Bukit Timah Primary

[davincci46]

Hi good to hear that. My DS childcare will have 2 classmates joining him too next year at least he has some companion there for the start.

[Scary]

sagacious.sg:

huaywenandkenneth:

Yes. Many come in through the last day of 2C, or during 2C supp, when they are balloted out of their choice school or they are not SC/PR I think. Judging from the \"hot\" nearby battlegrounds, this scenario is likely to repeat itself.


I am also a little worried about the PSLE results last year. Top student's score was not too impressive to me (26something...) but I think things may change as we move along. What was good a few years ago may not be good now, or may get better; and vice versa. Keeping tab on this year's PSLE results again...

Actually 26 something in PSLE is already very good. If my children can get 250 and above I ll be pleased already. If all the top students decide to transfer out after P3 for GEP, then the results will likely stagnate. Perhaps the school can think about how to stem the \"brain-drain\" of these top students.

Frankly speaking, if boys score between 250-255, hard to get into a top school though the scores are fantastic. If you look at the COP of many good school, is >255. Sigh.. .For girls, at least can try SCGS, MGS, Cresent, etc.

[gvyong]

BTPS needs to host or develop its own in-house GEP programme if it wants to retain its cohort of P3 top students who transfer out. Otherwise, it’ll just be a halfway house for those parents who failed to get into the hot schools in Bukit Timah at P1, and continue to be eclipsed by schools stronger identities in the area - PEPS, Keming, St Anthony & BPPS. BTPS (started 1959) is as old as PEPS and BPPS, and has potential to become another HPPS (ironically only started 1977), if only it had just a single GEP class!

[Publica]

gvyong:

BTPS needs to host or develop its own in-house GEP programme if it wants to retain its cohort of P3 top students who transfer out. Otherwise, it'll just be a halfway house for those parents who failed to get into the hot schools in Bukit Timah at P1, and continue to be eclipsed by schools stronger identities in the area - PEPS, Keming, St Anthony & BPPS. BTPS (started 1959) is as old as PEPS and BPPS, and has potential to become another HPPS (ironically only started 1977), if only it had just a single GEP class!

4 years ago, the school indeed tried to have its own in-house Talent Development Programme. However, it was not carried out eventually maybe due to lack of resources.
DS graduated from BTPS last year. The cohort started with 270 students and were left with under 200 students by P6. They did not merely lost the GEP students. In fact, many others transferred to other popular schools in Bukit Timah area.
They had a unique batch of students, there was no consistent top scorer. Neither was there an all rounder who was equally good in all 4 subjects. In fact, no one could tell who the top scorer for that cohort will be till the PSLE results were announced. Of course the subject that brought most down including the top class was Chinese. Although the top score was not impressive, the cohort did pretty well and a number made it to top schools like RGS, NYGH, Hwa Chong, Victoria, NJC, MGS, RV and ACSI. There were many others who made it to SJI, Nan Hwa and BPGH. A handful were also successful in DSA to NUSH and SST.

[huaywenandkenneth]

It sounds like the cohort is pretty homogeneous in a sense - looking at it positively everyone is kind of equally \"good\". So it is reassuring that btps graduands do get to top sec schools


I realized btps does not have HODs in many depts. Perhaps this is holding them back. Without the middle management it is not easy to get things done, or results tracked. There are level heads and subject heads, but it's not the same. Somehow it reminds me of another thread where someone suggests that the HODs from good schools can be rotated to other schools, and it can well be applicable to btps. But of course, it is a very simplistic way of looking at things.

I am sure if there is one core batch of high performing Psle students, things will be different.

[davincci46]

I guess we all should continue to feedback to the school principal, vice principal and teachers about this or the school will be getting no where after so many years and is just a halfway house for those top students like what gvyong mentioned. I will do that during my DS orientation in Nov

[davincci46]

Still got 33 vacancy for phase 3… 1 class to fill up

[gvyong]

davincci46:

Still got 33 vacancy for phase 3... 1 class to fill up

And no takers because the savvy Bt Timah SC residents (not savvy will not live in Bt Timah liao :evil: ) would rather send their DSs and DDs to Monfort Junior or Canossa Convent..

BTPS? Stamford? Balestier Hill? :siam:

But once announced BTPS to have GEP, all the alumni & area residents will :rahrah:

[sagacious.04440sg]

gvyong:

davincci46:

Still got 33 vacancy for phase 3... 1 class to fill up

And no takers because the savvy Bt Timah SC residents (not savvy will not live in Bt Timah liao :evil: ) would rather send their DSs and DDs to Monfort Junior or Canossa Convent..

BTPS? Stamford? Balestier Hill? :siam:

But once announced BTPS to have GEP, all the alumni & area residents will :rahrah:

Montfort junior better than Btps? In what ways?

[huaywenandkenneth]

The 33 spaces likely to be taken up by non SC non PR, or PR who didn’t have a chance to register. But may not be 100% filled up, unless it also includes those who have been balloted out at phase 2cs elsewhere. I wouldn’t be too concerned about the number.


I am curious about the preference to Montfort jr. These schools are not geographically near btps or where i stay, and I would never think of sending my children there, as they would spend unnecessary time travelling and I would rather they have enough sleep in the morning. Right now it’s only a 7 min drive to btps every morning and I am happy with it.

I posted sometime last year (or even earlier?) that it is unfortunate that btps is in a belt of top league schools and not a first choice school for many. If it had been located elsewhere it might have been a better received school. Not likely for MOE to extend the GEP programme to other pr schools.