ACS International and St Joseph International

[taxico]

I hope your "decision" involved considering the Anglo-Chinese School (INDEPENDENT) on your list, which is a school which has very different (albeit is affliated to) ACS (International). This is not an International School but is a government-supported independent school...

i attended ACS (Independent) many years ago before IB programs were even considered an alternative in singapore.

it's a very very good school and superbly equipped and operated to churn out well rounded and confident boys.

so if they're now running an IB program, i am inclined to believe they're doing a superb job.

determined parents will find no problems enrolling their child there.

[handbelljoe0112]

Take note that ACS (Independent) is an ALL-BOYS school that only accepts girls during the IBDP years (last 2 years aged 17-18)

[hotmum]

I have a question regarding Int schools which are run by the Singapore Gov (Eg ACS Int/St Josephs Int)
Most Singaporean's think kids who attend Singapore Int schools are who cannot cope with the local system.

This is the main reason why I prefer a Int school like UWC/Chatsworth instead of ACS Int.

Any comments

[taxico]

I have a question regarding Int schools which are run by the Singapore Gov (Eg ACS Int/St Josephs Int)
Most Singaporean's think kids who attend Singapore Int schools are who cannot cope with the local system.

This is the main reason why I prefer a Int school like UWC/Chatsworth instead of ACS Int.

Any comments

you're sounding more and more...

you might be right coz it takes super results from the primary 6 exams to get into independent schools, resulting in less available places for every kid.

i assume it's easier to get into some "local" International Schools, hence the perception.

technical barriers aside, the only difference between that and the non-local International Schools are 1. avail places 2. difference in fees 3. citizenship

i think!

[wkwoods]

I have a question regarding Int schools which are run by the Singapore Gov (Eg ACS Int/St Josephs Int)
Most Singaporean's think kids who attend Singapore Int schools are who cannot cope with the local system.

This is the main reason why I prefer a Int school like UWC/Chatsworth instead of ACS Int.

Any comments

I don't think SJI Intl is run by the Singapore Government. It is run by St Josephs Institution (SJI), which is an independent school affiliated to the Catholic Church. The parent SJI still has some Franciscan brothers as teachers. I attended the SJI Intl open house and most of the teachers are from UWC (including the headmaster) or from the parent SJI. SJI Intl pays comparatively high salaries, which attracts good teachers.

While its true that there are some kids in SJI Intl that can't cope with the local system, its mainly due to the bilingual requirements (Chinese language), rather than the ability of the children overall. If I recall, SJI Intl targets around 35-40 for the IB, while ACS Independent targets 40-45. So SJI Intl is for good students, but ACS Independent is for brilliant students. It was mentioned that SJI Intl won't accept you if they don't think you can make their target IB score.

Don't know much about Tanglin, but UWC is a top International School in the region. However, it is no where close to ACS Independent in the ability to churn out students that are accepted into Ivy League universities or Oxbridge. If your child is brilliant, best try to get him into ACS Independent or Raffles Institution. Forget about UWC. The other issue with UWC is that unless you are willing to pay $100K or so to jump the queue, there is a several year waiting list to get in.

Lastly, there is one more local school that offers the IB. Its School of the Arts (SOTA), which is just putting the finishing touches on its $100m building on Orchard Road next to Singapore Management University. However, admission is by audition in dance, visual arts, drama or music. Fees are around $22,000 per year unless you are a PR, where it falls to $5,000.

[alleycat]

I'm answering the question the OP asked on what is the difference between the schools. No offense intended unless it's offensive to have International Schools in Singapore who employ foreign teachers.

What grades/subjects are the local teachers teaching at Chatsworth, ISS and OFS?

cant gibe you any numbers but having kids in International Schools and having met locals who work there I am as happy with their work as any other teacher.

Im still not seeing your point about local teachers but Im willing to let it be, lets just say its more a case of schools than teachers, for example a school like CNIS has local and expat but by all accounts its a bad place to send your kids while ISS has also loacl and expat but does a great job.

[ping92]

Dear parents and current acs international students,

I am trying to get my son to take the placement test for ACS international sch grade 7 prior to his psle in oct this year. As he is extremely poor in math (besides the other borderline subjects), im worried he may not pass the placement test/DSA.

Can any kind parent or student, esp those who have taken the dsa paper,tell me what kind of questions will come out? I tries to ask the school but was told very generally. I dont know how difficult the paper standard is compared to psle although its only 18 questions.any sample questions would be greatly appreciated. Im so so desperate now...many many thanks