Choosing and Evaluating Primary Schools

[yunni]

Anyone know how River Valley Primary is doing in the recent years? Is it a good school, and was it’s PSLE result in last few years? Compared to Radin Mas, which is a better school academically?

[Falala]

dear kiasuparents, i am really stuck and hope to seek some advice. my girl is from a mixed marriage (chi/mly) and i intend to let her take malay as her mother tongue subject as i am able to guide her better. my husband’s chinese is half past six! i also wouldn’t want to rely on others to teach her mandarin. so we realised that the school nearest to us - pei chun don’t offer malay. so my next consideration is first toa payoh but i heard that the kids there are rough and wild? i am not sure how true… so hope that someone can shed some light on this. doesn’t help that my in-laws like to say that there are many malays in first toa payoh (i think they forgot that i am a malay…). but i saw the website, the videos from first toa payoh and i kinda like the vibes from the school as it feels very inclusive with kids of all races. appreciate if any parent can advise. thank you.

[ChiefKiasu]

Falala\" post_id=\"2058104\" time=\"1644463416\" user_id=\"189413:

dear kiasuparents, i am really stuck and hope to seek some advice. my girl is from a mixed marriage (chi/mly) and i intend to let her take malay as her mother tongue subject as i am able to guide her better. my husband's chinese is half past six! i also wouldn't want to rely on others to teach her mandarin. so we realised that the school nearest to us - pei chun don't offer malay. so my next consideration is first toa payoh but i heard that the kids there are rough and wild? i am not sure how true.. so hope that someone can shed some light on this. doesn't help that my in-laws like to say that there are many malays in first toa payoh (i think they forgot that i am a malay..). but i saw the website, the videos from first toa payoh and i kinda like the vibes from the school as it feels very inclusive with kids of all races. appreciate if any parent can advise. thank you.

It's too bad you are not considering Pei Chun as it is a wildly popular school which has been balloting in Phase 2C for those staying <1km most of the time at rates of 2:1 vacancies for the last few years. First Toa Payoh has not required balloting at all in any phase since 2006, so yes, it would be easy to get in. I'll leave it to other parents who know the school better to comment.

[zac's mum]

I’d think carefully about the MT language. Pei Chun students are not taking merely Chinese language but Higher Chinese at that. If hubby is not able to help, are the in-laws offering to help? If not, paid tuition is almost a certainty.


Is the child learning Chinese in preschool right now? Or Malay? If the former, how is she coping with it so far? I think you can gauge better yourself, whether can survive continuing with the language from P1 to Sec 4 (at least). I’m not sure if MOE will allow you to change her MTL (for exam purposes) halfway if change your mind.

[phtthp]

Falala\" post_id=\"2058104\" time=\"1644463416\" user_id=\"189413:

dear kiasuparents, i am really stuck and hope to seek some advice. my girl is from a mixed marriage (chi/mly) and i intend to let her take malay as her mother tongue subject as i am able to guide her better. my husband's chinese is half past six! i also wouldn't want to rely on others to teach her mandarin. so we realised that the school nearest to us - pei chun don't offer malay. so my next consideration is first toa payoh but i heard that the kids there are rough and wild? i am not sure how true.. so hope that someone can shed some light on this. doesn't help that my in-laws like to say that there are many malays in first toa payoh (i think they forgot that i am a malay..). but i saw the website, the videos from first toa payoh and i kinda like the vibes from the school as it feels very inclusive with kids of all races. appreciate if any parent can advise. thank you.

can go Cedar primary.

[Clsk]

I’m first time registering for p1 this year. Looking at both frontier and Westwood but couldn’t get much updated review.


Can anyone share some feedback/view of these 2 school? What should i take note? Both is within 1km under 2c phase.

[Smartiepants55]

Falala\" post_id=\"2058104\" time=\"1644463416\" user_id=\"189413:

dear kiasuparents, i am really stuck and hope to seek some advice. my girl is from a mixed marriage (chi/mly) and i intend to let her take malay as her mother tongue subject as i am able to guide her better. my husband's chinese is half past six! i also wouldn't want to rely on others to teach her mandarin. so we realised that the school nearest to us - pei chun don't offer malay. so my next consideration is first toa payoh but i heard that the kids there are rough and wild? i am not sure how true.. so hope that someone can shed some light on this. doesn't help that my in-laws like to say that there are many malays in first toa payoh (i think they forgot that i am a malay..). but i saw the website, the videos from first toa payoh and i kinda like the vibes from the school as it feels very inclusive with kids of all races. appreciate if any parent can advise. thank you.

Consider Kheng Cheng…

[floppy]

Falala\" post_id=\"2058104\" time=\"1644463416\" user_id=\"189413:

dear kiasuparents, i am really stuck and hope to seek some advice. my girl is from a mixed marriage (chi/mly) and i intend to let her take malay as her mother tongue subject as i am able to guide her better. my husband's chinese is half past six! i also wouldn't want to rely on others to teach her mandarin. so we realised that the school nearest to us - pei chun don't offer malay. so my next consideration is first toa payoh but i heard that the kids there are rough and wild? i am not sure how true.. so hope that someone can shed some light on this. doesn't help that my in-laws like to say that there are many malays in first toa payoh (i think they forgot that i am a malay..). but i saw the website, the videos from first toa payoh and i kinda like the vibes from the school as it feels very inclusive with kids of all races. appreciate if any parent can advise. thank you.

My 5cents:
1. As per zac's mum comment, Pei Chun is a SAP school. Therefore, P1 students start with Higher Chinese. If your kid is reasonably exposed to CL and is doing reasonably ok with CL in her preschool, shouldn't be a problem to continue (at least for P1 to P4).

2. As with most primary schools in Toa Payoh (except for PCPS and CHIJ TP), most of their students come from the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, First Toa Payoh has a disproportionately higher number of disadvantaged children; thus, their (probably unwarranted) reputation.

3. Lastly, I will pick Chinese over Malay, parents' language skills aside. An important aim of the education system is to imbue the child with an enduring core of competencies to thrive in the 21st century. Fortunately, or unfortunately, an important player in the 21st century is China. As a country that relies heavily on trade, we will, sooner or later, have to learn or understand Chinese in order to better appreciate or communicate with our major trading partner. With languages, it's always easier to start young (and for the Chinese language, that's even more so).

4. My personal preference would be Pei Chun - Kheng Cheng - First Toa Payoh. Assuming you don't want to take the balloting risk, you can consider Kheng Cheng over Pei Chun (may still ballot < 1km but will be lower risk).

[Aksz84]

Dear Parents,


Just a quick check. Any parents who kids are in Pathlight now and is intending to take Mother Tongue (Chinese) PSLE?

Wanna check is there and my recommendations on enrichment/tuition for learning Mother Tongue based on MOE curriculum?

My boy is in mainstream P1 now. But is in the progress of getting into Pathlight.

Thanks in advance!

[zac's mum]

Aksz84\" post_id=\"2063667\" time=\"1649204137\" user_id=\"150582:

Dear Parents,

Just a quick check. Any parents who kids are in Pathlight now and is intending to take Mother Tongue (Chinese) PSLE?

Wanna check is there and my recommendations on enrichment/tuition for learning Mother Tongue based on MOE curriculum?

My boy is in mainstream P1 now. But is in the progress of getting into Pathlight.

Thanks in advance!

I believe Pathlight students do not take MT lessons at all, neither do they sit for MT at PSLE. They will be assigned a MT grade based on their exemption.

https://www.pathlight.org.sg/programmes/primary-school