Have you ever wondered why Singapore is a smart city? Well, it’s because of their constant need for evolution and excelling in factors such as transportation, healthcare systems and safety precautions. Singaporean government and its natives have truly transformed the city into a modern space for living and working. So, migrants from all over the world come to experience the city for themselves and find it to be a suitable home that caters to all their needs.
Since Singapore has over 300,000 migrants living in, providing high-quality education to every child is crucial as they are the future contributors to the economy and society. So, the need for constant evolution not only resides in the sectors mentioned but also with their education.
To tackle this, the Ministry Of Education Singapore has included many different curriculums in public and private schools. The various curriculums make up a diverse range of learning systems that any child in the city has access to alongside that expats can find a home-like curriculum that suits their needs. Thus, making education in Singapore universal.
Singapore Private Schools and why do expats choose them?
Transitioning to a new environment can already be difficult for a child. Learning new languages, exposure to different cultures and even making new friends are intimidating topics for an expat child. So to make sure that their education doesn’t face these difficulties. Singapore Private Schools and International Schools are the solutions.
Even though Public schools in Singapore are considered a “home to the world’s best education systems it isn’t the best fit for everyone, especially the expats and their children. The Public Schools follow a rigorous learning method wherein the focus is on the results rather than holistic learning not only this but getting admission into a Public School is rather hard as a majority of seats get filled by the locals.
On the contrary, Private or International Schools in Singapore offer a diverse range of curriculums like British, American, French, Indian and so on. These curriculums give expat parents the choice of selecting a school that follows the same education system as back in their home country.
Not only that Private/International Schools offer state of the art facilities, highly qualified professionals, multiple activities that aim to sharpen the child’s natural skills and talents, an excellent level of security and an ever-evolving approach to adopt unique learning methods.
Along with this, in Singapore Private Schools and International Schools, expat children are not expected to study in an environment wherein all their success depends on their results but will be able to experience a holistic way of learning. Plus, the children will be able to interact and socialize with peers of a similar background.
How does one choose the right Singapore Private School/ International School?
With over 9,000 Private/International schools, choosing the right one can become a tedious task as a parent and you want a high-quality education without breaking the bank. Below mentioned are a few key factors to keep in mind while choosing a school.
Curriculum
Depending on the age of your child, a Private/International School provides variants of programmes within their curriculum for Pre Primary, Primary, Secondary and High School students. And these programmes cater for their students’ needs according to their skillset and their applicability for admission.
School Fees
Private/ International schools usually have a higher rate of fees than an expat parent would pay within the schools back at home. But, this does not diminish the fact that they also provide their students with a wide range of extracurricular activities, top-notch facilities and highly qualified educators.
School Culture
Identifying what the school culture is like is a key factor as it should be suitable to your child’s needs and skills. Also, since your child will be spending a majority of their early life within school boundaries they will be developing their morals and values from whatever they are taught within the said school.
Facilities/ Extra-Curricular Activities
As mentioned earlier, a Private/International school carries world-class facilities that help expand your child’s boundaries of learning. With Olympic sized pools, auditoriums, innovation centres and laboratories entailing up to date technology that help their students to develop various hobbies. Apart from these, schools carry various extracurricular activities and co-curricular activities including Music, Sports and Visual Arts.
Subjects/ Languages
All Private/ International Schools offer an extensive range of subjects balancing Social Sciences, Math and Arts throughout their programmes. Alongside this, they even offer a multilingual curriculum wherein a student is encouraged to learn two or more languages.
Location and Commute Options
It is important to check the distance from your home to the school. And even if it is farther than preferred, most Private/International Schools provide buses that pick up and/or drop their students to the location provided.
Now that we’ve discussed why a Private/ International School is beneficial; as well as how to choose the right one, let’s see how a Singapore Private school helps within different stages of learning.
How Does a private school help your child at different levels?
As discussed earlier a Private school caters to every child’s needs individually and shapes them into well-mannered individuals ready to face the world. As a parent, we should keep these things in mind while choosing a private school.
With highly qualified educators employed, Singapore Private Schools ensures that at every stage (grade) of their student’s school life they realize their true potential and transition onto the next stage gracefully.
Pre Nursery/ Kindergarten
Since this is the first-ever transition from home life into a school setting, Schools make sure that students are provided with a comfortable environment to cope with the change. And with that comfort, the educators start developing a bond that not only nurtures and stimulates their curiosity but evolves that curiosity with a love for learning.
Most Pre Nursery/ Kindergarten Schools in Singapore have adopted specific programmes like the Montessori Method of Learning or the Bridge programme. Such programmes are specifically developed to cater for a young child’s education through unconventional methods of teaching and learning.
They help foster a sense of freedom to learn at the student’s pace and encourage them with positive reinforcement rather than punishments. This cultivates independence and an urge to learn even outside school walls.
Primary
Transitioning to Primary Grade from Kindergarten is a massive step for students. It is during the Primary Grade that the curriculum focuses more on developing a personality within their students.
Curriculums that enforce importance not only on academics but extracurricular activities such as Music, Art, Dance and Theater are beneficial for a child’s overall development, plus, activities such as these aid in learning the cultural influences of any genre.
Along with this, students are encouraged to participate in various co-curricular activities that aid them to refine their talents and skills they have learnt through these activities.
Secondary
Once a student realizes their potential it is time to refine said skills in the Secondary Grade. In this grade, schools focus on implementing guidelines on how to function as a citizen in this society. Including curricula that support subjects that won’t only be essential in an academic setting but also that can be incorporated into daily lives.
Most Secondary Schools in Singapore teach their students various social sciences and languages that aid students in understanding human society and make them globally diverse. In this grade, students are exposed to a list of prestigious in-house scholarships that assist and prepare them for high school.
High School
In this final stage of school life, students are prepared for their higher education and careers. Entailing subjects that cater specifically to students’ wants. Their main aim is to provide their graduating students with skills and knowledge equipped to face their futures. And opportunities such as organizing career counselling and placements with top-notch universities that allow them to choose the perfect major of study with their prospective university.
Conclusion
Thus, the benefits of studying in Singapore Private Schools are very significant and enrolling your child into one can give you the much needed respite when it comes to providing good education to your child.
Team GIIS
Team GIIS is a group of enthusiastic writers who bring the vibrant world of GIIS Singapore to life through engaging blog posts. Dedicated to highlighting the school’s teaching methodology, innovative learning environment, and diverse curriculum options like IB, Cambridge and CBSE, they aim to connect with parents, educators and students, sharing insights and stories that inspire and inform the school community.
