2015 PSLE Discussion and Strategies

[lee_yl]

TheAnswer:

lee_yl:

[quote=\"TheAnswer\"]
Which international schools they went to?

SJI (international), $20K+ a year.

Can go in without meeting PSLE entrance score? Someone I know wants to enter SJI.[/quote]http://www.sji-international.com.sg/page.cfm?p=627

No strict cut-off point?
But admission is based on the discretion of the school. 50% of the student population is made up of Singaporeans, limited vacancies.
Hearsay, SJI (Int) is the most expensive but also the most popular!!

[phtthp]

Hope21:

He left ip school for poly.


http://news.asiaone.com/News/Education/ ... 09764.html

From poly, he can still go to Uni next time

Poly got some specialized courses uni don't have, eg : optometry

[faithfuldad123]

Hi parents,


Its been along time since I’ve chatted now. Based on your discussion, me and my child expect:

An A*/Very high A for english
A ‘90’ for math
85 over mark for chinese
Middle/low A for Science
Boundary mark for Merit in Higher chinese

Based on this year’s difficulty, can someone tell me about how much t-score can DS get? And what are 3 suitable schools he can go to? Does DS have a chance to go to River Valley high school? Thanks all.

[janet88]

with IP, all the way to A levels, provided the child can cope with IP syllabus…otherwise he/she only has an impressive PSLE cert.


psle is an unpredictable exam…even with a gruelling preparation, it’s hard to tell how the child will perform on the actual day.

[cyberette]

lee_yl:

FantasyLandDreams:

[quote=\"lee_yl\"]HCI (international), SJI (international), ACS (international)


So far feedback on the international schools is quite positive. Many went in actually had decent t-scores. Very small class size, dedicated teachers, overseas field trips to visit Cambridge, Wall Street etc. Most importantly, less stressful than Singapore schools.

These are 6 year course as well? Same subject/ grades criteria like A levels results which are used for university admission?

IB 6-year program if joined after PSLE, smaller class size, more attention per student. Some locals join after 'O'-level for yr 5/yr 6 of IB.[/quote]If you join after Sec 4, it's only about $40k per annum. Not that bad.

I've a rich friend who sends his daughters to one of these 3 local international schools.

The international education learning environment is more enriching and flexible, according to them. There're foreigners in their small class as well. I believe there are boarding opportunities. There's no streaming. And your fellow classmates are all well-to-do kids.

My friend will send them to an overseas uni after they get their IBDP. When they come back, they might well be on par with, if not better than their peers who went through IP or O/A-level tracks.

http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.sg/2015/02/home-grown-international-schools-in.html


It's a good alternative for those who with deep pockets and who don't want to stress their DC too much. :evil:

[Kittycatz]

Steadyberry:

I noticed the parents or kids who posted in here are mainly from top schools or better schools. Maybe you do not know many from the neighborhood schools. I remember I got to know a parent with kids in nyps. When they asked me which school my kids are from, they went \"What? Where is the school? Never heard of it.\"


I can tell you, in a neighborhood school, it is not easy to achieve above 230. In a better neighborhood school, kids from 2nd or 3rd class should be able to get 230. I even know quite a few in the 2nd class who got 210 only. But in a not very popular neighborhood school, most of their 1st class kids can only get 230-240. Last yr, 1 neighborhood school had only 5 or 6 who got 250 & above. We are talking about 1st class. When you ask around, you will notice that parents from these schools are happy that their kids can go express or schools like Anderson Sec, BPGH, Riverside Sec, Nan chiau High, zhonghua sec.. To them, these schools are considered as \"very good\" schools. And recently, I heard from a tutor that her student got above 260 in prelims. But the kid added that this is not the best estimate for psle. School teacher told the kid to deduct 20 marks from the prelims.

Sorry if :offtopic:

Remember....all schools are good schools? Haha...so let's not talk about top schools, better schools or Neighbourhood schools here. At least not for primary schools whereby the cohort in each school are from a good mix of HA and average/below average students. Every school has her share of best performing students. I realise the so-called top schools do not have 100% PSLE passes compared to the lesser known Neighbourhood schools. In truth, these Neighbourhood schools really see to the overall performance of their students and ensure that no one is being left out. Every child matters. To me a school is a good and top school when it can bring out the best in every pupil, not just the HA pupils but even the weakest performing pupil.

