Choosing and Evaluating Primary Schools
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zac's mum\" post_id=\"2025816\" time=\"1622504682\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2025816 time=1622504682 user_id=53606]
It really depends on the kid, doesn't it? My girl is temperamentally suited to school (she's a rule-follower and people-pleaser, she's often inattentive but not disruptive, she likes to chat to the teachers - who as a result know more about our family than I would have chosen to share!). My boy is...not. He's okay at childcare now, because they're lovely and kind and mostly the kids just run around in the playground (less so now!) or mess around with paint, but I don't think he's going to enjoy a more traditional sit-down environment. We might have to think of a different plan when it's his turn for P1!
Thx for sharing, glitterpen! From what you have described, your girl is near the top of the kindergarten class in terms of development. Only such kids are picked to be teacher’s little helper. Bossing around means she knows exactly what to do & can see that other kids aren’t doing it lol. For such children, I agree putting them into a more academically-competitive school would do them good. They’d benefit from being stretched instead of always having to sit around waiting for others to catch up.
My boy was the other end of the scale in K2: behind the class in reading & writing (though still within age developmental timeline when considering his year-end birth). Very playful and active, not keen on sit-down classroom lessons just listening to the teacher one-way. All warning signs that he’d not adapt well to P1. We decided he would do better in an all-boys school with affiliation safety net, in case his academic ability didn’t catch up in time for PSLE.[/quote] -
Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2025858\" time=\"1622528263\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2025858 time=1622528263 user_id=58173]
True, and what school they go to is a very small piece of the puzzle! But it's the one that's easiest to control right now, so it's the one that gets most talked about.
Please give our children their due credit for their success in schools. Not the kindergarten, not the parents. Their innate motivation and what they want in life are their keys to being successful.[/quote]
Not every school is the same (otherwise why have this forum?) but I do think most, if not all, schools are decent - they all use the same curriculum, the teachers are all trained by NIE, the students all sit for the same exam in P6. Barring extraordinary circumstances, any kid with supportive parents will probably be okay (where okay doesn't mean top scorer). -
Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2025996\" time=\"1622630291\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2025996 time=1622630291 user_id=58173]
Thank Zeal mummy. I hope my decision is right this time lol...Sasawan\" post_id=\"2025922\" time=\"1622563885\" user_id=\"180231:
My analysis is that, the reason for you feeling that the branded school was more conducive, was because u were once in a neighborhood school. Your child might feel differently when she has never been to a neighborhood school.. she might feel that a branded school is competitive, stressful, or even unfriendly. However there are also plenty of kids doing well and enjoying the extra “challenges” from branded schools. There are endless possibilities.It is nice reading all parents' comments here. As first time parents, i discovered that throughout the journey since my girl born till now 5 years, I did something right and something wrong and some of the wrong things, cant turn back time to fix. You all experiences are very valuable! Hope to learn from you all and make less mistakes lol.
My girl is due for P1 in 2023, I could say that I put in a lot of effort in preparing a headstart for her with hope to lessen/spread out the academic pain when she enters primary level. I feel that my girl is similar to what Glitterpen and mummyvolk described their children in kindy level, lots of compliment from teachers. What I ask her to learn, she learns and she tends to like those subjects with lots of fun. However, when it comes to home time, she is not nerdy/highly responsible type. She doesnt have initiative to study unless I keep asking/begging her to study/revision then she will do a bit with the heart to play and play. English/Math/Chinese, she does quite well but she just doesnt have the initiation to do it by herself because it is not fun.
Now it comes to the dilemma in choosing primary school. I have prepared and plan to send her to a more branded school. It is further away from our house which I feel more academically oriented and well rounded relatively to neighborhood schools around our house. I have personal experience in both branded (academically oriented) school and normal neighborhood school and I really felt the difference. My personal belief is environment really plays a big role in achievement motivation. But with her this kind of personality, I am not sure, as of now if I should send her to the branded school or just let her have fun with more familiar environment (lots of friends from kindy level will be in this primary school too) in the neighborhood school.
