Singapore - here we come ? few questions...

[SGexpat44]

Hi there,

we are considering relocation in the summer. 3 kids aged 9, 7 and 3.
I read some conflicting (not to say confusing) information regarding International Schools. our kids do not speak English yet, so ESL is very important to us.
we prefer a British school.

costs are less of an issue at this stage, once we get the short list we can look at that as well, however (a bit naive, I know...) we want to first categorize schools based on quality.

a key factor is the class size - we prefer smaller of course, with good student-teacher ration.

one other question we have is around special needs - is there anyone here who have experience with integrating special needs children in the International Schools ? some schools might be more rigid than others. also wondering if anyone can share comments as to good insurance policies. we will be covered by an international policy but it may not provide enough support for special needs.

Thanks and looking forward to your replies

[movingtospore]

Not sure where you're moving from, but generally the International Schools are accepting of non-English speakers as long as they have the resources/space to support ESL.

Special needs can be more difficult. Many of the schools do not have any in house resources to support this all. A handful do but you're best to approach the schools directly and inquire with them.

[SGexpat44]

thank you for the reply!
we are less worried on the English part, children usually pick up new languages rather quickly.

we are not looking for a "support" school per se, we saw the IIS is pretty good in this field, however we are looking at a mainstream school which will be more open to special needs (very high functioning) and have a built in support system, smaller classes and an inclusive mindset of the staff.

it may be a big ask....

[Sally_Sally]

This will be tricky for you, perhaps easier if the Spec Needs child is young. Some of the schools have a policy of keeping the child in school if the problem is discovered at the school, but will not accept a child with needs.
I do know that the American School (SAS) has some children with spec needs in the primary and intermediate school. But I also know a family that had to take their child out of SAS because of his needs and he is at another school -OFS I think. I know in Primary, they have support teachers and children can come out of class for help with reading and math.
Stamford American said early on that they could take a limited number of spec needs but parents had to pay for extra support but basically a "helper" in the classroom.
Tanglin has taken some spec needs kids, again I think if you come up thru nursery and they discover a problem they will not ask you to leave. They may not take an older child.
The Canadian School will consider Spec Needs.
Dover Court does, but if they will put your child in a Spec Needs class you should first observe the other kids in the class to see if they will be a good fit for your son. A friend had a boy there and he was too capable vs other kids in the class as they were non-verbal. The class teacher was not spec needs trained-just not a good fit for him.
For the schools, I think it is a cost question. They won't spend extra money on support for a child and would not consider letting you have a tutor come into school etc. If your child can cope with school environment and routine, then I think many would consider your case. None would be able to handle behaviour. I would recommend you try to send all to the same school - you will get pressure to pay for a place while waiting for "assessments" of the spec needs kid. Good luck. If you cannot get child into a mainstream school, then I don't think you should move to SG.
SSNAP is Singapore Spec Needs and Parents group, they are on Facebook and you can ask a question to the parents based and can get good feedback on schools.