice for children's schooling.
In addition, both Saint Stephen's Girls' Primary School and Sacred Heart Canossian School in School Net 11 offer direct entry into secondary school education. These schools like to retain 85% of their allocation from the Primary One Admission stage, so as long as students aren't performing terribly, they will most likely obtain direct entry into its secondary school after six years, really allowing them win from the beginning.
Properties in School Net 11
The Belcher's in Kennedy Town is the biggest large-scale housing estate in School Net 11, consisting of six buildings with a total of 2,213 units. There are threebedroom (including suites) units, with large units accounting for more than half the total number of apartments. The Belcher's is therefore a good choice for families who have the budget to purchase a property.
Because the development was constructed on a hill, many of The Belcher's units boast sea views. Transport may seem inconvenient due to its location, but Exit C1 of HKU MTR station is only 150 metres across the street, and Central is only six minutes away by car. The estate is close to The Westwood shopping centre, and an easy distance from Shek Tong Tsui, providing the necessities for basic living needs.
A key selling point is that the district is located on the edge of Kennedy Town's waterfront, a reconstruction project of the URA, which is only a five-minute walk from the estate. Nearby, The Merton is based on two-bedroom units with a ratio close to 70%. Of the three buildings, Tower 1 is the closest to the sea, but Towers 2 and 3 also have several units that enjoy sea views.
Sheung Wan's Queen's Terrace, a reconstruction project by the URA, also has the advantage of being close to Sai Ying Pun MTR station, though there is no clubhouse. Queen's Terrace and The Merton both have one-bedroom units, allowing potential home buyers to enter the large-scale housing estate at a relatively reasonable price.