Pat's Schoolhouse

[Kabby]

Actually many of us reading this thread did not take \"happychildren\" very seriously. When I read the post, I was kind of skeptical too.


My son enjoys himself a lot. His center is not affected, so I didn't get to see all the touching scenes of teachers sacrificing themselves. In my son's 2 years there, I have not met Pat Koh herself, but I think most parents are reasonable and as I mentioned before, I wouldn't blame the school for selecting this caterer either since the website points it out to really have a track record..

Most of us don't blame her for this incident. I think Pat has answered really well and shows that she cares. It's great she came in to reply.

In a public forum, where there is anonymity (to a certain extent), a lot of people will say what they want. I have been the victim of nastiness as well. We can explain and move on, hope that the dissenters are convinced, don't take it too much to heart.

Can understand how upset you are, \"unkiasu\", I was once really upset with some people online too. Good that you spoke up as well.

[zeezzen]

I was thinking of sending my kid to pat… will be going for visits next week… can any mummies recommend which branch is good?

[fluffy28]

Hi Zeezzen


Personally I would choose a centre that is convenient for you.
My girl had attended Pat’s Buckley and Claymore some years ago
while my sons are presently attending Pat’s Whitley and Baby Haven.
I am very pleased with these centres.

[patkoh]

Hi Verykiasu2010,


Thank you for your sincere wishes. We do appreciate the support and understanding from our parents and friends in times like these.

We all know that no one wants a crisis like this to occur, but we all know that when it hits us, we need more encouragement and prayers than finger pointing.

We are truly glad that most of the children and teachers have recovered from this ordeal and we have sailed this storm together, and made it through the strong waves that hit us so quickly and suddenly.

We couldn’t have done it without the resilient children, and the support of our parents, teachers and Principals. We are grateful to all.


Aside to all,

Thanks to all who have spoken up on my behalf and that of Pat’s Schoolhouse – made more heartfelt because you have spoken from the basis of your experiences with us. Your wishes and kind words are treasured. I will share them with the principals and teachers as well.

Sincerely,

Patricia Koh

[Jworld]

I went thru the recent posts in this thread. I must say I am most impressed and touched by Patricia Koh’s committment by making an effort to engage concerned parents here. Even though I may not be sending my kids to PATS (due to some distance issues and personal preference), I will encourage parents to send their kids there. I have friends who have already registered or planned for their kids to enter PATS next term/year. If I see them, I will encourage them to stick to this plan as I am confident that the management has learnt from this and they will take all measures to prevent recurrence of such unfortunate incident. Hence, I believe from this point onwards, preparation of kids’ meals will go through very regular and careful QC.


Last but not least, I wish all the affected kids and teachers speedy recovery.

[Un-Kiasu Singaporean]

To Fluffy28 & kabalevksy. Thanks for supporting me in my support of Pat Koh. I really don’t agree with all the naysayers coming here and blasting baseless accusations at her just because of the guise of anonymity. I mean the real issue here is yes a grave mistake was made and the consequences were serious but has there been a repeat? What has the management done to rectify/prevent a recurrence? I mean take our government for example. Votes went down and so they decided to do a post-mortem of the whole situation.

Hopefully we will see the integrity in wanting to change not just putting on a ‘wayang’ to appease people in the heat of the moment.

Likewise, every business is out to make profits whether it is educational or retail…If not, it might as well be a charitable organisation. The main reason that a business is successful is because of the organization’s reputation and integrity. Do people trust and believe in the service that you provide? I mean if Pat Koh had no integrity and just does what she’s doing now for PR to save the company’s image, time will tell. Something major on this scale is bound to happen again and then everyone can judge and these naysayers will then have the last laugh.

But if Pat Koh really is honest and committed to the Pat’s Schoolhouse kids as we all know she is, this adversity will only make their organisation more resilient. I’m sure that her and her entire Operations team have endured enough sleepless nights about this unfortunate incident and done everything humanly possible to rectify it so we should really try and forgive them as our kids got better. I mean her staff, teachers and her grandkids were also affected so it couldn’t have been easy…

[Un-Kiasu Singaporean]

To @zeezzen Have you considered their new Tanglin branch? It’s pretty good from what I observe. They have a Powerhouse team there…stable and able management. The Music teacher handles the kids really well and they seem to have so much fun with her in the mornings. You should also take a look when they open up the enormous parachute thing that most Pat’s branches have. You see the joy on the children’s faces. How do I know? Pat’s Tanglin’s music studio is outside the school building and is made entirely of glass so you can see in. Also the branch is very spacious and being new, everything is new and modern, just the way I like it. That said, each branch is unique in its own way. It really depends on your personal preference. Whether you like the outdoor and indoor environment of that branch, the learning schedule/curriculum, the vibes you get from the staff, children and other parents. Use your own powers of observation. Don’t rely on hearsay. Pat Koh has provided a checklist about the right preschool for your child on their pat schoolhouse website. Why not make use of it to evaluate their centres and see if you and your child like it. That’s the best way. Remember you are the best judge…Go with your instincts. If you feel comfortable, at ease it is probably the right decision. If you feel uneasy or have doubts, trust your instincts and find out why these red flags have suddenly appeared.

[zeezzen]

Thanks Un-Kiasu Singaporean! Will definitely visit Tanglin, though its further away from my place... Halifax will be the best choice but its full! Going to visit Halifax tomorrow...

[Un-Kiasu Singaporean]

Yeah everyone wants to go to Halifax that’s why it’s full. The Principal of Halifax now heads the Tanglin branch so that’s why I chose Tanglin. Much more space, newer facilities

and great team. But all the best with your viewing appointment tomorrow…Looks like you might end up at Tanglin since Halifax is full. I’d rather be in a branch than on the wait list…Good Luck!

[empressplace]

Thanks to Mrs Patricia Koh for making the effort to explain.


On the issue of class ratio, it is not the MCYS recommended class ratio I was referring to. On PSH’s website, the nursery class ratio is 1:8 which, to me, means a maximum class size of 16 (for 2 teachers). However, a nursery class could exceed 16. I have spoken to a few PSH personnel (staff and management) on this point but the impression I have is that the ratio stated on the website is just a guideline. Subsequently I got busy and did not pursue this point any further.