"donations" to international schools

[Maple leaf]

We're moving to Singapore (2nd tour of duty) in May and I am trying to figure out which intl school to send our soon-to-be 4yo daughter to and was warned by some parents to watch out for schools which do not formally ask for but expect "donations" from parents. Has anyone heard of this and if so, which schools practise this? I figure the tuition is exorbitant enough, who needs to pay extra???

[manu]

Hi,

Our 7yo girl is in ISS (http://www.iss.edu.sg/) and I have not heard of such a thing in there.

Of course then when they are having events or trips the extra fees (and parent's help) are asked but I think that's normal procedure.

What kind of amount of money is in question in general?

[expat]

My children have never been asked for "donations" apart from in one instance. This was about a year ago as a "one-off" to help in preventing the closure of one of the schools in South America. We have had no other request in 6 years of our child attending the school. (We didn't send in anything!). I think the issue of "donations" probably relates to the local schools as there is a tremendous amount of competition amongst the locals to get their kids into favoured schools, they have priority for example if parents volunteer their time so I guess donations help too - esp in the local private schools. I know they like the alumni to donate money.  

It is an excellent school and does a huge amount of charity work in neighbouring countries; for example helping street kids in Thailand or to give an education or training to be a tailor etc. to the poorest children in cities and remote parts of India. However most of their projects are self-supporting, the pupils sell top-quality calendars, T-Shirts etc. or perhaps have a concert where there is an admission fee. Of course if a parent wishes to give a donation to a project then they're not going to turn it down!

[This message has been edited by BoardManager (edited 29-03-2001).]

[Maple leaf]

I think you are right. Perhaps they were talking about local private schools as some locals seem to be fairly fanatic about getting their kids into the "right" school (as they are here in California as well).

In any case, I've heard nothing but good things about Tanglin Trust, Chatsworth and OFS but as we're Canadian, I'm grappling with whether to send our 4yo to CIS so she'll celebrate Canadian holidays, etc. I've heard from some ex-teachers that the standards at CIS are pretty lax and there's been a huge influx of ESL students. I've ALWAYS been told and truly believe that the British system is the best. But I was preschooled in the Brit system then switched to the Cdn system myself and I think I turned out alright (!)

Coming from someone who used to teach, I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I'm so confused as to where to place my daughter.

[expat]

In that case I would definitely consider UWC if I were you; most of the teachers are from the UK and some also from Commonwealth countries (inc. Canada I believe) and it does follow the British curriculum, which is suitably adapted to the Asian setting. It is truly an International school, yet all pupils have to be fluent in English before they are admitted. The United Nations night is very good and the whole ethos of the school is excellent. The patrons of the school are ex-President Nelson Mandela and US-born Queen Noor of Jordan. The facilities of the school are superb, but you will need to make enquiries soon as there may be a wait-list for when your child needs to be admitted (although they do change quickly as expats often move out at short notice). Tanglin is also a good school too, but I would say that UWC may be a better choice for a Canadian native. Good Luck!  

[ML]

Thanks for the recommendation, expat. (Now I'm REALLY confused ..just kidding!) I emailed the admissions director for some tuition and schedule information and she was most unhelpful saying that the package was too large but offered to snail mail it to me here in Canada. Hmmm. Did not leave too good of an impression on me. Reminds me of my preschool days when I got my little hand whacked with a LARGE ruler for chatting. Would you know how much the fees and student ratio are for K1? I asked but got no response.

I guess one of our big things too is having to live near Pasir Panjang..ugh..

[expat]

Hi again - I can't believe the attitude of the clerk,(the Admissions Director is Tony Gash, who is a nice guy)and I guess you must have caught this person on a 'bad day' perhaps. It might be quicker if the prospectus could be sent to you via your company's office in Singapore and they can forward it on to you (Fedex even?). The Singapore HR could also chase up questions like the fees - I'm sorry I can't help as my kids are of secondary (High school) age. Fees are not cheap, all school fees are expensive in Singapore as the schools have to pay big rental fees to the govt. - but only three international schools in Singapore are *non-profit making*: these are UWC, Tanglin Trust and the American school, so at least your fees are going into education and not to the directors pockets (there was a revolt amongst the staff at OFS some time ago due to excess profiteering by the directors).

Actually the Pasir Panjang area isn't a bad place to live (are you going to work at the Science Park or University?) - you are near to some of the international schools inc. UWC and there are some good local shops in Pasir Panjang village inc. a well-kept supermarket which stocks a lot of American, British and Aussie produce, bakery/cafe, excellent video shop, dry cleaners, and plenty of bars & restuarants. Also it is very easy for public transport - lots of bus routes inc. a 'loop' service to Holland Village & MRT station and lots of taxis on the main roads. There are definitely more inconvenient places to live in, and it's a good base, also there are many expats living in the Pasir Panjang district.  

[Mapleleaf]

Actually I'm going to look for a job only after I get the house/kids/maid settled in. I think my husband has can work from home 1/2 week and the rest at the office of his choice, either near Tanjong Pagar or Changi.

