"branded" sch vs neighbourhood sch

[teh_oh]

Happy Mama:

Funz:

Those from branded school approached us speaking proper English with their proposals and objectives in place.

That's impressive! How I wish my DD will be able to express herself as well as them too, when she reaches Secondary school.

It can be highly possible that teachers in branded secondary school briefed/gave templates to their students as to what to do and what to expect of the assignment while teachers in neighbourhood secondary school let their students swim on their own.

[BeContented]

enne:

jennifer & titank,

thanks for your replies

reason i asked was DD is under phase 2A2 which i believe will be able to gain a place in rosyth but i'm not sure if i should just put her in some other neighbourhood school since we are residing in yck area.

sch bus is an alternative but we are just worried she might be too tired if she's to be picked up too early.. (we arent sure of the bus route as of now yet though)

Hi Enne,
For me, I am for the 'Branded'

I used to think it's not important and had sent my 2 kids to a neighbourhood pri sch. Year 2, I had some doubts, so applied to 2 better schools but turned down the offer. Year 3, no action. But come Year 4, I suddenly realised I need to think long-term ie. help them be old boy/girl in some good sch, instill more discipline & importantly, prepare them for more pressure/stress.

I managed to get the younger one into a much better school starting this year. I can already see the difference. Previously, she tends to be pretty relax, little homework (done also may not be collected promptly). When I probe for what she has learnt in school, she could not relate much, always telling me 'nothing much'. Although in the best class, I don't find her challenged and was getting a little complacent.
Now, I see many positive effects. She would come home asking/sharing with me....do you know who and what is this, why is this happening, why people celebrate this day, throw new words and phases at me etc. Very pleased with herself (so am I ;). She is motivated to do her work and is finally aware that there are BETTER and SMARTER kids around and she needs to work harder to stay on par. On the Teachers, they are definitely more ON, I see more work being marked by teachers, feedback notes on their composition and journals, work being collected etc. The kids are concerned about not handing in their work on time too. The only con, a lot more schoolwork and the difficulty level is higher. But it challenged the kids so dun complain lah. That's exactly why we send our kids to better school.....learn more, be more exposed.

So my opinion is, go for it. But should you really find that it's too much for your child, do what is appropriate for the child. Every child is different

[enne]

hi cwc, thanks for sharing ur experience with me!

it does help me a lot:)

[daisyt]

teh_oh:

Happy Mama:

[quote=\"Funz\"]Those from branded school approached us speaking proper English with their proposals and objectives in place.

That's impressive! How I wish my DD will be able to express herself as well as them too, when she reaches Secondary school.

It can be highly possible that teachers in branded secondary school briefed/gave templates to their students as to what to do and what to expect of the assignment while teachers in neighbourhood secondary school let their students swim on their own.[/quote]Templates? No no... They are being thrown into the pool to swim and float by themselves. If you face difficulties and shout for help, teachers would throw you a float. At least thats what my dd faced in her school and cca. I am surprised, being a quiet child in pri sch, she is being \"forced\" to speak up and speed up her learning process in sec now. I not sure how other not \"branded\" schools do.

[radiantmum]

My DS is in a neighbourhood school - did well enough in P1 to be accepted on waitlist from the 'branded' school but I eventually turned it down. At times I have the struggle too whether I am 'shortchanging' him. He is a happy kid, loves learning very much (confident & speaks well) and I do not see the teachers as \"less committed\" in his school at least. The main stark contrast I do agree btw the \"branded vs neighbourhood\" school is the parents. Family influence plays a major role in primary school kids. I believe DS will turn out well, no different from 'branded' kids (if there is any difference in the first place - & if there is, more due to family upbringing rather than the school's impact?). All things else aside, perhaps humility is a virtue to start off with as well. Not sure if I place too much faith in myself or my kid

[janet88]

radiantmum:

The main stark contrast I do agree btw the \"branded vs neighbourhood\" school is the parents. Family influence plays a major role in primary school kids. I believe DS will turn out well, no different from 'branded' kids (if there is any difference in the first place - & if there is, more due to family upbringing rather than the school's impact?). All things else aside, perhaps humility is a virtue to start off with as well. Not sure if I place too much faith in myself or my kid

For my son who is first-born, we didn't know anything about schools until we realized there is a school within walking distance...we decided to register him not knowing it is a HOT school. Then we got desperate.

I strongly believe in working hand in hand with the school to bring out the best in our kids. Regardless of whether school is branded or not, we still have to do our part and not expect principal and teachers to educate our kids.

[teh_oh]

I am for branded.

Branded schools has more resources/contacts to offer a wide variety of CCAs. (Most) Neighbourhood schools’ choices of CCAs are limited and the more interesting CCAs are only offered to a selected group of students.

[BeContented]

Yes, must work hand-in-hand. But sometimes, you simply cannot deny that kids will listen to the teachers more....guess probably gotta do with my staying-home and nagging them


We can repeatedly say something but it does not register at all. But the same stuff from the teacher has a different impact. Sigh.....as long as it gets registered, nevermind then.

Dunno if I'm being biased, but my experience with my 2 kids in 2 different schools really changed my mindset (my younger kid is just in a better school, I won't consider it branded). From resources, administration, teachers' committment, discipline, standard, up to parents etc.... the gap is there. Of course there are also good and better neighbourhood schools around.....

So, just make the decision that best fit your situation. I'm not sure how far is that branded school, but it will take a certain toll on the child. To be fair, mine is only an extra 10-15 mins further by car, so impact not that great.

[enne]

radiantmum, janet_lee88, teh_oh: thanks for the advices!!


radiantmum: i'm also worry abt 'shortchanging' her which is the cause of my delimma

cwc: distance is around 15 mins drive or faster if not much traffic
is just that in the event there's changes in schedule then i'm afraid might need to take school bus

but based on the advices i think more or less i already know what i shld do
once again really thanks a lot for all the advices
i will take note of all ur valuable advices

[Way2GO]

MP Sin Boon Ann plea in Budget 2011 debate:

FOR some children in Tampines Central constituency, the best hope in educational achievement is to do well enough to get into a polytechnic.

But for a child studying in a top school in Bukit Timah, this very outcome would probably be seen more as a failure than a success.

To Mr Sin Boon Ann, who is MP of the Tampines Central ward in Tampines GRC, this mismatch in aspiration is a worrying sign of social stratification starting to settle in.

Some children start off disadvantaged, he said in Parliament on Tuesday, and whether it's the quality of tuition their parents can afford, or the resources their neighbourhood primary school has, these differences follow them through life.

Mr Sin, who delivered an impassioned plea for more attention to be paid to the disparity between top schools and heartland schools, was one of three MPs during the second day of the Budget debate to flag social mobility as a concern.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_640164.html

Kudos to MP Sin for highlighting dis in parliament.
ALL children shd start from a level playing field, regardless of background.