Questions about international fee paying schools

[Dorian]

We are on waiting lists for primary places for our children at a couple of schools that we considered the best and right for us/our children.

A few things strike me (compared to the UK system) and I would be grateful for any thoughts/reassurance:

1. Class sizes would be unacceptably high at a good english prep school as would teacher/child ratio. The school we were considering in the UK has a maximum of 16 in a class with a full time teaching assistant and teacher. This number drops to around 8-10 in each class at around age 7 when the boys leave. In the UK generally you would not pay for your child to go to a school where the class size was 28 or higher.

It is thought in the UK that children do better academically if taught in single sex schools from the age of 7. UK league tables have single sex schools predominantly in the first division for GSCE etc (independent schools). (That said I can see advantages to mixed schools).

Why are there no private single sex International Schools?

2. The schools are very large. There are often several reception classes. This does not strike me as being advantageous generally.

3. The fees in the UK for a good prep school would be higher. £3,000 per term for reception to year 3 & then rising to nearly £4,000 for years 3 to 7 and £4,600 for year 8. These are the fees at the local prep school to us which is exceptional. I think the fees in the fee paying schools in Singapore are less expensive? I believe you need to pay this much in the UK to ensure a excellent education at a school with great facilities.

This would have been a huge sacrifice for us but one we were prepared to take as we believe a good education is v important. Why are the fees not higher in Singapore?

4. The local prep schools have described most fee paying schools in Singapore as being like 'fee paying state schools'. This is also my first impression if not because of the large class sizes.

I wanted my children to get an excellent first start getting an excellent grounding in the basics and I am now worried this is not going to happen.

I was at a very good English primary in a class of 30 with a part time teaching assistant and was failed on every level. I want better for my children.

Thanks! Feel free to contradict me/reassure me!

[ps49]

The schools here are not really comparable with English prep which serve as a fee paying alternative to the UK state system and therefore have to provide something measurably better.

SG Intl schools serve an audience that do not have much alternative and some of them are in it for the profits that are available in a location where demand for expat school places is well in excess of supply.

That being said, there are some very good ones but most folk have to wait patiently for a place at the most popular schools. In fact the waiting list problem has become so acute that some schools are selling the rights to go to the top, for example, I understand Tanglin has introduced a scheme whereby you can whizz to the top of their list for a cool £50k.

Best of British!!!

[Dorian]

Thanks. Seems like a school that ran like a good UK prep school and private secondary school could do very well in Singapore?

I wonder how many are actually paying the 50k to whizz to the top of the list? What % etc? If an expats company are picking up the tab it would probably have to pay much more to fund UK boarding school fees (6-7k plus a term) so might not be as generous as it first looks. Do most on the list at Tanglin eventually get a place?

I think what has concerned me are the large class sizes generally. On looking around one well respected school I saw a young girl crying at her table. The teacher didn't pick up on this as there were too many other children demanding her attention. This concerned me. This is highly unlikely to happen at an english prep school. The child was very distressed and weeping onto the table.

From what you've said the education a young child receives at a good International School is on a par with a good english prep school? Thanks again.

[ps49]

I don't know what % eventually get place at Tanglin - you could ask them if you are thinking of going on their list. However, it would seem logical that if some people pay their way to the top of the queue then those who don't pay will have to wait longer than if no queue jumping was taking place.

Its difficult to generalise comparisons between schools. However, there are International Schools, including some located in Singapore that are considered within the education industry as being world class - Tanglin and UWC are amongst them (which is probably why they have lengthy wait lists). But they are not everyone's cup of tea due to their size, especially for younger children. There are alternatives such as Avondale which is essentially a small prep school (Aussie system) but it obviously doesn't have the long track record of the more established colleges.