optimistforum:

I don't see the point of out of school tutoring in Singapore; reason-being you have a plethora of wonderful assessment books (complete with model answers). That's all you need. My DC are testament to that. We use Singaporean assessment books and I do not feel the need to use a tutor. My functional literacy and numeracy has improved too (but can you telling from my spelling mistakes...I maen pselling msitkaes

Melodies:

P5 is English, you mean English grammar? I suppose it will be peanut for your DS1 since he is English! Open Cloze passage and Comprehension are the killing sections for most of the Children here in Singapore. BTW, for English, you can try RGPS, ACS, Methodist, SCGS & Cathodic High English exams papers.


One more question, are you trying to enroll your DS2 in Singapore primary school here soon?

optimistforum:

Hi Oxylea

Only P5 for English, he still struggles with P3/4 Conquering Cloze, and Maths only P3 Challenging Maths. He is not great at all.

optimistforum:

Hi Oxylea

Only P5 for English, he still struggles with P3/4 Conquering Cloze, and Maths only P3 Challenging Maths. He is not great at all.

optimistforum:

cherryc:

Hi,


After doing all the SIngapore assessment books, i guess your kids will excel in UK education system ??!! I really hope the day won't come for us to declare that there is no meritocracy in our schools !

What do you think of the merits and weakness of our system ?

What is the main difference in teaching for the private schools vs public secondary school ? If a child is really smart but lack of resources, will he/she still be able to go Cambridge/Oxford in UK??

I do not think that my kids will excel as I have have to force, cajole and offer inducements to get them to work. They prefer the Wii and TV anytime.

Merits of your system, seems most people are culturally predisposed towards a quality education. Please never lose that. Drawbacks, a lot of your learning seems rote based, and your quality education system is down to out of hours tutoring. Why can't they teach in schools what the tutors teach after school!!!

This touches on many raw nerves Optimistforum so much that we can't quite even have a decent debate about it, without drawing swords. And honestly, it is hard to see where those, who do not seem to want to change status quo, are coming from. I know that there are genuine concerns about the dumb down effect, like you've pointed out, but I find it highly unlikely that we will ever head that way. As it is, those far ahead seem to display extreme infuriation and appear offended even, at the mere mention of co-mingling children with different test band results, as they seem to see it as utterly unfair that the bright ones get slowed down. And we are talking about Pri School education here. Ah well.

My best friend's son is hopefully going to Oxford in the autumn. He needs two A* and one A. He gets 93 to 100% in his A Level assessments. You guessed right, it is not just an exam after two years but lots of mini assessments and resits. One person in 2010 resat 29 modules before he passed his A Level in Maths.

Only the posh kids get into Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Durham and Warwick. Quite alot from top state secondaries get in too.

optimistforum:

I don't see the point of out of school tutoring in Singapore; reason-being you have a plethora of wonderful assessment books (complete with model answers). That's all you need. My DC are testament to that. We use Singaporean assessment books and I do not feel the need to use a tutor. My functional literacy and numeracy has improved too (but can you telling from my spelling mistakes...I maen pselling msitkaes

optimistforum:

Hi Melodies, cherryc


In answer to your questions.

I. No, I am not from Singapore, I am from the UK. I just steal from Singapore by using your books and getting my children to use them. I have spent thousnads of pounds over the last six years on this - but hey this is my only vice.
2. I do not home school. My children go to state primary. Instead of school homework (which I withdrawn DS1 from), they do Singapore Assessment books.
3. I do not provide home schooling as I need to work. I just do short challenging bursts of work from old UK books and current Singaporean books. DS1 got into trouble as he was always alte in doing school homework, as he was doing home enrichment instead.
4. By MOE, I mean Singapore. I envy your education system, even though I realise it is wholly reliant on out of school tutoring. But I do like the look of the school exam papers on MissKoh website - and we tend to practice the Nanyang school papers.
5. There is no meritocracy in UK schools. If you can afford it you send your DC to private schools. This is beyond the preserve of the middle class now. The best schools are private and the majority of candiadates to the best Universities originate from private schools.

optimistforum:

Hi Oxylea


Do not worry about your questions, I find education fascinating. I will answer all. The point I made is that parents who have been through a rigorous educations (and remember it so) feel guilty when their off-spring go through the same. So in the UK, education was dumbed down in the 70s (slightly), 80s (greatly) and 90s onwards (completely dumbed-down). From 1945 to 1975 we had the best educational system in the world, but we also hada lot of functioanl illteracy and innumeracy for thsoe who did not sit O and A levels.