Go with your heart, a mum knows what is best for her child. It might not be the best decision, but you have her best interest at heart, and do make the best of it once you are committed to it. All the best![/quote] -
mummyvolk\" post_id=\"2025967\" time=\"1622611515\" user_id=\"192657:
While CCA is an important part of school life, I would caution against picking schools based on CCA / interest.
Hi, the schools where their listed ECA matches the interests my girl has.
Kids at 5yo / 6yo have a variety of interests. Often, they are unable to sustain an interest for long (and we are talking about a couple of years). As CCA typically starts only in P3 / P4, by the time they are being asked to pick their CCA, something new may have developed.
If your kids are already in K1 / K2, it may be too late to make plans for the more popular schools, aside from shifting to < 1km. Unfortunately, Phase 2C < 1km will most certainly mean balloting for these schools, and Investing thousands of dollars for only an opportunity at ballot isn’t necessarily the wisest decision.
Having said all that, it’s not impossible for you to find a slightly less popular but established school that fulfills most of your criteria. However, it may entails some sacrifices, such as waiting up early etc. -
Another reason not to choose a school for its CCAs: there’s no guarantee your child will be able to get into that CCA. The CCA places are often limited, so if applicants > vacancies, either balloting will occur (yes, for CCAs!) or the teacher will conduct a trial/audition and pick the most promising ones.
CCAs in primary school are just for play-play (not compulsory at all). If your child is so interested in that leisure pursuit, u can probably find it externally, pursue it on weekends. Don’t need to move house to a popular school just for that. -
My personal opinion is that if you want the school to do the pushing and drilling for you (like what I have for my kids), then choose a more popular school with track record. I actually love the tons of homework given bc that means my kids are sufficiently occupied without tuition or any other topups I need to plan for them in the academic sense. I can shake legs and leave it to the school to drill.
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Imp75\" post_id=\"2026035\" time=\"1622680191\" user_id=\"2358:
That's what I'm hoping for! :xedfingers:
My personal opinion is that if you want the school to do the pushing and drilling for you (like what I have for my kids), then choose a more popular school with track record. I actually love the tons of homework given bc that means my kids are sufficiently occupied without tuition or any other topups I need to plan for them in the academic sense. I can shake legs and leave it to the school to drill. -
Imp75\" post_id=\"2026035\" time=\"1622680191\" user_id=\"2358:
Mind sharing which are the popular schools with track record?
My personal opinion is that if you want the school to do the pushing and drilling for you (like what I have for my kids), then choose a more popular school with track record. I actually love the tons of homework given bc that means my kids are sufficiently occupied without tuition or any other topups I need to plan for them in the academic sense. I can shake legs and leave it to the school to drill.
Cos there are some 2CS neighborhood schools that give tons of hw, yet the teachers do not mark properly nor go thru corrections thoroughly. And there are many popular branded schools where the teachers do nothing extra, because they know the parents are already paying for elite tuition outside. -
zac's mum\" post_id=\"2026066\" time=\"1622693944\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2026066 time=1622693944 user_id=53606]
For the clueless ones, start talking to older colleagues/friends/neighbours to find out? For the ones in this forum, roughly we should know which are the popular ones that have track records. Some years ago, I think some schools do reveal % of students getting above 250 or something or it was even populated in this forum if I don't remember wrongly.Imp75\" post_id=\"2026035\" time=\"1622680191\" user_id=\"2358:Mind sharing which are the popular schools with track record?
Cos there are some 2CS neighborhood schools that give tons of hw, yet the teachers do not mark properly nor go thru corrections thoroughly. And there are many popular branded schools where the teachers do nothing extra, because they know the parents are already paying for elite tuition outside. -
Hi fellow parents,
Looking for opinions and perhaps angles we have missed in this school picking dilemma.
Daughter born in 2016, torn between PLMGPS (I’m an alumni) (+ points: affiliation - points: location) and RVPS (husband is an old boy) (+ points: location - points: no affiliation)
On the housing front, we are looking for our new place and are torn between a CCR location for RVPS vs an outside CCR ‘suburbs’ region for PLMGPS.
We know the importance of living nearer to a school, as we do not want to tire her out with traveling time.
How do you guys decide? Hope to hear some thoughts, thanks everyone.
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