Drop one year in school - 2005 instead 2004 - your views
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Below are the answers to your quiry.
Do Returning Singaporeans have to sit for school-based entrance tests for admission to primary schools?
Previously, Returning Singaporeans seeking admission to primary schools had to sit for school-based entrance tests. However, under the current enhanced admission framework, Returning Singaporeans no longer have to sit for entrance tests for admission to primary schools. Nevertheless, primary schools may conduct test(s), after admission, to determine Returning Singaporeans’ mastery of content and language. This is to provide information on the children’s current attainment level, so that they receive the appropriate help to settle back into local schools. The schools may, based on such tests and in consultation with parents, place the children into a lower more suitable level.
What option is there if Returning Singaporeans are unable to keep up with the schools’ academic requirements?
Primary schools must admit Returning Singaporean children to their age-appropriate levels. This is because if the children had stayed in Singapore, they would have progressed to the same levels as their peers residing in Singapore. MOE’s policy intent is to ensure that Returning Singaporeans are not worse off than their peers in Singapore. However, primary schools may, in consultation with parents, place the children into a lower more suitable level
Can Returning Singaporeans be exempted from examinations?
As Returning Singaporeans rejoin Singapore schools at different times of the school year, parents may be concerned about the performance of their children in school examinations. In this regard, the Principals have the discretion to decide whether the pupils should be exempted from examinations and on their promotion to the next level on a case-by-case basis.
Can understand your worries, hope that the above answers gives you a guide to the schooling system in Singapore. There’s always room for discussion but the main issue is whether you are able to get a place in the school near where you are staying. -
slmkhoo:
Thank you for the many helpful advices and suggestions. I really appreciate the time taken to provide your comments and various view points on the subject.I am quite sure there shouldn't be a problem on the MOE side with your son dropping one year back since he is returning from overseas. You should still check with MOE to confirm this though. I think there is a general rule that a child should not be more than 2 years older than his classmates.
I don't have any personal experience to share but I think that as long as your child is not significantly more mature than his classmates (and you obviously don't think that is going to be the case), then there shouldn't be a problem.
The above comment does post a dilemma for me in terms of maturity and on how he will fit into his class in Singapore. From the many observations and interactions with my nieces, nephews and friends primary school kids in Singapore, I have come to the conclusion that my 7 year old son and his class will fit comfortable into a Singapore primary 4 class socially.
The Kiwi primary education has a very robust curriculum on the social front. There is no hair or dress code. Children in NZ start primary school on their birthday when they turn 5 years old (I heard that NZ is the only country in the world that have such an enrollment policy). Such policy makes the school child friendly and my son primary school has 420 pupils and 23 different nationalities represented in the enrollment -- you would think that the Principal and his staff would be rushed off their feet. Yet, I consistently see the Principal on the school zebra crossing at least twice a week with a raised red flag supervising the children crossing. The school has a care free air about them and a reminder from the school Principal on the school newsletter states that “If my door is open, I am available for a chat”. Each new child entering school on their birthday is celebrated during the school weekly assembly. The assembly itself is open to the parents and caregivers and is conducted like a music concert with individual and group presentation from the various classes. To view some of the school assembly, you could lock into my 7 years old son Facebook - public/fan page under the name “Jayden TJ”. He plays the bass guitar in the school band. Primary schools also view basic cooking, music and other life and social skills as essential learning block hence on why I feel he will be beyond his peers in terms of maturity in Singapore if he attends the class of 2004.
On the academic front the average NZ primary school would be behind a year and in some school two years behind Singapore. Since children start primary school on their birthday when they reach 5 years of age, teachers need to keep track of each child’s academic progress and level of competency on any subject considering that the children trickle into school throughout the first year in school. Needless to say they will be disruption with each new child attending class. The teacher and the whole class need to embrace the new kid and make the child welcome and help him/her settle into the new class hence the emphasize on character building is placed above academic excellence on the first 4/5 years of their school life. The school theme, mission statement and activities all reflect the school value.
It is ok if we continue in NZ unfortunately my son have to come with us to Singapore and his worth will be judged by his grades and I am thinking that if I drop a year, he could have a more level playing ground to gain the necessary grades without the stress. I am hoping that will be the right direction...... :? -
slmkhoo:
Thank you for sharing your experience with me. I agree that the general ‘newness’ can be overwhelming. We try to engage it with a positive attitude and will definitely get hold of some Singapore primary 2 math’s book to keep up with Singapore and thank you for the very valid advice. We hope a drop in grade and keeping him on top of the class would give him more time to enjoy the other opportunities and activities that Singapore can offer to young person like my son.SingDadNZ:
It is ok if we continue in NZ unfortunately my son have to come with us to Singapore and his worth will be judged by his grades and I am thinking that if I drop a year, he could have a more level playing ground to gain the necessary grades without the stress. I am hoping that will be the right direction...... :?
I don't think you can avoid stress in switching school systems, countries etc, but you can try to reduce it. Whatever grade you decide on, you could also try to minimise the stress by covering some of the Math and Science topics of the previous year in advance, ie. if you decide to put him in P4, then cover the P3 topics. Those 2 subjects are the most content-rich and less easy to catch up quickly. Just compare with what he already knows and do the bits that he hasn't learned. My 2 kids have been educated mostly overseas, but have been inserted into Singapore school 3 times so far for short periods in grades ranging from P2 to Sec 2, and that is what I have done each time. I find that the main stress is not academic, but social and general 'newness'. -
Hi! Just to share my niece and nephew's case. They are twins. Born premature at 35weeks in late december many years back. In terms of build, they were a little smaller than an average kid but by the time they were 8, they caught up. In terms of academic performances, it was never a problem - a check with the parents and the children confirmed this. In fact, now the twins are in their teens are doing ip (see here for more info on ip: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Programme).
