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Parents with kids in local primary schools, please help

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ameraussie
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Parents with kids in local primary schools, please help

Post by ameraussie » Sun, 02 Mar 2014 5:47 pm

Hello all,

Our son is turning 6 this year and we are tossing between local school and International School for next year. We would love to hear from parents who have recently sent their kids to local schools: How have your kids fared? Were/Are they happy? Do/Did they find school enjoyable? What level of preparedness was required at P1 (Could they read/write/do maths?)? Our son is bright, but not super-super accelerated on the reading/writing front, and we are not interested in sending him to enrichment classes or extra tuition. He has been in local kindergarten for about a year and his teacher says he's doing fine.

We plan to be in Singapore for another 2-3 years tops, so the stress of the PSLE is not really an issue for us. And if we stayed beyond, we would probably move into the intl system if the *pressure* got too much. Our main priority is that he retain his current love for learning, and feels comfortable going to school -- he is currently one of 2 non-Asian kids in his class, so physical/cultural difference is not a big issue for him.

Having a hard time wrapping my head around $25K minimum for primary school. Wondering if anyone with actual first-hand experience of local schools would be willing to share, meet-up, provide advice, etc. I'll buy the coffee/beer (your choice). Thanks in advance!

qnkoh001
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local vs international school

Post by qnkoh001 » Wed, 12 Mar 2014 1:46 am

Hi,

I am a sporean student born and raised here. I have had the luxury of teaching both local and international students for the past 3 years.

My local students tend to be more results oriented and they are rather passive in their learning compared to the international students. Local schools are very strict with students behaviour and results.

My students studying in International Schools on the other hand are very spontaneous and "playful". They are excited to attend their classes and appear to be carefree.

When I initially stepped into an International School, I was taken aback by the excitement and high level energy the students displayed. I remember thinking to myself : " did school start at 2pm for them?". Local students would usually be staring at the clock at 12pm only to realise that they still have 2 more lessons and co-curriculum activities aftter school.

Nevertheless, my local students are more advance in their learning with regards to maths and science as compared to those who attend international schools.

My take is, it depends on your objective : fun learning experience at the expense of learning efficiency or intensive but great learning efficiency?

Ps. this reply is based on my humble opinion on the small base of students I have interacted before and my experience with them.

merichan
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Post by merichan » Wed, 12 Mar 2014 9:04 am

We switched our daughter from an International School where she was really unhappy to a local school where she is really happy.


But I can only talk starting from P3 and with a child exempted from Mother Tongue.


We are on EP/DP so our daughter was integrated in a not-so-popular neighbourhood school. Which usually means less pressure compared to other more prestigious school, a better diversity.


She regained a love a learning that she had lost in her old school, is happy in school. While they encourage a different sort of creativity than in her old school system, she is still encouraged to express herself.

However it must be noted in my daughter's case that she loves rules and structure, and that it helps her actually enjoy her school time :wink:


If your child is in local structure in kindie, the transition into a local primary school should be smooth enough as the framework of rules and proper behaviours is already taught in preschools.

theworm
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Re:

Post by theworm » Sun, 29 Mar 2015 1:41 am

merichan wrote:We switched our daughter from an International School where she was really unhappy to a local school where she is really happy.


But I can only talk starting from P3 and with a child exempted from Mother Tongue.


We are on EP/DP so our daughter was integrated in a not-so-popular neighbourhood school. Which usually means less pressure compared to other more prestigious school, a better diversity.


She regained a love a learning that she had lost in her old school, is happy in school. While they encourage a different sort of creativity than in her old school system, she is still encouraged to express herself.

However it must be noted in my daughter's case that she loves rules and structure, and that it helps her actually enjoy her school time :wink:


If your child is in local structure in kindie, the transition into a local primary school should be smooth enough as the framework of rules and proper behaviours is already taught in preschools.

Did she go thru AEIS centralized exam in October?

What is your experience with that, any preparatory course needed for doing well in AEIS

okie
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Re: Parents with kids in local primary schools, please help

Post by okie » Tue, 14 Apr 2015 2:53 pm

Hi, my 10 yr old daughter is going to an International School in P5 and I would like to switch her to a local school. Are there chances of her getting a good school? Please guide me with the process of applying for the schools as most of the near ones do not have vacancy . Also i am worried about her transition from an international to a local school. Will she be able to cope?

MomKiasu
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Re: Parents with kids in local primary schools, please help

Post by MomKiasu » Mon, 18 May 2015 2:59 pm

Hello, I feel that education in Singapore is indeed very stressful and pressurizing on children. However, there are certain schools that are more lenient and less demanding of their students. Do keep in mind on what is needed of your child before enrolling him into a school. Through personal experience, i would recommend applying for government-aided schools. All of my children are currently enrolled in such schools and are very pleased with their environment.

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