During a school search, it’s important to visit multiple schools, and explore different learning environments - but more importantly to check with other parents about their choices and personal experiences.
Read on for interesting insights about parents’ school choices.
By Julia Ilyaev (parent of Emilia (Y3))
Apart from wanting a school with a British curriculum, we had many friends who spoke highly of Tanglin Trust School and whose children had a very positive experience. When my husband and I moved to Singapore, we were curious to learn more and booked a visit through the admissions team.
As soon as we stepped on the campus, we knew this was a learning environment where our daughter would thrive. The facilities are incredible; the new Centenary Building offers many diverse learning opportunities. Our daughter now participates in gymnastics in the vast gymnasium and enjoys music lessons in the junior suite of the new music department.
Our daughter is delighted to come to school every day. The Nursery and Infant School is a well-thought-out and inviting space to encourage the children to explore new thoughts and ideas. My daughter loves the on-site Forest School, which offers her opportunities to learn in a natural environment. The teachers are attentive, and the curriculum centres on developing the whole child. So, whether my daughter is trying out new musical instruments, experiencing new crafts, or visiting new places, the idea is that fun and development go hand in hand. The teachers are one of the most vital assets of the school; they are always eager to provide feedback and make suggestions on how parents can complement their child’s development at home, as well as give a very warm and nurturing environment.
We also enjoy the fact that the school has an incredible community. Despite being a large school, Tanglin has managed to create a school within a school through its unified House system. Emilia joined her house in Nursery and will remain in the same house throughout her time at Tanglin. As parents, we also joined her home, so the whole family has a connection that remains the same as we go through school together.
There is a busy calendar of events running across the year, and we particularly enjoyed the Outdoor Movie Night and the Summer Festival. During this wonderful celebration, the whole school comes together at the end of the school year.
The aspect I most enjoy about Tanglin Trust School is its personalised approach to each child. The school believes in offering a holistic education for its pupils. The teachers get to know their pupils as individuals and cater to each student’s particular attributes, allowing them to reach their highest potential. My husband and I are excited to see how Emilia develops and grows as she progresses through the school.
We also noticed the really nice breakout areas for the children where they could play and learn – it felt like an inspiring environment for kids
“We were initially looking for a school with some more space (in and outdoors), even though our son was still quite young (only 3yrs old) when we decided to move from his smaller school in Newton. We found the Lakeside campus had been recently renovated and were impressed by the facilities. It also felt very warm and inviting, there were lots of the students creative work pinned up around the classrooms. We also noticed the really nice breakout areas for the children where they could play and learn – it felt like an inspiring environment for kids. Being an IB school was also something that was attractive. For the past three years our son has been in the bi-lingual programme and we are very happy. The approach to learning Chinese is done in a way that is simple, yet efficient for the children to learn effectively and at their level/ pace. The language program has become one of our sons’ favorite areas of study and has enjoyed participating in the national Chinese language competitions with the school, which they have gone on to win multiple times over the last few years.” – Chris and Masae Gurney, parents of Senan Gurney
What attracts us to SJI was their values, and how students were taught to respect the different cultures and religions
Prior to our move to Singapore, we looked at a couple of different international schools for our boys. We found out about St. Joseph’s Institution International (SJII) through a friend who had lived in Singapore for a long time. Upon meeting with the admissions people at SJII, we felt this school would be the right fit for our family. The school was very new and did not have any track record at the time. However, it felt right to us and we have been with the school ever since. What attracted us to SJII was their values, and how students were taught to respect the different cultures and religions. Although a Lasallian Catholic school, SJII was respectful that other families attending the school were not Christians. Families were always welcome to attend Friday morning mass service with the Catholic families, and staff from SJII. When we first started with SJII, the Elementary School Principal Ms. Grant, impressed us with her ability to remember each student’s name, their parent’s name, and what the family had been doing over their school break. These little instances, left an impact on the way our children were cared for at the school. As the school is small, it felt very intimate and nurturing for the children. Lots of friendly parents creating a warm community for the children and parents alike. We found SJII to be a very international school with children from all over the world ie: Singapore, Canada, USA, Australia, UK, Malaysia, Indonesia, India etc. It was great for our children to learn about the different cultures from all around the world and share in their friends’ experiences. Now both my boys are in the high school, we are happy they are in the same school with friends from primary. They have also made new friends with local Singaporean students that have joined the high school which has a mix of local and expat students. We have met many parents of local children who joined SJII at high school whom shared similar values with the expat parents and active with the school community which has enriched our SJII experience. Overall, our family has been very happy with our children’s holistic learning at SJII and we look forward to our boys graduating from the school!