You know your child better but I just thought I would share with you a true case where the odds were stacked against a pair of babies in their earlier lives but they blossomed well into their childhood and teenage. -
[quote=\"Imami\"]Hi! Just to share my niece and nephew's case. They are twins. Born premature at 35weeks in late december many years back. In terms of build, they were a little smaller than an average kid but by the time they were 8, they caught up. In terms of academic performances, it was never a problem - a check with the parents and the children confirmed this. In fact, now the twins are in their teens are doing ip (see here for more info on ip: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Programme).
Hi, Thank you for sharing and taking the time to write. It is rather a long response from me as I put some of my fears of moving to Singapore, challenges the family will meet and the aspirations and hopes we have for Singapore into this mail.
Like your niece and nephew, my son was also born as a premature (1.5 Kg) at 29 weeks and spends two and half months in the Hospital in Wellington (NZ). It is by God’s grace and to great doctors that he survived without any mental or physical problems. The hospital keeps a close tab on his mental state and each year the parents and the school need to fill out all necessary forms on his state of mind until he reach 21 years of age and that includes an annual medical check up until 6 years of age. Physically he is above average to his peers due to his mother’s militant style of daily breakfast which consists of plenty of milk, yogurt and weet-bix and supervised lunch and dinner. Active outdoor sports were also a big help to his physical growth. If you are not milking your cow or grazing your sheep, then most kiwi families spend their evenings and weekends on sporting and leisure family activities. This is also partly due to lack of large shopping malls and mega entertainment centers. My son spends most of his time chasing his dog around the park, playing golf (child membership is $175 per year), playing ice hockey ($70 per term) and on other social and church activities including busking on the streets of Dunedin. When we arrive in Singapore, we want to maintain a certain level of physical and social activities. This plan may have to be in the back burner until we find a job and housing.
In terms of academic performance, it has never been a problem thus far as my son had projected that he has an average IQ of a normal child. The NZ MOE encourage parents to start early childhood education at age 3 by paying for 20 hours per week of the school fee till the child turn 5 years old. My son attended a Montessori school from age 3 for 40 hours a week until he went to a state school at age 5. State school runs from 9am to 3 pm on a class size of 21 to 26 students per class and lower primary classes have an assistant teacher. Kiwi children do spend a lot of time in school learning something as they don’t seems to bring home any home work. The MOE works on a partnership with you rather then a “Me chief and you subordinate” or on the mantra that “I know what is best for you”. As parents we have a partnership with the school. We knew all the teachers and like many other parents we get involved with the school and assist any way possible whether assisting the teacher in the class room or at the zebra crossing. School is so much fun for us as for our son and we look forward to it everyday.
I do travel back to Singapore every year and last year I came 4 times and this year twice. I keep tap of what is happening at the primary school and read the concerns on the Kiasu parents. I attended several “school open days “for prospect students of primary one. There seems a general fear from parents pertaining to which school their children attend and many put the principal on a pedestal of a God and observe the rule “do not speak unless spoken to”. This is the second year I had postponed my relocation back to Singapore as I am afraid that the school system in Singapore will kill the natural curiosity of my child to learn and replaced it with the fear of failing and anything below “A” and you will be banish to a second grade school with second grade teachers and attend class with losers. Nothing I saw or heard on the “school open day” relieved me of my fear.
The current school system in Singapore does not seem to encourage creativity, social interaction, music, entrepreneurial ship for the young or celebrate achievements outside school grades. I am convinced that with globalization and the world as your market place,
academic excellence alone is not sufficient to make you a useful, contributing citizen neither does it offer you a guarantee to happiness.
I know Singapore MOE has been tinkering with the university and secondary education and have done an excellent job in introducing IP and creating specialized secondary school but the primary school takes too many casualties and take the fun out of learning and reinforce the wrong notion that you are great child only if you have “A” for Math’s second language, science and English. I prefer my son to spend the minimum time as possible in the Singapore primary school and just sit for primary 5/6 exam to be admitted into SOTA as I favor the merits of an IP and music education.
On the music front the MOE in NZ also funds a subsidized “Saturday Music school” program every Saturday at the cost $ 80 per instrument per year open to age 3 to 11 and your child can learn as many instruments as they want depending on the child ability. The “Saturday Music School” is 80 years old in Dunedin and founded on the notion that music is a fundamental learning block for child development and if started early, a child will pick an instrument for his pleasure and amusement and will learn to play it. Through this program my son plays several instruments and he seems to be enjoying them. He started music appreciation at age 3 to age 5 and even we enjoyed hitting empty cans and clapping our hands to a beat of “ring a round the roses”. You could catch some of his act on his public face book fan-page under < Jayden TJ > The “music language” has no age barrier and seems to bring different ages together. Like my son, musicians seem to know how to entertain themselves and others and a confident lot.
My son will visit his grand parents in December and he advertised on the Kiasu forum under “happening” & “music and drama” section for a busking buddy, age below 10, to busk the streets of Singapore this December 2012 and not one curious enquire was received even though he mentioned that he earned more then $20,000 last year as a musician in NZ. The advertisement had nearly 400 hits yet no application. I could not figure out the reason as the partnership could make a jolly rewarding Christmas for the busking buddy and the audience. Again, I contribute this lack of response to the short coming of the primary education system in Singapore. They could not produce well rounded confident students as they have taken away the curiosity/fun of the natural child.
Well, I have said what I wanted to say. I still need to find a job, buy a car, and find a place to live when I hit Singapore. You can see I have my own problems. Cheers -
Really curious to know
Why, oh, why do you want to come to Singapore? -
Sun_2010:
Sun_2010, he mentioned in the first post, coming back to aging parents.Really curious to know
Why, oh, why do you want to come to Singapore?
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