My 9 year old daughter and I are currently living in Shijiazhuang.
I'm studying Mandarin and she's attending a local school where she is the only foreign student.
After only 3 months her Chinese is already very good. (After 9 months mine is still non-existent)
The pollution in SJZ is just too much so I'm looking to move to a city with cleaner air.
I intend to enroll in the university non-degree Chinese course but I need to find her a suitable school.
I don't want her to go to an international school as we are here to learn Chinese. She already speaks English, Tagalog and Thai so languages come easily to her.
Does anyone know of a local school that is able to enroll foreign students?
Many thanks in advance.

where are you going to live? find the schools near and contact directly.

All schools can enroll foreign students, if their Chinese language skills are sufficient for instruction.

Depending on your status, the schools may however request "tuition" fees of up to ¥25k per year per student (last time they tried this stunt on me).

If you're enrolling in a school - it's best you ask the school for assistance in enrolling your daughter in a nearby school, to either your residence or your school.

All schools cannot enroll foreign students no matter what their language level is.

They are not allowed by the government.

Most foreigners dont have a choice but to enroll children in international schools.

There are some public schools that have been selected to accept foreigners, but unless you live in a large top tier city, it may be hard to find one of those.

And even then, they are limited and the tuition fee will be higher than that of a Chinese.

some schools that offer the basic eduaction are private. new regulations since 2014. basic ed is primaty middle and high school. maybe that is whey you were asked for 25k.

from tinternet so looks like it isnot illegal :o

Public schools in China

More foreigners are sending their children to public schools in China, especially in the early preschool years. Western families are becoming more comfortable with the idea of permanence in the Far East, and some want their children to become as well assimilated as possible.

As is often the case, some state schools in China are better than others. Overall, the best schools offer a high standard of education and, in many cases, are more competitive and more rigorous than the public options in an expat’s home country.

Foreigners who choose this option should be aware that Chinese schools don't have second language programmes. All lessons and coursework are in Chinese, with few concessions made for foreign students. Furthermore, the teaching style tends to centre less around critical thinking and more on teaching by rote.

Tuition costs vary, but even the most expensive public schools are cheaper than their international equivalents.

Any government school can enroll a foreign student. Its up to you which ones you choose.

Private schools will have international departments which may have things like A levels, GCSEs etc and an international curriculum in English, however they usually cater for older students. At 9 I would just choose the closest reputable place, unless your kid is planning to go on to high school in China, considering other factors wouldn't really be worth the effort.

@Napoleon... How many times have you tried to enroll a foreigner child in a public school?

What you are saying is not the case.

Foreigner children cannot enroll in any school they choose, just as Chinese children cannot enroll in true international schools.

@Goldie122

15-20 times in 2015/2016. All be it never any 9 year olds.

I know about Chinese not being able to attend international schools, I have never had any issue in placing students, but mostly the school requests for the placement, I've never had to go door to door asking for one which I can imagine is a different kettle of fish.

It is possible for foreign kids of foreign experts to attend public schools. You'll need permission from either the prefectural or provincial (aka government) board of education.

Before you go - make sure you know WHICH school you want to put your kids into. Go visit the school first - the makeup of the school can sometimes have a severe impact on your child/children as far as focus on academics (or lack of).

Your request will of course need to be in Chinese and officially requested through your work place (with the company seal) or your school (again, with the company seal).

You'll also need to provide proof of health/accident insurance (about ¥50 a year from PICC etc).

Finally - your foreign child isn't technically qualified to take the zhongkao (matriculation to high school exam) or the gaokao (matriculation to university/college) exam, that I know of.

Matriculation to high school isn't particularly an issue as high schools are PAYGO. Matriculation to university is easier as you'll just need to sit for the SAT/ACT for US universities and whatever exams they take in the EU/UK/elsewhere in the world, to qualify for other places.