Help in choosing Sec Sch

[Fluffy]

jedamum:

Dear all,

My boy is in P1. I am not being excessive kiasu, but only being practical.
As some of you regulars may have know, I am looking at buying a flat, be it new or resale. As we are currently staying with our In Laws, the attractive price of new flats are very...erm...attractive. And they are new too (no loanshark, shady past risk etc). But the only problem is that most releases are in Punggol/Sengkang area. As any new flats that I intend to book will take some 3-4yrs til completion, looking 5 yrs forward, I am interested to know if there are any decent secondary schools in or near/accessible to Punggol/Sengkang area. My 'expectations' on the 'PSLE' points ranges from 220-240.
Appreciate your feedback.
TQ.

Hi,

I understand your foward thinking strategy however don't worry too much about secondary school right now. You should focus on your love nest and make sure that its not too far away from your son's primary school so that he is not too tired travelling to and fro. In addition, do not set the PSLE score for him. Discuss with him about setting realistic goals for his tests and examination at every level. When your son is at the end of P4, he should be old enough to understand how PSLE score is attain. Therefore, engage him in setting the P5 and P6 goals and finally his PSLE score. Adjust over the years according to his ability but make sure he set a slightly higher goal each time. Hope it helps.

[jedamum]

csc:

Aim high and you will reach the stars - Nothing is impossible.

csc,
Thanks for the list!!
My and husband and I are in the 220-230 range, so we think our genes maybe max should be around that scores

daisyt:

What happen if you move to Punggol/Sengkang area and your child score very well, 260 and above and eligible to enter those top Sec schools ? What would be your plan ? :?

daisyt,
thanks for responding too! sometimes i think i think too much. :oops:
i told my boy if he can do so well as to get >260, i don't think the dad and me will mind driving him that extra distance halfway across Singapore to send him to school! :lol:

we are now only considering looking at Punggol cos it seems heartache paying so much to buy a resale old flat in a matured town.

[jedamum]

Fluffy:

You should focus on your love nest and make sure that its not too far away from your son's primary school so that he is not too tired travelling to and fro.

Thanks!
We are either looking at getting an expensive resale near to ds1's existing school, or looking at a BTO whose completion 'ties' in (or not too far off) with ds1's end of P6. Transferring of ds2's primary school is ok, as i think that the availability of secondary school is that more important as choice of secondary school is more crucial.

anyway...it's not easy to get a good queue no. for HDB's BTO launches! :stupid: and alot of my friends are treating their first home as a 'weekend' house, which is not we are looking to do.

[en107rn.01056yahoo.01056com.01056sg]

[quote]Hi jademum, you are really super kiasu ! Sounds to me like the modern generation 孟母. [/quote]
I was wondering what Jedamum is doing in the Secondary school thread (super kaypoh me :oops: ). Heee...now I know.

[westmom]

jedamum:

[ as i think that the availability of secondary school is that more important as choice of secondary school is more crucial.


.

Jedamum - you are not superkiasu in my opinion, just more far sighted . Yes, taking into account secondary school is crucial. I \"thought\" like you when choosing primary school - since I dont know how academically inclined or competitive my dd will be at the time of P1 registration, i have to do some probability analysis and our decision takes into account our target secondary school. I guess I heard too many moans and groans from P6 parents at that time - that they are \"stuck\" as their kids did not do well enough to achieve a PSLE score like 240 or 245 that can bring them to good schools. All sorts of reasons for below expectation results...not motivated enough la (though smart), nervous la, got period la, sick la..etc & therefore stuck! I know of one case who is a 250+ material but for some reason got 237 thereabt in the final PSLE. Mom was very upset. Not affiliated in any school, so therefore got posted to an ordinary neighbrhood sch.

[Fluffy]

westmom:

Jedamum - you are not superkiasu in my opinion, just more far sighted . Yes, taking into account secondary school is crucial. I \"thought\" like you when choosing primary school - since I dont know how academically inclined or competitive my dd will be at the time of P1 registration, i have to do some probability analysis and our decision takes into account our target secondary school. I guess I heard too many moans and groans from P6 parents at that time - that they are \"stuck\" as their kids did not do well enough to achieve a PSLE score like 240 or 245 that can bring them to good schools. All sorts of reasons for below expectation results...not motivated enough la (though smart), nervous la, got period la, sick la..etc & therefore stuck! I know of one case who is a 250+ material but for some reason got 237 thereabt in the final PSLE. Mom was very upset. Not affiliated in any school, so therefore got posted to an ordinary neighbrhood sch.

I agree it is important to be far sighted but at Primary 1 level, it is kind of difficult to guage even an approximate level of your child's PSLE score 6 years later. For parents who waited till P5 and P6 to analyse the choice of secondary schools would also be too late. If you are calculating your child's acheiveable PSLE score based on your school results in P5 and P6, it is important to understand the standard of the school's examination paper in comparison to top primary schools such as Nanyang, RGPS etc. Perhaps a good gauge is to get your child to attempt to answer other school papers from P5.

A reason why some parents choose pri schs with affliliated sec schs is to ensure that in the event their child did not perform as expected due to unforeseen reasons such as illness etc, they do not have to worry about choosing sec sch.

By the age of P3/P4, parents should start discussing with their child the choice of secondary school and their targets PSLE score. They must also understanding how the PSLE score is derived. Get a copy of the latest Secondary School Information Booklet and your child will have a better understanding of each sec school's academic performance, the min PSLE score, thier CCA and DSA's details. Explore with your child and review his/her academic goals half yearly. In addition, be reasonable with their ability and your expectation. Sometimes, we may also need to bring down their expectation like my daughter whom I feel set too high targets which could be very difficult to acheive especially if their efforts do not equate to their targets. Hence, it is good to have reality check with them. Peer influence is also very significant, as some students may have a more positive outlook or they may develop complacent attitude.

I hope by sharing my experience, parents can help their children earlier. We always hope for the best in our children but we must give them support and help whenever we can.

Blessed all \"Kiasu Parents\" including you and me! :xedfingers: