"branded" sch vs neighbourhood sch

[Angelight]

Hi chenonceau,


Thks for enlightening me, now I understand! :celebrate:

Your mention that for primary school, the most impt thing is school mgtment. Hmmm...I will seriously look into this and do my own investigation. But I think I can guess which pri schools you refering to (may not be accurate though).

Chenonceau:

Angelight:

Btw, what do you mean when you say \"elite schools dont matter in primary, only secondary\"? If that is the case, why are all the parents so kiasu and kan cheong when it comes to primary school registration? :?

Secondary elite schools collect students with the best abilities. These students compete with each other and help each other to be better. These students build lifelong friendships that will help them in later life. It helps to be friends since teenage with people who are CEOs of this and that... or Perm Sec this or that. Schools are also able to provide high quality accelerated talent development programs when they have collected enough of a critical mass of high ability students. RI/RGS both have math acceleration class, humanities acceleration class etc... There are enough students to warrant the creation of such a class.

A neighbourhood secondary school may have maybe 3 students gifted in math... how to create a class?

Most parents go for brand name primary schools without looking at school management. There are at least TWO brand name primary schools that are AWFUL because they had dinosaurs in management. People who didn't even carry handphones. This sort of management damages teacher's morale, and when teachers are unhappy, your child will be poorly educated.

In primary school, the important thing is school management. And that changes. So... to choose a good school, talk to the teachers... walk through the school... get a feel of the Principal's values. How long has he/she been there? Evaluate the facilities, the pedagogy, the school's initiatives, the school's PSLE results, look for happy teachers who love kids. These are real markers of a quality education. NOT fame and branding.

Certainly, some branded primary schools are really good on all the criteria above... but not all are. So look at the fundamentals, not at the name. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

[Mum1113]

janet_lee88:

My son started carrying a simple handphone when he started remedial last year...he's still carrying that same hp but now eyeing a better model...but I am against iphone although he told me his classmates are carrying parents' 3GS.


How to reach those people if they don't carry handphone ?

umm Janet better to start separate thread...else :offtopic: ....

[Chenonceau]

KSP:

janet_lee88:

[quote=\"KSP\"]
If the parents are old boy/girl of an elite pri sch it is almost certain to get a place there.

By putting your child there your grandchildren will have the advantage over others as well (provided the system remain unchanged).

Yup, if this Phase 2A system doesn't change, then our grandchildren will get to enjoy the privilege of extending the 'legacy' of going to the schools their daddy and mummy once attended.

Yes. the message I'm trying to put across if one can put the child in an elite school should go for it. I mean this is a no lose situation, why not? Or the parent can do PV to enhance the chances. There is no point buying a multi-million house just to let the child get into the school unless the parents can afford it. No point getting youselves in heavy debt. Property can go up and can come down too. There is no gaurentee that the child will be an elite after 6yrs there. Moreover they will have their own friends, family and thinking when they grown up. I'm not saying we should not care for their education. But do it within our limits.[/quote]It isn't a no-lose.

You lose your kids. You lose one generation. You put them there thinking they will be well-educated but they aren't. You maintain the chance to put your grandchildren in a brand name... It's only a name. I would rather have successful kids in neighbourhood schools that are on the ball than stick my kids into a underperforming brand name school and compromise their chances of getting into RI/RGS/NYGH/HCI.

What parents found in the year my daughter and her friends took her PSLE is that the school is not as loyal as it makes itself out to be. Girls who were desperate to stay in the school were told to leave... and many of these girls were bright. I know a few very smart ones. I trusted the school, and they did such bad job with The Daughter and her friends, and when it came to PSLE, the school chopped away 2 out of 7 classes so that the cut-off at secondary level still looked good.

A good analogy is that the present value of money is not the same as the future value of money. How many \"brand-name\" schools from 20 years ago are still reputable today? How many not so good schools are coming up fast?