GESS brings many nations together under the same roof
"GESS brings many nations together under the same roof. It is a contemporary school that is open to new methods and approaches, successfully integrating technological means in daily studies. Its sense of social duty is rather high and there are a number of social projects throughout the academic year that widely involve GESS students, thereby sensitising pupils to social topics around the world. Both of my children have also become more self-confident. They are motivated to learn English. And of the special highlights for them is the wind instrument class, which has sensitised my daughter to the importance of team work." - Elena Wolf, Parent of 2 Children in GESS
Our experience at SAS has been beyond our expectations
Amelia started in her second year of preschool at SAS and is now in kindergarten. Kyle is the Director of Communications at the school and he attended SAS his senior year of high school, graduating class of 2002. Our experience at SAS has been beyond our expectations. We were somewhat prepared with Kyle’s previous experience, but as a parent, seeing the resources and support Amelia has received is incredible. The early learning center was renovated in the Reggio Emilia style of learning: floor-to-ceiling glass walls, open concept spaces, student mobiles, indoor and outdoor exploration tables. Amelia’s teachers are inspired by the Reggio Emilia method and their classrooms reflect that. Amelia often came home singing Mandarin songs, talking about the latest visiting artist puppeteer and demonstrating techniques from her Move-and-Groove classes. The best part of SAS is definitely the teachers. We may only have a child in kindergarten, but the level of personal care and interaction from Amelia’s teachers has been above and beyond. The teachers are amazing across the board. Even though Amelia is the youngest in her class, she is thriving as a leader and learner. It’s because she is surrounded by incredible teachers who are invested in her and nurture her daily. A school like SAS is hard to find. The teachers and staff truly know and care about my child personally, and have set her up with the tools to succeed.
Both girls are extremely happy and they continue to develop through the relevant and inspirational teaching
Our two children, who are in Secondary and Upper Primary, have been students at Dover Court International School for 7 years now. Both girls are extremely happy and they continue to develop through the relevant and inspirational teaching. Originally from the UK, we appreciate the smaller class sizes and the wonderful feeling of community within the school, something that adds to the children’s confidence and security. We have always been very impressed with the teachers, not only are they wonderful role models but they also show the children what it is to have fun whilst illustrating respect and integrity at all times.
The school has grown significantly during our years there, but manages to keep that small school feel that first attracted us. Being part of the Nord Anglia Education family of schools and having various accreditations brings some amazing opportunities. The school regularly receives visits from inspiring speakers, my girls have particularly enjoyed participating in workshops with both Juilliard alumni and world leading athletes. The school has an extensive trip programme, with opportunities spanning from STEAM festivals, music festivals, to debating, maths and big sports events. Both our girls have had the privilege to take part in the FOBISIA games, where they competed against students from other British schools in Asia, a fantastic experience for them.
We feel very lucky to have found The Perse, Singapore
We could not be happier with our choice to send our son, Max, to The Perse school, Singapore. As we have moved from the U.K. we wanted the continuity of staying within the U.K. curriculum. The Perse provides this and more, with the added benefit of Chinese and Singapore style maths.The excellent academic standards and the dedication of the staff at The Perse are clear to see. However it is the warmth and the community feel to the school which really sets it apart. All the staff know my son by name and the nurturing environment provides an excellent platform for learning and development.
My son is so happy at school and is thriving both academically and socially. We feel very lucky to have found The Perse, Singapore.
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
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