I am confused about schools

[mini]

We are shifting to Singapore from India in few months. I have read about the schooling in Singapore in detail and have read most of the posts in this forum about schools. Most of these are for younger children.
My daughter is finishing 10th grade and will be looking for addmission in 11th. I am very keen on IB school. I have been to the web sites of most IB schools here and have short listed three.... UWC, ISS, Chatsworth.
Can any parent of the same age group children help me decide according to their experiences.

Thanks in advance

[k1w1]

Don't mean to throw a spanner in the works, but have you thought about the Indian school? They use the IB curriculum and it may be easier for your daughter to settle in (I am assuming your family is Indian). As an added bonus, their fees are about half that of other schools.

Otherwise, UWC has an excellent reputation. They have a very long waiting list, so you might find the choice is not yours for this one.

The other schools I have heard mixed reports on: the primary schools have good reputations, but the high schools seem to be lacking in that area, somewhat... This is all heresay of course, as I have no first-hand experience. I think the best thing will be for you to contact all the schools and arrange a visit. A website won't show you much about the feel of a school.

[Vaucluse]

k1w1, you are a veritable fountain of knowledge - preceeding me on every topic regarding schools. Thanks for helping others - even if they don't thank you themselves.

[Matney]

k1w1 is correct, go visit. That way you'll get a much better idea of the school.
I would be interested to learn how you have narrowed your search down to ISS, Chatsworth, and UWC? What was your criteria on choosing these schools without seeing them?
Good luck with your decision. It isn't an easy age to make such a change.

[k1w1]

k1w1, you are a veritable fountain of knowledge - preceeding me on every topic regarding schools. Thanks for helping others - even if they don't thank you themselves.

Welcome 8)

I'm a mum who panics about schooling, and have made it something of an obsession to find out about this stuff. Plus as a teacher, I tend to move in these circles a bit too.

[mini]

k1w1 .. Thanks a lot for your input. We also felt that a personal visit to couple of schools will be able to give us more "feel" and may help us to make up our mind. I am personally very keen on UWC as I have heard a lot about it. As for Indian schools with IB curriculum, I did check the web site of Bhavan's but since they are new to it, I felt it's better to go for a school with more experience in this field. My daughter is a high achiever academically and I would like to see her go to a school which will benefit her the most. Thats why I am obsessed about the school.
Just as a matter of interest , do you teach in any of these IB schools as well ? I appreciate your prompt reply to my query and apologise for the delay in my appreciation for the same. Thanks once again


Matney .. These school names came up often enough in my enquiries from various sources, and we have decided to visit Singapore to initiate the registration process In the first week of Nov. We are okay about the change at this stage as we were planning to put her in some Ib school in India itself. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that we are able to get addmission the school we decide on.

Vaucluse .. Thank you very much for thanking k1w1 on my behalf however, I find your remark to be highly personal, unfair and uncalled for.

[k1w1]

Aaah, someone's done her homework!! Yes, UWC would be my first choice for this age, and you are right to aim towards it, in my opinion. Some of the International Schools have gifted ed. prgrammes, but UWC streams the kids, so your daughter's classes should certainly be stimulating and challenging for her. They also have some of the highest results in Singapore for the IB related examinations. If this is likely to influence your choice, you may like to look at the other schools in this area...

I don't currently work with the IB curriculum, but have done quite a bit of research on it, and I think it looks great. I am looking to get work in IB school some time in the future.

Have you tried emailing them and asking about their waiting lists. I know the primary sector has a two year list at times, but I don't know about the high school.

Best of luck!

[Vaucluse]

Vaucluse .. Thank you very much for thanking k1w1 on my behalf however, I find your remark to be highly personal, unfair and uncalled for

Not quite sure where you get off venting like that, but if you read exactly what I wrote - assuming you are coherent enough to digest and have a basic understanding of language - then you will see that mine was a general remark, or are you arrogant enough to believe that k1w1 only answers your questions?

Please do try to explain how my remark was 'highly personal' (by the way, it is either personal or it isn't. Kind of like being partially pregnant - you either are or you are not), Are you possibly afraid that naughty people are after you? The sun shines only because you are alive? The trees bloom only for you?

