Moving to Singapore in 2 months - need advice with schools

[dsacapote]

We are moving to Singapore in early February from Atlanta, Georgia with our 2 daughters that will be turning 3 (Feb) and 7 (March) just after we arrive. We have been contacting International Schools regarding admissions and we have a short list of schools that may have availability in February. If you have any experience with any of these schools, please let us know. We would like to have our housing close to the school, so we need to make a decision as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your input.

Short list:
Australian International School
Canadian International School
IIS International School
Dover Court Prep School
Chatsworth International School East campus
Stamford American International School
One World International School

[Calmday]

I would recommend going ahead and getting on the waiting list Now for the American school. I know several people who have got in much sooner than expected.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Funny enough, that's the only school they don't have on the list.

Anyway, links to the schools are on my links page if you need them (first column) but if you got the names correct then you've probably already been to their sites. If you type their names into this page's search function just under the "Profile" tab at the upper right side of the page, you can find numerous discussions of the various schools.

[dsacapote]

Thanks for the initial responses. We have heard good things about the American school, but the costs seem rather high and we were looking for more of an international experience/perspective for our daughters. We may consider it, but at this point I think we would prefer one of the other schools. Please let us know if anyone has feedback on our shortlist. Thanks again.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Funny enough, that's the only school they don't have on the list.

Anyway, links to the schools are on my links page if you need them (first column) but if you got the names correct then you've probably already been to their sites. If you type their names into this page's search function just under the "Profile" tab at the upper right side of the page, you can find numerous discussions of the various schools.

While you are waiting for someone who had had children in the respective schools to just "happen" to pop in and "happen" to read this thread, you might try my suggestion in the meantime. Who knows, you might even find the answer to your questions. Most questions here have already been asked and answered already. With regards to schools, however, opinions are always subjective. Nothing beats an exploratory trip and visits to the schools interested in to get a on the ground feel for them. I only know of one school here that has been more or less continually dissed as that is CIIS which fortunately you don't have on your shortlist anyway.

[anzac74]

Hi @ll, We´re also relocating soon from Spain.

We had initially shortlisted UWC and the Australian School. However, after reading some of the comments here, we have also included the Overseas Family School (OFS).

Got a transport-related question here: do these schools have buses available for the kids? I´m sure the information must be in their websites but at least in OFS I haven´t seen anything.

From what I´ve read so far, education in Singapore seems to be a tricky issue. It´s quite hard to get your kids in local schools (that´s our of the question for our kids, as they only speak Spanish...). On the other hand, International Schools are incredibly expensive!!! I don´t think I´ve ever seen those prices anywhere in Europe.

Cheers

[aargon]

I`ve found its actually not that hard to get my kids into a local pre-school. You just have to be prepared to pay double what the locals pay - approx $1K per month which is still a good $500-$1000 cheaper than sending them to the schools listed above.

[anzac74]

Aargon,
I´d like to get more details on that local school. Can you PM me on that?

[k1w1]

I probably wouldn't bother with an International School for the 3 year old. There are some excellent local pre-schools around, plus many that are more international (without being attached to an international school) if that is what you're looking for. For your eldest child, you need to probably consider what type of education system you've come from, where you're going and what your priorities are.

Most of the schools you mention are IB PYP schools. I strongly recommend you ask a school who only uses PYP what type of curriculum they are using to base their assessments/benchmarks on. PYP on its own does not offer this - yes, this means there are schools who just "take a stab at it and see how the kids go".

[scarbowl]

A few thoughts for you:

The Australian school is on a calendar year schedule (Jan-Dec) and not in sync with where your kids are in their school year

Stamford is quite small and seems to be a waiting ground for the bigger "American" school. It is curious that you think that SAS lacks an international flavor but you have Stamford American on your list. What's the difference in your mind in terms of the international experience?

OFS is quite large and easy to gain admissions to. That will play in your favor but also says something about the school.

The Canadian School seems to be on an upward trend.

Most of these schools offer bus service. But try to live near your chosen school to save your kiddies a long bus ride.

Too bad you can't visit first as you may make a different decision if you could.

[NutZ]

Chatsworth has a good curriculum, but Orchard campus relatively basic and East campus (primary) too small, i.e. with only one classroom per grade(also more strict than other schools, which might not be great for everyone) and small number of kids per class, not so great to make new friends or change teacher in case of real incompability.
Mentioning that because of real problems with a teacher at Chatsworth East who was exceptionally strict with boys only. Know a few parents who moved their kids to Canadian.
OFS is very pleasant and efficient. Exams from middle school are rated by different teachers than the usual, very relaxed but hard working atmosphere. Although there are no entrance exams, kids are placed in different math (4) and science levels, so it actually works ok for my son, who's particularly good at some topics.
Eton House is fine as a smallish scholl structure for primary.
All school have bus school systems, but sometimes so early that it's better to go for public transport if feasible, sio that kids can get an extra 30 min zzzz.

[EEL]

Aargon,
I´d like to get more details on that local school. Can you PM me on that?

Hi Anzac and Aargon

Would you mind letting me have details of the local school to please (by PM)? We are due in Singapore in a couple of weeks and the prospect of finding a local school with a vacancy is making me feel quite nervous.

Thanks very much.

[tazz]

Our kids go to Dover Court and we are very happy with the school. They are 6 and 5. I don't know if it is suitable for your kids as it is a British curriculum but at this age, I don't think it matters too much. I think Dover Court concentrates on teaching the basics really well, which is what we want. I don't think much of admin - they are a bit rude but both my kids' teachers are great.

If you are looking for a good preschool, Rosemary Court in Raffles Place is good.

[tazz]

Sorry I meant Rosemary Hall.

[movingtospore]

My kids are 3 and 6 and go to the Canadian school. Curriculum is similar to what you find at an American school, and the school year is the same as the US/Can system. And there are several American families who like you are boycotting SAS because their fees are so outrageous. If you have further questions, pm me.