Choosing and Evaluating Primary Schools
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My husband is an alumnus of Henry Park Primary school and that means we are eligible for phase 2A1. However distance is a concern as we stay near Ang Mo Kio. The nearest school to us is Anderson Primary( within 1km).Past balloting history was for those between 1-2km. Am in a dilemma to send boy to HPPS since its Phase 2A1 or choose a nearer school but phase 2C( no one can be sure that there is no balloting besides relying on past history).
Any advice/comments? :?: -
choclemongrass:
AMK by school bus to HPPS isn't that far, early morning traffic not too bad, typical route is Upper Thomson / Lornie / Adam / Holland; or Upper Thomson / Lornie / PIE / Eng Neo / 6th AveMy husband is an alumnus of Henry Park Primary school and that means we are eligible for phase 2A1. However distance is a concern as we stay near Ang Mo Kio. The nearest school to us is Anderson Primary( within 1km).Past balloting history was for those between 1-2km. Am in a dilemma to send boy to HPPS since its Phase 2A1 or choose a nearer school but phase 2C( no one can be sure that there is no balloting besides relying on past history).
Any advice/comments? :?:
plenty of property choices around HPPS, HDB 3/4/5/Exec, condo, landed, and GCB -
Halo… I’m having headache over choosing a primary school for my daughter… Need some opinion from you.
See, we staying at Tampines (don’t own a car, both of us working full time).
We’ll have to choose either a neighbourhood school or Tao Nan (located at Marine Parade-I was from Tao Nan). We either fall under Phase 2A(2) (Tao Nan) or Phase 2C (neighbourhood school).
If choosing a Neighbourhood schools -
1. Gongshang - very popular and not near my place (need to take a school bus)
2. Chong Zheng - very near our place but afraid not much vacancies left when reach Phase 2C.
3. YuMin- very near our place, not popular but high chance to have vacancies at Phase 2C.
OR
If choose Tao Nan (located at Marine Parade)-
- high chance to get in but need to take school bus from Tampines to school. Not forgetting if there’s CCA after school then no one is able to bring her back from school.
Parents, please help to give your opinion urgently. Thanks!! -
rookiedad:
Halo... I'm having headache over choosing a primary school for my daughter... Need some opinion from you....
since more certain to get in to Taonan, get it first and solve the transport logistic later. Sure can be solved. Either school bus of move house. Even if there is CCA, that is probably in Pri 4 and there should be school bus catering to CCA students as well - as in most schools have it -
rookiedad:
Halo... I'm having headache over choosing a primary school for my daughter... Need some opinion from you....
Hi rookiedad,
You didn't mention roughly how long the bus journey is from your place to Gongshang and is that school single or double session? Personally, I always believe that we shouldn't stress our children by making them travel so much. If the school starts in the morning, just imagine how early a P1 kid has to wake up in order to catch the school bus. Of course being kiasu, we want our kids to be in better schools and hopefully have a better learning environment, but let's not aggravate their difficult routine further.
I think Tao Nan should not be a consideration. I would suggest that you see if Gongshang can be worked out. If not, basically you are left with Yu min and Chong zheng which you can try the latter first.
Just my 2 cents worth. :lol: -
verykiasu2010:
It is indeed not too far, but the problem with school bus is that you might be the earliest ones to be picked up from your home, and the last ones to be dropped off.
AMK by school bus to HPPS isn't that far, early morning traffic not too bad, typical route is Upper Thomson / Lornie / Adam / Holland; or Upper Thomson / Lornie / PIE / Eng Neo / 6th Ave
plenty of property choices around HPPS, HDB 3/4/5/Exec, condo, landed, and GCB
If not for me sending her to school every morning (Bishan -> NYPS), my DD would be picked up by the school bus at 6am...meaning she will have to wake up around 5:30am! I would imagine choclemongrass's case will be worse since AMK to HPPS is further than Bishan to NYPS.
choclemongrass, will your child be taking school bus if he/she goes to HPPS? Perhaps you can find out from the bus operator the pick up/drop off time to help with your decision?
As for registration, it would certainly be good to first register with HPPS under 2A1 to chope a seat first. Then monitor the 2C situation in nearby schools to gauge whether you should take a chance with them. -
rookiedad:
hi...If choose Tao Nan (located at Marine Parade)-
- high chance to get in but need to take school bus from Tampines to school. Not forgetting if there’s CCA after school then no one is able to bring her back from school.
Parents, please help to give your opinion urgently. Thanks!!
There is Tao Nan school bus that travel to Tampines. You may want to call the bus operator and check with him on the timings to judge for yourself whether it is ok for your child. The school bus operators' details are in the post below.
And I do believe there are buses to cater to CCA & supplementary classes timings. I'm not sure about this since my DS does not take school bus.
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?p=46677#46677 -
I see that many parents fret over the potential school bus journey
why not do a trial run these few days and gauge the situation ? talk to the relevant school bus operators too …
and may be even try out the school bus journey yourself …lol
noted the getting up early part. but eventually all schools are supposed to be in single session anyway
need to get up early ? sleep earlier lor …
you are doing your kids a disservice if you can but did not get them into a SAP school. it is not as "pressure cooker" as is made out to be
even for popular school like some in the west - they are a worse pressure cooker than any SAP school due to the "self-imposed" kpi on the principal to prove his / her "ability" … piles and piles of homework for drilling the kids but doing it blindly … (what is the point ?)
i just asked my P6 boy last nite : has there being any point in time in the last 6 years where he feels too much work from school ? The answer is : Never. Some times they beg the teachers for more practices … (no, they are not gifted…) and most of the work are completed in school
I personally know of kids who travel from Pasir Ris / Jurong West extension to NYPS on a daily basis and there is no issue with school bus hours. Some adjustment to sleep / wake up hours are not too much. Children need to learn what is resilience too … -
I did heard of 2 separate daddies, one by taxi and one self-drive, tailed the school-bus to see the routes and timings. After that, one of them gave up idea taking school-bus and bought his wife a second-hand car.
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tankee:
I did heard of 2 separate daddies, one by taxi and one self-drive, tailed the school-bus to see the routes and timings. After that, one of them gave up idea taking school-bus and bought his wife a second-hand car.
u know, once i saw you ID as \"tang kee\" .... and recently i saw it as \"tao kee\" .......need to check my eye sight .... :offtopic:
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