Possibly with an attitude like yours you should stay in India - we have enough expat prima-donnas here.

So, get off your high horse and try to think before you write utter crap.

[beenhere10years]

Vaucluse .. Thank you very much for thanking k1w1 on my behalf however, I find your remark to be highly personal, unfair and uncalled for

Not quite sure where you get off venting like that, but if you read exactly what I wrote - assuming you are coherent enough to digest and have a basic understanding of language - then you will see that mine was a general remark, or are you arrogant enough to believe that k1w1 only answers your questions?

Please do try to explain how my remark was 'highly personal' (by the way, it is either personal or it isn't. Kind of like being partially pregnant - you either are or you are not), Are you possibly afraid that naughty people are after you? The sun shines only because you are alive? The trees bloom only for you?

Possibly with an attitude like yours you should stay in India - we have enough expat prima-donnas here.

So, get off your high horse and try to think before you write utter crap.

Not sure what the brouhaha is here. I reread it an thought your original remark was sweet. Ah well, you do tend to bring out the worst in people. I would chalk it up to a novice overreacting -- no need get your knickers in a twist.

[Vaucluse]

Thanks, BH10Y - you are the tower in my cyber-world of plateaus.

Well, it was actually meant to be nice. . .

I am so misunderstood . . .

[mini]

k1w1 .. Its nice to know that you share my opinion about UWC. I haven't e-mailed them because my hubby will be in Singapore this coming week and is scheduled to go to a few schools.Only then can we have an adequate idea on her chances of getting into UWC.

As you are in the teaching line and have done research on IB.. can you please be kind enough and explain to me the pro's and con's of the British system as opposed to the IB system?

Thanks once again for your valuable inputs. They're really appreciated.

[mini]

Thanks, BH10Y - you are the tower in my cyber-world of plateaus.

Well, it was actually meant to be nice. . .

I am so misunderstood . . .

The fact that people misunderstand you, shows a definite lack in your your ability to express as opposed to my ability to comprehend, a fact that you yourself admit

Also, the only thing that I find fit to comment on, regarding your reply about me labouring under the delusion that 'the sun shines only for me' etc.etc., is that your signature line pretty much sums up the contents of your remark.

Hoping to put a period to this here, I stongly feel that we should discontinue squabbling like children.


beenhere10years .. As opposed to finding his remark cute, I found it rather offending, as I feel that Vaucluse was rather presumptious in entertaining the notion that I would not thank the people who assisted me !!

[beenhere10years]

beenhere10years .. As opposed to finding his remark cute, I found it rather offending, as I feel that Vaucluse was rather presumptious in entertaining the notion that I would not thank the people who assisted me !!

That's a bold statement

[Vaucluse]

Mini seems rather bold, in general.

Agan, Mini, you have utterly misunderstood everything that has been written:

the notion that I would not thank

This is NOT about you, petal dearest.

The fact that people misunderstand you, shows a definite lack in your your ability to express as opposed to my ability to comprehend, a fact that you yourself admit

Also, the only thing that I find fit to comment on, regarding your reply about me labouring under the delusion that 'the sun shines only for me' etc.etc., is that your signature line pretty much sums up the contents of your remark.

Hoping to put a period to this here, I stongly feel that we should discontinue squabbling like children.

Goodness me, your tights are wound - dare I say it - tightly, Mini dearest.
Have you ever encountered an expression like, umm - tongue in cheek? Deary, deary me, you do have a temper problem . . . been to rehab or counselling lately, petal?

So, you wish to put this to bed by having a go at me and then saying we should not squabble?
Did you have many friends at school, dearest? Possibly not, with your attitude. Did the otehr girls pull your pigtails and make fun of you and you then went 'telling on' everyone?

I'll try saying it again:

I was speaking in general terms that k1w1 is a very helpful person who doles out info, sometimes not receiving thanks for this. I can't seem to find where I mentoned you, or even intimated that you were meant, but I guess if you believe the sun shines out of of your orifice then you must be right.

Now, I hope, and I feel strongly about this, we can put this to rest and stop squabbling like children.

[mini]

Lets move on.........