Oh, it wasn't UWC that was "difficult", it was the admissions lady at Chatsworth. But Tanglin & UWC must be doing something right as their merits keep popping up consistently. All of the schools I contacted have a few spaces open right now for K1 and are putting the pressure on to register now, campus unseen. Sigh...what to do..by the time we get there in mid-May all the spots will be gone and she'll be moping at home. Guess I'll just have to keep digging for info. Thanks a lot, expat!

Btw, isn't Pasir Panjang where IKEA is now?

[expat]

Dear Maple Leaf -

I re-read your first post and have just realised how young your daughter is; obviously if you were in some countries like the US or some European countries children begin school at around 6 years of age. How old is a typical Canadian when he/she starts school? I still highly recommend UWC (and they also have early foreign language "fun" sessions, songs & games etc. which would be good - I think French is probably included which of course would be beneficial for a Canuck. Also Tanglin would be fine too, as at this young age they don't learn very much about British history etc but have a good grounding in the ABC's etc.

You are right about the pressure to put your child's name down at an international school; I've often met mothers who are really distressed that their favoured school was full and they've either had to send their children to their 2nd or 3rd choice or have even kept them out of school for a term or longer until a place became available. Most employers will only pay for one set of registration fees and deposits. If you want to switch schools at a later date you may find that you would have to pay the registration fees for the new school out of your own pocket. It is a real problem when one is under pressure of time and unable to get across to Singapore to visit any schools, but are there any expats in your husband's company who have had children attending any schools other than CIS?

Personally I can't praise UWC and Tanglin enough - ask if there are any (independent) school inspection reports which you can see. For example, Tanglin has inspectors who come over from the UK I think every couple of years to monitor what takes place within the classroom, to check on educational standards and that attainment targets are being met (they're exceeded at TTS) and provide a report which all parents can request.  A good school will only be too happy and proud to share this information with you. Also, this does not apply to you, but to show the high standards of the school, UWC has the best exam results in the world for its International Baccalaureate high school exam.

For both schools the equipment and classrooms are first class - in fact at both schools the elementary sections have only recently been constructed, unlike some international schools which have quite old facilities which could do with refurbishing. You will find that total pupil numbers across the entire age range of the schools are quite high but that is very normal for schools due to the density of the population.

[Mapleleaf]

Kids in Canada start school the year they turn 5. I believe it's just 1 year of kindy here and only 1/2 day at that! Our daughter has been in fulltime daycare, home daycare and part-daycare but now in preschool only 2x/week and she's so bored. I taught her phonics starting at 2 and she just gets a kick out of being able to read small words already but tends to get bored easily. We've moved from Sing/Toronto/SanFrancisco now back to Sing since 98 so I would LOVE to get her into the right school the first time this time! We'd basically be paying out of our own pocket but it's well compensated for in salary so can't complain... I am however leaning towards your two recommendations. I'm just trying to remember what's around UWC...

[tiffiny]

You might like to contact Dovercourt school, especially as your child is in its early years.  They too follow the British System and promote a very friendly and caring environment.  My child settled in very quickly and is progressing very well in all subjects.  The school has unbiased view on who to except and therefore, you have children from all over the world and the class sizes are small around 16 - 20 which is a bonus if the child is young.  Good luck.

[foodforthought]

Just something to think about - UWC are very very selective about who they will accept into their school. It's not hard to achieve the best results if you only accept a certain group of students, is it?

[expat]

Both UWC and Tanglin are selective in that they will only accept fluent English speakers & writers. As a native English speaking family we didn't have a problem with that. We had some neighbours who are Danish. Their two older children passed the English test to get into UWC, but their youngest who was aged 8 did not, and she went to Overseas Family School. Although her English was not great but slowly improving, her parents were very dismayed when a new European girl with limited English joined the class - and their daughter was chosen as a 'buddy' to help the new girl. They felt that they did not want their daughter to spend lots of time helping the 'buddy' when she was trying to cope with English and do her own schoolwork herself, particularly when they were paying fees to have their daughter educated. They transferred her to Dover Court for a short time and admitted her to UWC as soon as she passed the test.

What proportion of native English speakers attend Dover Court? I understand that a lot of Japanese parents send their children there to learn English as they are unable to pass the English test to get into UWC and Tanglin.    
 

[Tiffiny]

Expat,  In my childs class at Dover court, there are several Japanese children and they all have a very good vocabulary and speak excellent English.  I was told when I first enrolled my child there, that children were not placed in the main classrooms until they had mastered a good command of the English language. Certainly to date this seems true and all the children seem to have similar capabilities even though they have all had different starts in schooling.  There are many children from the UK and various parts of Europe, and a large proportion of children are from Asian countries.  

[thefullmonty]

maple leaf, you sound particular about early learning -- have you considered montessori? there are two or three excellent montessoris in singapore -- casa bambini and littlewoods come to mind, both near dunearn/newton. my experience is that children who go to international schools at six-plus, after a montessori programme, are streets ahead. also  the cosy familial atmosphere helps a lot, in terms of adjustment.what montessoris do lack  are sports facilities, so if that's a priority, they should not be considered. however, both my children went to international schools "late" after montessori programmes and and i can praise those programmes enough.