any comment about SJI International Elementary School?

[To Transition]

I agree with you. I wonder if you hired a top class tutor/s for a small class and pooled the cost if you could create your own top tier school in Singapore? There would be a lack of facilities but to my mind these are easily outsourced. You could also get an excellent Mandarin teacher and exposure children every day to Mandarin if you so wished.

I am surprised that expats are happy with 'satisfactory' a International 'private' school that in the early years may have a class of 22 with no full time teaching assistant just a teacher, or a class of 24 with a teacher and TA (same as the average, good, state primary school). Many friends in the UK have their children at selective, single sex prep schools with a maximum of 18 in the class. The quality of the teaching staff is also FAR superior.

It must surely mean that the majority of expats in Singapore are more middle than senior management or similar? Or is the demand for better there?

[teacher/parent view]

I agree with you. I wonder if you hired a top class tutor/s for a small class and pooled the cost if you could create your own top tier school in Singapore? There would be a lack of facilities but to my mind these are easily outsourced. You could also get an excellent Mandarin teacher and exposure children every day to Mandarin if you so wished.

I am surprised that expats are happy with 'satisfactory' a International 'private' school that in the early years may have a class of 22 with no full time teaching assistant just a teacher, or a class of 24 with a teacher and TA (same as the average, good, state primary school). Many friends in the UK have their children at selective, single sex prep schools with a maximum of 18 in the class. The quality of the teaching staff is also FAR superior.

It must surely mean that the majority of expats in Singapore are more middle than senior management or similar? Or is the demand for better there?

I don't find my children's school 'satisfactory'. I am a teacher (not at my children's school) and have only taught in the prep schools in the UK.  I can directly compare the two.  They do not offer the same style of education but I find they both have their strengths and weaknesses.  There is more to a 'good' education than having 18 children in the class and a teaching assistant.  The teaching staff at UK prep schools vary in quality.  According to your logic, I was a far superior teacher in the UK at the selective prep school I worked at, than the 2nd tier international school I work at now.  hmmm

[ok-ish]

going back to the original question, I would say SJII is 'ok' but like most of the other international schools here, vastly overpriced.

Depends on what you're after, I think UWC and SAS are 'better' schools if you're looking for academic results and good facilities. SJII seems, however, small, nurturing and very international.

Is there anyone around that has taught at SJII elementary and at any of the other int schools to comment? How are the other teachers in Singapore viewing SJII at the moment?

[To a pp]

Interesting to hear comments from a teacher at a UK prep school who has also worked here.

I can see both sides. I think it's a bit of myth UK prep schools have very poor teachers. Sure they're a few but often they're at Prep schools that don't have a terribly good reputation and anyone really investigating schools wouldn't pay to send a child there. There's an excellent one near us, non selective and through a previous job I am familiar with quite a few. The one local to us charges around 6,000 pounds a term the parents have a lot of power and from what I see they don't tolerate weak teachers! They get eased out. We looked at the school but couldn't afford the fees. It was excellent and I would agree that the teachers were higher calibre that the in the British International schools here. Some teachers I've seen in the UK International schools don't seem to be very experienced or in some cases very perceptive or educated. Many seem to be very young and relatively inexperienced, young can be good, fresh perspective etc but ideally you need a balance. The teachers I've met at the excellent, albeit expensive prep, come across extremely well, they are extremely articulate, dedicated, experienced, excellent standard of education etc. They can spot talent very early and I would trust them with my child 100%. I don't feel that here to be honest.

I don't want to do down the international schools here this said.

I would agree that class sizes and small pupil to teacher ratios are one of the main reasons people decide to go privately. Small class sizes do make an enormous difference I believe. Friends at home have children in classes of 14, they simply wouldn't pay fees for a class of 24.
In the UK a prep school is usually about a year ahead of a state school, I am not sure if this is the case for the UK Int schools here? In small classes it's easier to support those that struggle and extend those ahead, it's also easier to spot and nurture and emerging talent.

Also has to be said there is a zero tolerance at many UK prep schools for children who disrupt others or don't want to learn. Not so here although the schools do what they can from what I can see.

TTS also sticks very closely to the National Curriculum a prep school in the UK would deviate more which is a good thing I believe. Of course TTS is trying to prepare children for an easy fit when they return to primary or secondary school in England and I think they do that pretty well.

Ideally there would be more choice and something similar to the system I describe.

Be interested to hear how SJI pupils and others have slotted back into the systems at home on repatriation?

[hmmmmm...................]

Also has to be said there is a zero tolerance at many UK prep schools for children who disrupt others or don't want to learn. Not so here although the schools do what they can from what I can see.

Such schools are usually profit-oriented and students are customers.