My 2 kids came from two different so-called Neighbourhood schools. My elder kid's school had about 25 pupils obtaining 250 and above, mainly from the 1st class. My second kid's school had about 40+ pupils obtaining above 250 from 2-3 classes, with 28 from the 1st class. These two Neighbourhood schools were able to produce a fairly good percentage of above average performers. My elder kid's school had 100% PSLE passes almost yearly but my second kid's school which produced 40+ Scorers of 250 & above had 97% passes for that year. The school also did not see 100% passes in other years.

Parents and kids from 'branded' schools are clueless about other Singapore primary schools besides their own? Now look who's being 'sua ku'? How big is Singapore? The sad thing is people tend to measure one's worth from the school one goes to. Be it primary or secondary. The intrinsic value in a person matters no more. It's all about grades and status.

Let me tell you something. The high achievers in most primary schools (mainstream & GEP) are the more worrisome lot. They have good grades and that's it. Good character building in them is next to non-existent. I can attest to that based on my observations and the feedback given after DSA camps in secondary schools. Most of them have over-fed egos. Many are downright spoilt brats and you know by who. Parents need to get radical with their kids that good character is more important than grades.

For me, I am very grateful that that my two kids had moved on to their ideal secondary schools through sheer hard work and determination. One scored 271 and the other 249 for PSLE. To me, both my kids had outperformed themselves and they are bright shining stars in my eyes. With no private tuition, all these would not have been possible without the dedication and support of teachers from their so-called unbranded primary schools.

Whatever results a child has managed in the PSLE, as long as the child has outperformed himself/herself or done his best, that is truly what matters.

[janet88]

if parents have deep pockets, can send kids to international schools for a 6 year IB program after psle. rub shoulders with rich men’s kids. that friend whose child has 276 wanted to send son to HCI but secured a place at IP school and wasn’t allowed to switch.

[lee_yl]

cyberette:

If you join after Sec 4, it's only about $40k per annum. Not that bad.

I've a rich friend who sends his daughters to one of these 3 local international schools.

The international education learning environment is more enriching and flexible, according to them. There're foreigners in their small class as well. I believe there are boarding opportunities. There's no streaming. And your fellow classmates are all well-to-do kids.

My friend will send them to an overseas uni after they get their IBDP. When they come back, they might well be on par with, if not better than their peers who went through IP or O/A-level tracks.

http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.sg/2015/02/home-grown-international-schools-in.html


It's a good alternative for those who with deep pockets and who don't want to stress their DC too much. :evil:

Exactly! A friend who sent her children there shares similarly positive feedback and highlights the lower level of stress the family faces as compared to when the children were in local schools. Friend also shares that after her kids enter international school, she cancels all the tuition and enrichment classes her children received, and as a result, financially, the cost of international school is not much higher as compared to the cost of local schools.

[janet88]

an ex-classmate sent her 2 boys to SJI international after psle. more relaxed, NO need for tuition…her hubby is rich.

[Kittycatz]

lee_yl:

cyberette:

If you join after Sec 4, it's only about $40k per annum. Not that bad.

I've a rich friend who sends his daughters to one of these 3 local international schools.

The international education learning environment is more enriching and flexible, according to them. There're foreigners in their small class as well. I believe there are boarding opportunities. There's no streaming. And your fellow classmates are all well-to-do kids.

My friend will send them to an overseas uni after they get their IBDP. When they come back, they might well be on par with, if not better than their peers who went through IP or O/A-level tracks.

http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.sg/2015/02/home-grown-international-schools-in.html


It's a good alternative for those who with deep pockets and who don't want to stress their DC too much. :evil:

Exactly! A friend who sent her children there shares similarly positive feedback and highlights the lower level of stress the family faces as compared to when the children were in local schools. Friend also shares that after her kids enter international school, she cancels all the tuition and enrichment classes her children received, and as a result, financially, the cost of international school is not much higher as compared to the cost of local schools.

Do note that these kids buy their way in with money and not talent.

Almost all are rich. Many are very arrogant.

Well, if that's the kind of environment you want your kid to be in.

My kid knows some of them, and the verdict is no way my kid will want to be studying among them.

True scholars do not join international schools.