"branded" sch vs neighbourhood sch

[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.

[janet88]

It’s so sad that kids staying in diff parts of Singapore have different yardsticks of success. This social stratification is scary and ministers who serve a poorer ward as compared to another who is serving high end constituency have different ways of serving the community.

[verykiasu2010]

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.

the good MP should have quoted this ksp website as a source of info for anyone ks enough to find out more of what is hwere

[verykiasu2010]

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.

the good MP should have quoted this ksp website as a source of info for anyone ks enough to find out more of what is hwere

[janet88]

I am definitely for ‘branded’ school. My son is in a school where teachers and parents work together to bring out the best in the students.

The environment of a ‘branded’ school is different…maybe the kiasuism can be stressful but teachers do believe in teaching to their best and not assume their students have enrichment…so just blah blah blah.

[jtoh]

What would qualify as a ‘branded’ school?


Schools with traditionally strong PSLE results (neighbourhood or otherwise)?
Or schools with rich histories and traditions (eg. ACS, MGS, NYPS etc)?
Or GEP/SAP schools (eg. Tao Nan, RGPS, Rosyth etc)?

[janet88]

jtoh:

What would qualify as a 'branded' school?


Schools with traditionally strong PSLE results (neighbourhood or otherwise)?
Or schools with rich histories and traditions (eg. ACS, MGS, NYPS etc)?
Or GEP/SAP schools (eg. Tao Nan, RGPS, Rosyth etc)?

In my opinion, I think 'branded' schools would refer to those which you have heard before or would hear/see frequently...ACS, MGS, SCGS, NYPS, RGPS, Rosyth, Pei Hwa, Henry Park, Tao Nan, St Hilda, St Nicholas, Kong Hwa.

[Chenonceau]

janet_lee88:

jtoh:

What would qualify as a 'branded' school?


Schools with traditionally strong PSLE results (neighbourhood or otherwise)?
Or schools with rich histories and traditions (eg. ACS, MGS, NYPS etc)?
Or GEP/SAP schools (eg. Tao Nan, RGPS, Rosyth etc)?

In my opinion, I think 'branded' schools would refer to those which you have heard before or would hear/see frequently...ACS, MGS, SCGS, NYPS, RGPS, Rosyth, Pei Hwa, Henry Park, Tao Nan, St Hilda, St Nicholas, Kong Hwa.

The Daughter went to one in the list above. The teachers couldn't care less. Girls were driven to school in a DIFFERENT car each day, and the school expected that parents pick up the slack. The teachers were arrogant and unfriendly. Every question I asked was an imposition. Only when The Daughter began to win prizes were we treated with some modicum of respect. Needless to say, I did not send The Daughter back to the affiliated secondary school.

Little Boy is in an excellent neighbourhood school, not mentioned in the list above. Parents walk kids to school from the neighbouring HDB blocks. His form teacher actually calls whenever he is absent from school... and his teachers are kind and patient with my questions. And even in times when Little Boy did poorly, his teacher found time to encourage him and praise him for little things. This gave him strength to try even harder.

My friend's daughter was in one of the branded schools listed above. In P3 he pulled her out and transferred to a neighbourhood school. This was after the teacher called him up and told him \"Your daughter has this problem. YOU have to solve it.\" and he didn't know how because he can't teach, and his wife isn't very educated. His feedback to me was that the teachers in the neighbourhood school (his daughter is in now) try harder because they have no choice... parents in neighbourhood schools (unlike branded school parents) do depend more heavily on the schools to help children perform.

As a result, teachers in those schools feel more respected, feel that they make a difference and try harder. They don't assume that the kids have tuition. Anything branded comes with a certain amount of arrogance and hot air... and if we're not careful, we're paying a lot and sacrificing a lot for a lot of hot air.

Added to that, more than half of the students in The Daughter's class in a top secondary school (specially selected and handpicked for special training in a particular area) spent their childhoods in neighbourhood primary schools. Even though many many students from branded primary schools made it to the top school, the class with handpicked students had an over-representation of students from neighbourhood schools. The best of the best seem to come from neighbourhood schools eh?

I think branding is important in secondary (because you can only get in RI or HCI by good grades) and since one goes to school with other top students, iron sharpens iron. Branding at primary level could well bea lot of hot air (depending on the school).

It really depends on WHICH branded primary school and WHICH neighbourhood school.