Choosing and Evaluating Primary Schools

[floppy]

mummyvolk\" post_id=\"2025714\" time=\"1622422044\" user_id=\"192657:

glitterpen, why are you sure that you will get a place?

People can be sure of a place usually from the following factors:
1. Eligibility for earlier phases
- Typically has less competition, and outcome are more predictable

2. Less popular schools
- Usually attract less competition, especially < 1km

Unless demographics / popularity changed, usually over time and not instantaneous, past historical records are a pretty good guide on your probability of getting a place.

[glitterpen]

Yah it's (1) for us. I'm alumni of one of the popular schools that will most probably ballot in 2A1 this year, but even then the chances of getting a place at >2km are pretty good. But we decided that it was better for the kids to live nearer the school, and that since we were prepared to move for P1, we might as well move in time for P1 registration. (Of course it may turn out that everyone has the same idea and all the alumni families moved <1km and there's balloting in 2A1 for <1km, but that's unlikely.)


I think it depends on the exact schools involved and your family situation. We have an older girl (she's the one going to P1 next year) and a younger boy; if we had stopped at 1 kid or had 2 girls, we'd probably have made different choices.

floppy\" post_id=\"2025718\" time=\"1622427707\" user_id=\"97579:

mummyvolk\" post_id=\"2025714\" time=\"1622422044\" user_id=\"192657:

glitterpen, why are you sure that you will get a place?

People can be sure of a place usually from the following factors:
1. Eligibility for earlier phases
- Typically has less competition, and outcome are more predictable

2. Less popular schools
- Usually attract less competition, especially < 1km

Unless demographics / popularity changed, usually over time and not instantaneous, past historical records are a pretty good guide on your probability of getting a place.

[glitterpen]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2025702\" time=\"1622382381\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2025702 time=1622382381 user_id=53606]

glitterpen\" post_id=\"2025701\" time=\"1622380908\" user_id=\"187525:

[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2025699 time=1622380582 user_id=53606]Jia you! It’s a good time to Marie Kondo your stuff. We gave away majority of the toys and baby books. When kids get to primary school age, they don’t need all those preschooler toys any longer. Every time we move house, we end up getting more minimalist in our lifestyle.

Ha thanks! I'm taking the chance to give away bags of toys without the kids knowing, but kids have a way of remembering that one (loud, flashing) toy that grandma gave to them two years ago...[/quote]

Lol! Yes grandmas like to give such toys don’t they?! Suggestion: leave it at grandma’s house to play with when they visit muaahahahaha.[/quote]Even the grandparents don't want those toys in their house! The toys always come back to our house with an innocent \"but XX said they wanted to play with it at home!\".

[F3parent]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2025531\" time=\"1622195028\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2025531 time=1622195028 user_id=53606]

F3parent\" post_id=\"2025172\" time=\"1621925878\" user_id=\"165232:

[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2025048 time=1621826238 user_id=53606]
It really depends lah. Some girls schools are famously way more bitchy than others.

Some “weaker” boys cannot take the rough play that happens in boys schools.

Some mixed schools will have rough boys disturbing the weaker boys and also the girls. Depends on how the teachers handle it.

Bottom line is: know your child’s personality (and also equip them with the EQ to survive in all sorts of real-world situations). If u can get the best fit, good. If cannot, it’s not the end of the world.

which girls schools are famously more bitchy?
I am considering putting my daughter to SCGS (2B grassroots priority), is it one of such? :oops:
my second choice is CHIJ kellock[/quote]

Hi F3parent, I sincerely hope your girl is doing ok. I sent u a PM but it seems you have not opened your PM.[/quote]Thank you zac's mom! i have responded :hugs:

[mummyvolk]

To share my woes, my parents are against going to good school because they think every school is the same ultimately depends on your kid if they will excel. My hubby initially listen in to trying the good schools, but now his opinion is just go through via the MOE Kindergarten phase and stay put. I feel like moving but if doing so i will be very strong willed to do everything and searching hse etc, and even if i moved, i will move away from my parents so i will not have grandparents help after my move. What a dilemma because i feel like i didn’t have much choice.

[zac's mum]

mummyvolk\" post_id=\"2025772\" time=\"1622461629\" user_id=\"192657:

To share my woes, my parents are against going to good school because they think every school is the same ultimately depends on your kid if they will excel. My hubby initially listen in to trying the good schools, but now his opinion is just go through via the MOE Kindergarten phase and stay put. I feel like moving but if doing so i will be very strong willed to do everything and searching hse etc, and even if i moved, i will move away from my parents so i will not have grandparents help after my move. What a dilemma because i feel like i didn’t have much choice.

It’s difficult if you face some opposition from family.

There is some sense in sticking with the MK co-located primary school, at least the child is familiar with the surroundings, and there is supposedly some communication between the kindergarten & P1 teachers to flag out any extra help they may need. The current kindergarten classmates are also more likely to end up in the same P1 class as your child, so having familiar faces could help further in the settling in to primary school life.

Unless there are some red flags about the co-located primary school, or there is some super good school that you are targeting (think about why? Will the school guarantee good grades or whatever you’re wishing for?) I don’t see any need to swim upstream against the current, so to speak.

[Zeal mummy]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2025790\" time=\"1622467266\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2025790 time=1622467266 user_id=53606]

... there is supposedly some communication between the kindergarten & P1 teachers to flag out any extra help they may need.
[/quote]

Curious; do all primary schools get information/feedbacks from the kindergartens that their new p1s were in? Thanks!

[zac's mum]

Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2025793\" time=\"1622468018\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2025793 time=1622468018 user_id=58173]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2025790\" time=\"1622467266\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2025790 time=1622467266 user_id=53606]
... there is supposedly some communication between the kindergarten & P1 teachers to flag out any extra help they may need.
[/quote]

Curious; do all primary schools get information/feedbacks from the kindergartens that their new p1s were in? Thanks![/quote]

No, only for MOE Kindergartens.

7 new MOE kindergartens to open in primary schools in 2024 and 2025
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/7-new-moe-kindergartens-to-open-in-primary-schools-in-2024-and-2025

[Zeal mummy]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2025795\" time=\"1622468331\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2025795 time=1622468331 user_id=53606]

Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2025793\" time=\"1622468018\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2025793 time=1622468018 user_id=58173][quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2025790 time=1622467266 user_id=53606]
... there is supposedly some communication between the kindergarten & P1 teachers to flag out any extra help they may need.
[/quote]

Curious; do all primary schools get information/feedbacks from the kindergartens that their new p1s were in? Thanks![/quote]

No, only for MOE Kindergartens.

7 new MOE kindergartens to open in primary schools in 2024 and 2025
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/7-new-moe-kindergartens-to-open-in-primary-schools-in-2024-and-2025[/quote]Thanks!

[glitterpen]

mummyvolk\" post_id=\"2025772\" time=\"1622461629\" user_id=\"192657:

To share my woes, my parents are against going to good school because they think every school is the same ultimately depends on your kid if they will excel. My hubby initially listen in to trying the good schools, but now his opinion is just go through via the MOE Kindergarten phase and stay put. I feel like moving but if doing so i will be very strong willed to do everything and searching hse etc, and even if i moved, i will move away from my parents so i will not have grandparents help after my move. What a dilemma because i feel like i didn’t have much choice.

That is hard. The whole thing is a bit of a gamble (just choosing a primary school, let alone moving for one), so it's really hard if your family isn't supportive. I think sometimes doing what's right for the family isn't the same thing as maximizing opportunities for one kid.

In my family I'm the one who's not super sure about good schools (I'm also the one most inconvenienced by the move!). On one hand, I don't think my particular kid will push herself to excel (or do any work at all) unless she's in an environment that challenges her; as it is, she tends to drift off in class now. On the other, she's in an MOE Kindy now, and she's thriving - she likes school, she's the teacher's little helper, she bosses her friends around on group projects - so maybe she'd be fine in any school. (It's the nearest MK but it isn't that near us, so we weren't going to put her there anyway.)