2011 Request for Advice on Selecting Secondary Schools

[DadOfGirl]

Scary:

Niece in Sec 1 this year. SIL highly educated chose to put her in CGS vs SCGS/MGS etc though it's further due to the following reasons:

- CGS is one of the top non-SAP/GEP girls' school
- SCGS & MGS have affiliated prim schools. Thus the classmates/schoolmates will have known each other and have cliques. Don't want niece to be out of place.
- Most kids in SCGS/MGS have above average background and may not be so humble.
- Traffic along Bukit Timah vs Redhill (with MRT).

Spot-on observations. My DD studies in CGS -Sec2... We did not qualify for SCGS/MGS 2 years ago, but looking back CGS suited our middle class background. All Class mates were new & she had opportunity to make life-long friendships. She is on the way to become confident person.

Can't ask from more...Really good school

[DadOfGirl]

g131271:

Dear Parent, please advise which is the best school.

Cresent all the way. School runs most successful Tablet PC program & prepares you for life. Having not qualified for IP is \"blessing in disguise\". School has less time( 4 years) to leave mark on the students & it is doing good job at it. O - level results are best for non-SAP school( St. Nic is SAP school)

SCGS has a history. Elite back ground. Affliation keeps students friends for life-long, 'Balleria' & Art related CCA . I don't think it is a good idea to join at SEC1 ... you have to get there from P1.

My advice CGS prepares you for life... Most important years of schooling are very well spent.

[sall]

I attended the CGS open house last year and I was very impressed with the conduct of the girls, the programme offered. The location of sch is also very convenient, for me, just a short walk. But I didn't choose CGS for dd because she qualified for sch with higher COP and also, I want her to study in a mixed sch.

[Brenda10]

sall:

I attended the CGS open house last year and I was very impressed with the conduct of the girls, the programme offered. The location of sch is also very convenient, for me, just a short walk. But I didn't choose CGS for dd because I want her to study in a mixed sch.

Thank you for sharing. We are looking forward to their open house as this school is also not too far away from us.

[phtthp]

SCGS now IP with St Nick girls and Catholic High boys.


compare CGS with SCGS, seems like CGS stronger academically.
how about compare CGS with St. Nick, who stronger ?

[Pen88n]

phtthp:

SCGS now IP with St Nick girls and Catholic High boys.


compare CGS with SCGS, seems like CGS stronger academically.
how about compare CGS with St. Nick, who stronger ?

SCGS and St Nick's IP programme with CHS is only starting in 2013. It is not for the intake of 2012.

[DadOfGirl]

phtthp:

SCGS now IP with St Nick girls and Catholic High boys.


compare CGS with SCGS, seems like CGS stronger academically.
how about compare CGS with St. Nick, who stronger ?

St. Nick. has better O level results. But comparision is taking bit too far. St Nick is a SAP school ... you have to be very strong in Languages with HMT mandatory.

You can get by with average language skill in CGS

[phtthp]

for girls - seems like after NYGS and RGSS, the next top school is St Nick, followed by CGS, then SCGS, MGS and Cedar in this order ?

[jtoh]

phtthp:

for girls - seems like after NYGS and RGSS, the next top school is St Nick, followed by CGS, then SCGS, MGS and Cedar in this order ?

I don't think it's possible to list the top girls schools in a definite order because what criteria should we use? We can't compare RGS and NYGH to the others because they don't offer O levels, but based on COPs we can safely conclude that they are the top two girls schools.

Based on 2010 COPs, we can say the order is SCGS, MGS, SNGS, Cedar and lastly Crescent.

Based on O level results, I believe all are Tier 1 schools with students in the Top 34 O level scorers list.

It's better to look at value-added by the school and how the cohort performed as a whole rather than a few bright sparks who made it to the top scorer list. I would look at the cohort's PSLE results and how well the cohort fares at O levels. If a school takes in a girl who scored 200 at PSLE and is able to do well at O levels, that to me is a sign of a good school who is able to develop a child to her full potential.

[DadOfGirl]

jtoh:

phtthp:

for girls - seems like after NYGS and RGSS, the next top school is St Nick, followed by CGS, then SCGS, MGS and Cedar in this order ?

I don't think it's possible to list the top girls schools in a definite order because what criteria should we use

Based on 2010 COPs, we can say the order is SCGS, MGS, SNGS, Cedar and lastly Crescent.

.

If COP is used as criteria, you also have to look at no of affliated & non- afflliated students each school takes & calculate average PSLE score of typical students entering each school. Ofcourse these data is not available, but if you use these method, Order will be Cedar & Crescent then followed by MGS & SCGS. Both MGS , St. nick & SCGS takes students from respective primary at score of 220 , 213 & 200 respectively.

You also have to factor-in \"Independent' schools as their Fee is $250 per month against \"autonomous' which charge $13 month.