Australian School

[bkilew]

We are looking at relocating to Singapore later in the year. Would love to hear from anyone who does or has sent their children to the Australian School. What your experiences have been like good/bad/ or indifferent.

Also, we would be living on the East Coast (due to $$$). How long, difficult is it to get to this school from there.

Sorry for my ignorance - I haven't spent a whole lot of time in Singapore.

[Matney]

Can't help on AIS, except for they were only able offer a space to my son, but not my daughter. As soon as we notified them to say we had found a space for both children as another International School, they suddenly had an available space. They were kind enough to give us back our deposit, though.
Have heard through this website that most people are happy with the school, although most of those parents tend to have preschoolers or young primary aged children. What are the age of your children?

All school whether local or international, have their own buses which go around to the various condos to pick up their children. The buses also have an auntie, an older adult, besides the driver to watch the children. You pay for the bus service whether the children attend school or not or its holiday time. Where are you staying on the East Coast?

Best of luck with your move and settling in. If we can be of any help, just ask away. We've all been through this.

[bkilew]

Thank you Matney!

My daughter is only 2, so I was looking at finding her a pre-school for next year, 2 - 3 days a week, (for social development) but preferably somewhere she could continue her primary years. (The less interuptions the better).

Her studying the Primary syllabus would be advantageous, but not crucial. I've just been a bit worried when I have read that some of the schools English is considered the second language!

We were looking at a few condo's on the East Coast - Pebble Bay, Chosta Rhu, Waterplace & Villa Marina. It really depends on what apartment is available at the time. We haven't got our heart set on any, we just know these are all in our price range.

[Matney]

Where are you coming from? You will find that most of the International Schools are pretty good with their English as their faculty tends to be from all over the world. You need to find the school which you are most comfortable with and can afford--all International Schools are expensive, much the same in price.
As far as housing you will also discover that the further away from the city, the cheaper the rents tend to be. Take into account transportation--will you have a car? If not, will the bus/train be within walking distance as well as the shops? Most condos tend to be friendly, family oriented places, some more than others.