International Schools

[nsb303]

We are relocating from UK at the end of the year. Currently my daughters 7 and 4 are enrolled to start at Chatsworth from January. We have been suggested to check out the Canadian School, the Australian School and the American School as well because they were said to be 'better' than Chatsworth. One thing that did cross our minds about Chatsworth was the percentage of non-English speaking children in the classrooms. But is that a problem? Does anyone have any views to the schools mentioned? We are some what in a quandry here as we thought the school thing was sorted when the children were offered places at Chatsworth! Help!

[peteyboy]

Most of the International Schools have a large percentage of kids who do not speak english as a mother tongue. Not a problem. The mix of nationalities in the International Schools is a real bonus as your kids will soon find themselves with friends from all over the planet. If you are looking for somewhere more "british" in style, Tanglin Trust School is probably is the closest thing. There are lots of other schools besides the ones listed including the Overseas Family School and the International School of Singapore.
The United World College of South East Asia (locally known as UWC) is one of the biggest and oldest international schools in Singapore. It has a very successful IB diploma program as well as excellent programs in the younger years (K to 12 school). An exceptional school and I think it is the pick of the bunch in Singapore but... I am admittedly bias as a high school teacher at the college. Challenging academic program, huge range of activities, great facilities and an excellent ethos among the students in terms of behaviour and work. (www.uwcsea.edu.sg)

[nsb303]

Thanks for your reply. We have heard great things about UWC but shyed away by the lengthy waiting list. Tanglin too to an extent. What are your views to Chatsworth? Also, is the International School in Singapore different from the American School in Singapore? I thought it was the same school so I am a little confused. Sorry for exposing my ignorance.

[davidinsg]

Hey there,

This may sound a little odd - but there's generally a reason why some schools have long waiting lists and others will accept anyone. In my opinion, it's better to aim for the the ones you have mentioned - UWC, Tanglin, American and know that you will be sending your children to schools with a great reputation in SG and across the world.

As to the international mix of children - absolutely great - and will open your children to a diverse range of backgrounds and ideas. The thing to look for is how quickly 'new to English' children 'graduate' from their ESL programmes. There is a tendency for some of the less-popular schools to say to parents that only 2 children in every class will be new to English - but then they define basic conversational skills as competant - thus leaving classes of 20 with 5-10 children struggling in English. If your child is a native speaker they may then not get the attention they need.

There is a lot of passionate and vocal parent support for the school mentioned - be wary of this - they like the 'friendliness' or the 'smallness' or the fact that "even the kitchen staff know my child's name." Parents from UWC/American/Tanglin praise them for the diversity/curriculum/achievement/facilities. Much more important.

Good luck in your school hunting - I hope that you enjoy SG and your children thrive here - just don't be turned off by waiting lists (it's quite common for the school mentioned to be used as a tempory fix until a place at one of the bigger schools becomes available! May seem unsettling to the child - but works!)

[nsb303]

Thanks for your advice. We are going to Singapore for our pre-visit next week and will definitely check out the schools. Fingers crossed!

[AntonPara]

Hi there,

we just finished our rounds going around school hunting for our daughter who will be 3 next year.... we are from UK too, and in my opinion Tanglin Trust is by far the best we have seen - the teachers, the facilities the lot! - it was kinda nostalgic to walk around the school as everywhere you looked it reminded you of the setup of a typical school in England;-)

We did our round in Chatsworth too, but didnt like the setup or the facilities as much.

in a nutshell, if you want your children to follow the british curriculum - then go for Tanglin.