National Junior College (Junior High)

[siuying]

Thank you so much, ntnl. :lovesite:

[peasants]

Just visited NJC just now. Impression of their JC approach on IP program is good. The way students presented themselves really reflect holistic learning. Their kids are frank, intellectual and street smart, especially if you compare their school introduction with typical pressure cooker schools like RV and of course NJC infamous next door neighbour.


School is a bit old, but depends how you see it. It feels cosy than spanking new high tech but cold buildings. Definitely a choice school should COP allows.

[deardear07]

Is there a track record of retaining students if they don’t do well?

[mommyNg]

The school retains very very few students, if any, and likely only in upper secondary if student strictly does not meet promotion criteria. I only know 1 from my dd's account. The school considers many other factors when making the final decision to retain/promote. One of my dd's friend did not meet the promotion criteria (e.g., pass only 6 subjects and not 7 including LA) but was still promoted to JH4. Just to share my own dd's experience. She was doing pretty ok in JH1-2, but somehow in JH3, she flunked Bio (38/100) and Physics (49/100), and had her promotion status reviewed. She almost had to retain based on the promotion criteria set out by the school. Luckily the school decided that (in consultation with her teachers) to advance her to JH4 based on her general positive learning attitude, but she had to drop Bio (out of the 3 sciences). In JH4, she worked harder with her teachers' guidance and support, and for \"some reasons\" she continued to take Bio (she said she liked the topics) and was \"somehow\" scheduled to take Bio practical and mid-year exams even though “officially” she is supposed to have dropped bio. By mid JH4, she scored 65/100 for Bio and 69/100 for Physics . To me, that is a tremendous improvement (20-27 points difference). Now, she is happily preparing to enter SH section next year with confidence and really enjoyed her learning journey with the school. I am grateful to the school for their unrelenting support and guidance. The teachers are always so supportive and giving encouraging words to my dd. By the way, my dd never goes to any tuition (except Math).


It’s been quite a journey for us. Don’t give up in your kids if they aren’t doing that well. Neither is the school and teachers. The school is overall very supportive in the learning journey of their students. They gave space for the students to grow and learn. They give students learning chances and do not \"penalize\" them for failing. For this, if you think your child would benefit from a nurturing and supportive environment rather than a pressure-cooker environment, this is a great school to go to.

[Imp75]

is NJC very studious? I find that an IP sch in the East is very very studious and personally I don’t really like it cos I believe growing up teens should have time to explore passion outside of school. Just like the girls sch next door to NJC, I find that the lower sec are paced very nicely for the girls…

[ChiefKiasu]

Imp75:

is NJC very studious? I find that an IP sch in the East is very very studious and personally I don't really like it cos I believe growing up teens should have time to explore passion outside of school. Just like the girls sch next door to NJC, I find that the lower sec are paced very nicely for the girls....

Whether a school is 'studious' or not, depends on who you are watching. I remembered in Year 1 of JC I was just playing (and failing my exams and tests) and Year 2 I just studied like crazy (from 5:30am to 11:00pm). What drove me was the chance for an overseas scholarship. I'm sure some students in NJC are the same while others are more relaxed (maybe smarter but lazier).

[mommyNg]

ChiefKiasu:

Imp75:

is NJC very studious? I find that an IP sch in the East is very very studious and personally I don't really like it cos I believe growing up teens should have time to explore passion outside of school. Just like the girls sch next door to NJC, I find that the lower sec are paced very nicely for the girls....

Whether a school is 'studious' or not, depends on who you are watching. I remembered in Year 1 of JC I was just playing (and failing my exams and tests) and Year 2 I just studied like crazy (from 5:30am to 11:00pm). What drove me was the chance for an overseas scholarship. I'm sure some students in NJC are the same while others are more relaxed (maybe smarter but lazier).

:goodpost:

NJC IP program is pretty nicely designed and nicely paced in general, I would say. The students experience boarding every year, go for visits to theatres, museums, dragon boating, outdoor adventure, community service, etc. All schools in Singapore strive to have holistic learning for their students, I'm quite sure even for the \"very very studious IP school in the East\". All schools will have students who play hard (and study hard when the time comes), students who are more relaxed, and students who are very \"studious\". Even for the girls school next door, they have students who had fun and fulfilling time, and they also have students who had to mug till late night and till Nov/Dec (due to AAs). All I shared is my own experience, and other people may have different experiences. So, at the end of the day, it is all about the child, your preference and fit of your child in the school, and how things just happened to turn out in life.

[Jennifer]

All the best to the students sitting for Oral Presentation of PW next week. Take care of your health, get a nice haircut and make sure you wear your well ironed school uniform for your presentation.

[mommyNg]

Jennifer:

All the best to the students sitting for Oral Presentation of PW next week. Take care of your health, get a nice haircut and make sure you wear your well ironed school uniform for your presentation.

All the best!!! :rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah:

[mommyNg]

Any parents went to PTM last week? I heard from some teachers that the school is planning to replace big lectures with smaller seminars for the JC classes next year (e.g., instead of 1-2 big lectures for all students taking physics, the new approach may be to have 1 physics seminar class per 4 classes). Anyone knows more about this? I thought if this is true, it would be beneficial for the kids since smaller classes should be better in terms of attention.