Choosing and Evaluating Primary Schools

[Pen88n]

r_mummy:

Hi, I am new here and my boy is going to P1 next year.


Would like to have some advice on the following school, Xinmin and Hougang Pri. very much appreciated.

I think both are good neighbourhood schools. Factors to consider:
1) Distance from your home
2) If balloting is involved, which has more vacancies and chance?
3) Your personal preference (should visit the school with your kid)

[bluemoon]

Not all elite schools are stressful and cold, just like not all neighbourhood schools are relax, some can be very competitive too. Go with your heart.


I’m also facing a dilemma, eligible for P2B and deciding between RVPS and SMPS. Both have its merits, one good in academic and can be stressful if you are below median type and the other has affiliation to secondary though academic not so strong. Trying all means to clear my mind so that I can make the right decision. Any views greatly appreciated.

[SAHM_TAN]

bluemoon:

Not all elite schools are stressful and cold, just like not all neighbourhood schools are relax, some can be very competitive too. Go with your heart.


I'm also facing a dilemma, eligible for P2B and deciding between RVPS and SMPS. Both have its merits, one good in academic and can be stressful if you are below median type and the other has affiliation to secondary though academic not so strong. Trying all means to clear my mind so that I can make the right decision. Any views greatly appreciated.

The COP for SMSS was 239 for 2010 PSLE students posted to sec 1 in 2011, this COP was for non SMPS students. While for affiliated students the COP was 189 though I'm not sure if the affiliated COP will be raised internally.

[keroppi]

Sweetbaby456:

Rhykard Ho:

so therein lies my dilemma - to try for the cold hard elite school or the warmth complex neighbourhood school ?


of course, this is not considering that i would most probably have to ballot for phase 2B in the elite school in the first place !

Best to go neighborhood school and forget about the elite school!
\\Just think - tension is not just now...its the next 6 years of your child's life...is it worth it? For me I think not

For me, it will depend on whether the elite school has an affiliated Secondary school, as that will take the stress off PSLE for my child. All the best in your decision making.

[magiccastle]

I shared before . My friend gave up Henry park to transfer her girl to st margaret at Pri 4 bec of the affiliation St marg have for Sec sch. Going to a good popular pri school doesn’t equate to good PSLE result . Very much depend on the ability n intelligence of the child .

[rains]

bluemoon:

Not all elite schools are stressful and cold, just like not all neighbourhood schools are relax, some can be very competitive too. Go with your heart.


I'm also facing a dilemma, eligible for P2B and deciding between RVPS and SMPS. Both have its merits, one good in academic and can be stressful if you are below median type and the other has affiliation to secondary though academic not so strong. Trying all means to clear my mind so that I can make the right decision. Any views greatly appreciated.

You know your child best - is she intelligent/hardworking/competitive? Or is she showing signs of being average or below average compared to her peers? It's easier to make decisions based on your own child's ability than the merits of schools. No matter how good a school is, if it doesn't suit the child, it's not a good school for her.

If she shows signs of being capable of higher-order stuff, why deprive her of the chance to thrive at an environment that's fitting for her? If she's struggling with stuff that she should not be, then let her progress at a pace that's comfortable and unthreatening for her.

That said, my take is there's no harm in trying for the better things in life. At most, transfer out if really can't handle the load. And I always thought it's easier to transfer from an academically stronger school to one that is not as strong rather than the other way round.

[bluemoon]

Thanks moms and dads. She is smart but not the academic way and I don’t think she will be hardworking either. I’ve heard so much about RV being the pressure cooker and hence having second thoughts about it.


Magiccastle, I read your post and thats when it prompted me to think twice.

My ds is studying in a SAP boys’ school and the learning environment is great. Till now, he doesn’t need to attend any remedial lessons even though his result is average. I guess this affect my take on how primary schools should be.

Thanks for all your feedback. Now I would need to find out if SMPS has school bus to Queenstown area.

[Apricot]

earl_grey:

Hi all, I am having a dilemma and would appreciate your inputs.


I am now split between two schools: one is a resaonably good neighbourhood school, according to the ranking board on this forum, it is within the top 15, we are able to enrol our child at P2A1 and secure a place. The other is the \"elite\" N*PS, we will need to try our luck at P2B as PV.

My dilemma is: should we try sending our child to the elite school at all? The reason we wanted to become its PV is because we hope our child could enter its affiliated secondary school with less pressure on the PSLE score; but I've always had doubts about subjecting my child to the vicious competition within the school at such a tender age, I worry about what this would do to her character development, and sharing by old timers like Kristen Han on their respective blogs aggravated my worries.

But at the same time, perhaps my child could handle the pressure and benefit from the school's programme, so if we do not go try our luck at P2B, we could be depriving her (and her decendents) from being educated in one of the top primary schools in Singapore? The consequence of our decision seems so great that I'm really at a loss of what to do, thus I'd really love to hear your views, many thanks.

Hi, just to share from my experience. When my dd was P1, I chose a slightly above average neighbourhood school for her though I had priority for an elite school which was quite far from home. In any case, I did not want to subject her (or myself) to too much unnecessary stress and pressure. I never regretted my decision.

Her school environment was wholesome and she enjoyed her time there. She did well and was streamed to the better class. She was offered many opportunities to participate in leadership talks, motivational seminars, competitions, extra activities. She was a big fish in a small pond. She developed to be a confident girl and did extremely well for PSLE to qualify for any top school.

In contrast, she has another cousin of the same age, from branded school. He did badly for PSLE. From the start, I already anticipate that he was going to have problem coping with the pressures of the branded school as his foundation for learning was weak. However, the mum felt that the branded school could boost his standards and help her son. In reality, the school focused more attention on the good students than the weaker ones. His mum had to hire tutors to help him cope. Somehow, I felt that the environment has caused him to develop an inferior complex and the feeling that he was never good enough.

My conclusion, a branded school does not guarantee that a child will definitely succeed. Ultimately, it still depends on the child to cope. Personally, I feel that it is better to be in the best class in a neighbourhood school than an average/lousy class in a branded school. I am of the viewpoint that most schools will always devote their best resources to the better classes as these will be the students that bring glory to the school.

[milkbun]

I chose the schools based on their programs and review. Most important, my kids feel comfortable.


Top schools are competitive and your kids could also be subject to the "rich and wealthy" environment. Have to make sure you are there else it would be stressful to your kids too

[cherrygal]

Thanks Apricot for your heartfelt sharing. It just helped me decide not to apply to volunteer at an elite school that is far away. That’s what I like about kiasuparents forum. The sharings here help clear my thoughts.