Our children are educated TODAY, by the quality of the teachers TODAY. If it isn't happening TODAY, you lose your kids. It isn't a no-lose. You lose your kids. And for what? For a name? For a chance that may never happen in the future? Maybe in 10 years time, the affiliations will be cut... Too many girls in my daughter's cohort are today in poly. Those who make it (and there are too few given the fame of the name) had teams of Tutors. They didn't have to go to school.

My daughter was scoring in the bottom 25% of her year and I quit full-time work to coach her. In 6 months, she went to the top. If the school were doing its job, how do you explain the fact that she was underperforming?

You trust a brand... hire tutors to support the brand... is it worth it? My advice is still to examine school fundamentals... whichever the school may be.

[enne]

Chenonceau: tats very bad!!

cant imgaine that… how did the girls cope then?

[Angelight]

KSP, I'm not from an elite pri school, so phase 2A is out for DD. We can apply thru phase 2B but not staying within 1km to the hugely popular elite school so still need to ballot. Hence my dilemna about whether or not to move house. PV is out cos that is phase 2C.

KSP:

Angelight:

I'm currently in a dilemna whether to send my DD to an elite or neighborhood primary school.

If the parents are old boy/girl of an elite pri sch it is almost certain to get a place there.

By putting your child there your grandchildren will have the advantage over others as well (provided the system remain unchanged).

[Chenonceau]

enne:

Chenonceau: tats very bad!!

cant imgaine that.. how did the girls cope then?

Some powerful person whose daughter got chopped found a way to remove the dinosaur. Now, a powerful person = smart person with high IQ. Why would daughter of high IQ person get chopped if the school had been duly diligent? After all, parent IQ is the strongest predictor of child IQ.

[sleepy]

Angelight:

Hi sleepy, which are the elite schools in HDB estates? Any in the north-east areas?

sleepy:

How about elite school in HDB estate?
Won't be snobbish la. Many students residing in that neighbourhood

For example, Tao Nan is in Marine Parade, Ai Tong in Bishan, Nan Hua in Clementi. All these top schools are in HDB estate.

RGS and Nanyang are in prime district (surrounded by landed properties or expensive private propertes) so I suppose you wouldn't go for these.

Not familar with North East le. Where's NE? Sengkang area?

[KSP]

Mum1113:

janet_lee88:

Hi Mum1113/Chenonceau,

Not all kids carry handphone lah...that doesn't mean they are dinosaurs...but if adults don't carry one, then I think they are. HaHaHa.

Janet, then they belong to MARS....need 'telepathy' can alreadi ...haha :rotflmao: ..... ...no offense again

I mean joke aside.

One need to really find out why the school management don't carry hp. It is really rare for ppl who don't carry hp nowadays. I would presume the school management here are referring to P, VP, OM, AM and all HODs. If these ppl don't have hp then how their bosses contact them? Bosses here also refer to the higher management level station in MOE. How their friends, relatives and families members contact them? How they live without hp after school hours and weekends?

Maybe they have but not willing to give their number to parents for some reasons. To avoid being the target channel for complains or not to be distracted during lessons. Or the school managementl has an unwritten rule that not to give parents their hp number as all feedback and complains should go to a proper channel.

Bottomline is that is very hard for me to believe working professionals don't carry hp in today's world.

[DesertWind]

Chenonceau:

:rotflmao: It's ok to be a dino if you're still drinking Milo (and not in management). :rotflmao:

Wah so jia-lat strong words. Next thing I know, you will be calling me a dino too because in my office, I am the only one (out of 8 in mgt) without a blackberry. I actually asked my boss whether I should get one so as not to be \"left-out\". He asked me back why do I need one? It is so small and cannot read Excel and stuff, such a hassle! :?

Heh, heh, so I escaped without having to carry a blackberry.

But I should be excused because I am drinking Milo everyday!
:rotflmao:

[KSP]

Chenonceau:

My daughter was scoring in the bottom 25% of her year and I quit full-time work to coach her. In 6 months, she went to the top. If the school were doing its job, how do you explain the fact that she was underperforming?

Do you think the situation would be different if you had put her in neighbourhood school?

I always believe that putting the child in an elite school is only the beginning. Parents still have to do their part.