Singapore (again)

[lucyhere]

Hi everyone!

I am moving to Singapore and want to know about schools for my kids. Their's a lot of information here but a lot of it is so old!! Things change dont they? Is there anyone active who lives in singapore and can comment about schools n stuff like that?

I mean some of the messages are like from 5 or 6 years ago - so I worry they are out of date. Thankyou!!

I've just got back. How old are your dc?
The local kindergartens are excellent but only cater up to age 6. Best known schools of good quality are:
Tanglin Trust (British system) - long wait lists usually
UWCSEA - more international approach but with igcse. Also long wait.
Dulwich- newer but British system. Proving very popular so waiting lists getting longer.

Dover Court is smaller and British curriculum- they are now part of Nord Anglia and has mixed reviews although I know some people who love it.

Other popular schools are Stamford American and the Australian school but you would have to buy into a different education system.

There are some cheaper ones popping up such as Invictus or Middleton. Less facilities but a cheaper option if you are funding yourself.

Thanks tomhazard. So it seems to be the same list as from those years ago. my children are 10 and 13 so will need a school that covers both age groups, like junior and senior school. i like the uk system so no probos with that. wait lists are the main concern as we're moving soon and ttl and uwcsea have said fogedaboudit!

Yeah I guess the biggest emerging school has been Dulwich. I think it's a great school and covers your requirement for British education plus covering both age groups. You could see if they have space although you might be pushing it if it's next academic year you are hoping for.
I had a friend who sent her dc to Nexus International which she liked, and other friends who used SJII which is a mix of local and international. Supposed to be excellent. You could look into these

Dear Lucyhere,

The good news is that there are no bad schools in Singapore.

To summarize: the consensus (it doesn't mean it is the truth of course) is that the 3 best schools in Singapore are the 3 non-for-profit schools:

• Singapore American School (SAS) following a US curriculum.
• UWCSEA following an IB curriculum.
• Tanglin trust School (TTS) following a UK curriculum till year 11 then 2 paths: A-levels or IB.

Dulwich College Singapore might be a great school but it is a new school so it does not have any exams results yet. And it is a for-profit school. Like all the other schools I haven't mentioned.

Comparing exam results: apples to apples:

TTS has the best results.
TTS has better iGSCE and IB results than UWCSEA (both campus).
Fyi I believe comparing iGCSE results is more meaningful than comparing IB results because all students take this exams and it excludes the 'scholars' UWCSEA might bring (or not) to push up IB levels.Anyway fwiw TTS has the best results at iGSCE and IB.
Dulwich Singapore does not have any results yet.

UWCSEA and Dulwich are slightly more international than TTS but TTS is still very international: many of the British kids passport holders are from mixed families or are kids who grew up abroad.
But it is true that TTS students native language is overwhelmingly English. Which is not the case at UWCSEA and Dulwich . I feel the level in English is higher at TTS vs other schools as a results. (And the level in foreign languages less good).

Regarding extra curriculum activities (sports, musics, drama,...): all the schools are fantastic. UWCSEA campus might be a bit more impressive than TTS (though TTS is getting better and better) but we do prefer TTS location: closer to city center and located in One North (Singapore own silicon valley/bio technologies cluster).

Regarding waiting lists: in Senior schools, waiting lists are not very long anymore due to new schools opening (including Dulwich) and a temporary slowdown in oil/gas industries (many expats left singapore last couple of years). So do check before assuming it will be hard to get into TTS. Demand is high but if you are willing to wait 1 quarter (and send your kids somewhere else in between) they will get in.

Both UWCSEA and TTS are fantastic schools. Dulwich might end up being great as well and our friends with kids going there are very happy. But as a TTS parents, I cannot tell you strongly enough how happy we are about TTS.

I hope it helps.

Avoid Stamford at all costs.