Bali Island School was supposed to be the perfect place for our children to grow and thrive. Hi there, I’m Emma, a mom who, like you, only wants the best for her kids. My husband, Tom, and I moved to Bali from Sydney five years ago with our two children—Liam, now 9, and Sophie, 7. We fell in love with the island’s beauty, the vibrant culture, and the opportunity to give our kids an education that embraced diversity and global perspectives. As an Australian family living abroad, we knew there would be challenges, but we never expected that one of the biggest would come from the very place we trusted with our children’s education: Bali Island School (BIS).
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The Composite Class Dilemma
When we first enrolled Liam at Bali Island School, we were thrilled. The school’s reputation for academic excellence and its commitment to developing well-rounded, globally-minded students seemed like the perfect fit for our family. Tom, who works remotely as a software engineer, and I, a freelance graphic designer, felt fortunate to be able to offer our children such a unique educational experience.
But when Liam reached grade 3, our excitement quickly turned to concern. Bali Island School decided to implement a composite class structure, combining grades 3 and 4 into a single classroom. On paper, this might have seemed like an innovative approach, designed to foster peer learning and collaboration. But for Liam, it meant something very different.
Liam had always been a confident, curious child, eager to dive into new subjects and make friends. But being placed in a class with younger students left him feeling disoriented and out of place. He was no longer with the friends he had made since grade 1, and instead of moving forward with his peers, he found himself in a classroom with kids a year younger. The challenge and excitement that had once driven him were replaced by boredom and confusion.
As a parent, it was heartbreaking to see. Liam started to lose his sense of identity within the school. He was no longer the proud fourth-grader we had seen him becoming but a child who felt stuck between grades, unsure of where he truly belonged.
Broken Promises and Disappointment
When we first enrolled at Bali Island School, we were assured that Liam would have a seat in the appropriate grade level. This promise was a significant factor in our decision to choose the school over others in Bali. We trusted that BIS would be a place where our son could thrive, where his educational and emotional needs would be prioritized.
However, the decision to create a composite class felt like a betrayal of that trust. It seemed that the school was more focused on administrative convenience than on the well-being of the students. When we voiced our concerns, we felt dismissed—our worries brushed aside as though they weren’t important. It was a frustrating and lonely feeling, especially as an expat family far from home, where the school community was supposed to be our support system.
I remember thinking, Is this what we signed up for? We wanted a school that would nurture our son’s potential, challenge him, and help him grow. Instead, we were left questioning whether BIS was more concerned with maintaining its business model than with fulfilling its promises to families like ours.
The Impact on Our Family
Tom and I spent countless evenings discussing whether we had made the right choice for Liam. Should we have pushed harder for him to be placed in a traditional grade 4 class? Should we have considered other schools in Bali more carefully before enrolling at BIS? These questions weighed heavily on us.
Seeing Liam lose his enthusiasm for school was the hardest part. He went from being an eager learner to a child who dreaded going to class. It wasn’t just the academics that were suffering—it was his sense of self. He felt adrift, no longer part of a cohesive group of peers. And as a mother, watching that light dim in his eyes was incredibly painful.
As expats, we don’t have the same support network here that we would back in Australia. The school was supposed to be that community for us, a place where our kids could feel at home despite being far from their native country. But when the school didn’t seem to care about our concerns, we felt more isolated than ever.
Reflecting on What Really Matters
This experience has taught us so much about what we truly value in our children’s education. It’s not just about the curriculum or the school’s reputation—it’s about how the school listens to and cares for each child as an individual. Every child deserves to feel seen, heard, and supported in their learning journey. They should never feel like just another number or be used to fill a seat.
If you’re already part of the Bali Island School community, don’t hesitate to speak up if something doesn’t feel right. Your voice matters, and so does your child’s happiness and development.
