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Basic Information about School System in Singapore

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Mercury01
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Basic Information about School System in Singapore

Post by Mercury01 » Wed, 06 Feb 2013 3:17 am

Hi

I am exploring the feasibility of moving to Singapore from the US. Can someone please help? I have been having a tough time interpreting some of the older responses on this forum.

1 - When does the school year start and when does it end?

2 - How does the grading system work? In the US, we have Pre-K (until 5 yrs of age), Kindergarten at 5 yrs and Grade 1 starts at 6 yrs. How does it work in Singapore?

3 - When does the admission and registration process start? By when do we have to register / apply to the schools to get our kids into the next academic year? In the US, we typically have to start in December of the previous year to registers for the following September school year.

4 - Do International Schools in Singapore follow the western (American / Canadian) education style or the 'rote-ing' method?

5 - What are the school hours for Kindergarten?

6 - Do the kids under 4 yrs typically go to a private 'nursery' or 'Montessori' school?

7 - Is it possible for a child to join a private school (International School) mid-year? How easy or feasible is it?

elspike
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Post by elspike » Wed, 06 Feb 2013 9:26 am

Hi Mercury1,

I'm not very familiar with the local systems so I'll leave those questions to people who know what they are talking about.
7 - Is it possible for a child to join a private school (International School) mid-year? How easy or feasible is it?
Yes. Every International School will have someone coming and someone going most weeks of the year. Some of the schools will have waiting lists (always longer the younger your children are), and some will be able to accommodate you immediately. How feesable is it? Depends on which school you are looking at, and your budget. Most schools start at about S$20k a year per student. Do look at a few different schools, not just the ones with US sounding names. A significant number teach to international curriculums like IB, which is transferrable wherever you go. That said, both SAIS and SAS (the American schools) seem to have very good 'reviews' and feedback from the majority of parents who send their kids there.

Mercury01
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Post by Mercury01 » Sat, 09 Feb 2013 8:59 pm

Thanks for your reply elspike. It is very clear and helpful.

Can anyone please share their knowledge about the remainder of my questions.

beppi
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Re: Basic Information about School System in Singapore

Post by beppi » Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:53 pm

Mercury01 wrote:4 - Do International Schools in Singapore follow the western (American / Canadian) education style or the 'rote-ing' method?
International schools follow the system of their origin or intended audience - Indian School the Indian system, German school the German system, Japanese school the Japanese system, etc.
There is also an American and a Canadian school.
Local schools probably don't apply to you, because it is difficult to get your kids into. But they are not bad! ("Rote-ing" was 20 years ago.)
Mercury01 wrote:5 - What are the school hours for Kindergarten?
6 - Do the kids under 4 yrs typically go to a private 'nursery' or 'Montessori' school?
Pre-schools are private and loosely regulated, so any age, system, hours are possible.

therat
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Re: Basic Information about School System in Singapore

Post by therat » Sun, 10 Feb 2013 12:17 am

Mercury01 wrote: I am exploring the feasibility of moving to Singapore from the US. Can someone please help? I have been having a tough time interpreting some of the older responses on this forum.

1 - When does the school year start and when does it end?
Kindergarten , Primary school, secondary school all start at Jan , end at Dec
2 - How does the grading system work? In the US, we have Pre-K (until 5 yrs of age), Kindergarten at 5 yrs and Grade 1 starts at 6 yrs. How does it work in Singapore?
Kindergarten (2 yrs) - 5 - 6 yrs old
Primary school (6 yrs) - 7 - 12 yrs old
Secondary school (4 or 5 yrs) - 13 -16 yrs old (depend on PSLE score)
Junior College (2 or 3 yrs) - 17-18 or 19 yrs old (depend on O level score)

Yrs old is base on the child birth year.. not the birthday.
3 - When does the admission and registration process start? By when do we have to register / apply to the schools to get our kids into the next academic year? In the US, we typically have to start in December of the previous year to registers for the following September school year.
Kindergarten - depend. Some popular Kindergarten , waiting list can be as long as 2 yrs in advance.
Primary school - start on July/Aug
5 - What are the school hours for Kindergarten?
No fix hr.
Can as long as 12 hrs class (7am to 7pm), this is basically for working parents.
Or
4 hrs per class,
6 - Do the kids under 4 yrs typically go to a private 'nursery' or 'Montessori' school?
Yes.
nursery ( 2 yrs ) - 3-4 yrs old

Just re-call something,
For some popular nursery, you need to enroll as early as possible.
I had ex-colleague enroll her unborn baby to a nursery. The waiting time is 3 yrs

Mercury01
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Post by Mercury01 » Sun, 10 Feb 2013 3:40 am

Thanks a lot everyone for information on these questions !!

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