It galls me, as we had the best education system in the world. Our exam boards still provide high level O and A Levels to all countries except the UK.

Interestingly, my DS1 (who will be 9 tomorrow) is working on the vocab section of the EPH Book Complete Practice in Vocab, Grammar, Cloze and Comprehension. It is the first piece of written work I have given him since Easter (he has read since then). By the way he has just started the P5 book. Both my boys follow the MOE Primary Curricula at home. DS2 will be withdrawn from school homework in January.

I use old UK books (from the 50s) and the modern Singaporean assessment books. He find the latter challenging, however, I have yet to find any decent General Ability books from Singapore - those are what we need. He does not do school homework, as he has been using EPH P3 and P4 books all year. Re tutoring; with my Singapore books at my disposal, I do not need a tutor. The tutor is being used to hothouse my son to get into a local top private secondary school. My frustration is borne of the fact that my DS spends all evenings on the tutor's homework and does not have time for the important Singapore assessment book. I have come this far, that I find it difficult to let anyone else tutor him.

Anyway, do not dumb down your education - you will regret it in a generation's time. A civilised, increasingly affluent and socially responsible society tries to eschew discipline, and all other contemporary morays. We have lost these in the UK (spare the rod and spoil the child is so true of our culture) - this has led to poor governance and societal decline. The teachers we have are not that great, simply because they have no status and are paid comparatively less than other graduates (those who can't do, teach and those that can't teach, teach Phyisical Education - rings so true). Also, we have so many lone parent families, couples living together, marriage (between man/women) is falling and civil partnerships (marriage between man/man and woman/woman) is going up. They are now trying to force all religious institutions to allow gay marriage. Gay relationships are discussed in schools as now being acceptable (this is fine but heterosexual manrried parents cannot give a contrary view for fear of being labelled as bigots). The liberalisation of the 60s has steadily undermined and eroded family values. Quick book my DS a place in a MOE school for January 2013. :xedfingers:

cherryc:

Hi,


After doing all the SIngapore assessment books, i guess your kids will excel in UK education system ??!! I really hope the day won't come for us to declare that there is no meritocracy in our schools !

What do you think of the merits and weakness of our system ?

What is the main difference in teaching for the private schools vs public secondary school ? If a child is really smart but lack of resources, will he/she still be able to go Cambridge/Oxford in UK??

optimistforum:

Quick book my DS a place in a MOE school for January 2013. :xedfingers:

optimistforum:

Hi Oxyleo


Re the school in question, it's the best school around and 45 mins by special bus - so I may still go for it.

RE the situation in the UK. I will prepare a more reasoned response for this, but a mature culture such as yours will always question the status quo. In the 60s, such questioing by liberals led to the so called \"race to the bottom\" and dumbing down of oour education syste. It is now facing a resurgence. Thanks to my foray into Singapore Education in 2006, I am slighly ahead of the game.

PS my DS1 had tutoring this morning. I dislike this; my wife has encouraged this as I shout and withdraw privileges (never, ever hit) if my DC do not perform their enrichment activities to a high standard. To cut a long story short the tutor uses books not as robust as the ones I bought from Singapore - so I feel frustrated. I may withdraw the tutor and carry on with my home enrichment. PPS, DS1 got his end of year report last week, and has achieved grades that he should expect in two years time.

I guess it is midnight over there. Have a good evening.

optimistforum:

oxyleo:

[quote=\"optimistforum\"]I am attending a Secondary School open evening today, for my son to enter in Sept 2014. For me it is crucial to see a school embracing good ol' fashion O'Levels (or even its poor cousin, the IGCSE!).

Good to hear that. Indeed, it is crucial that you are involved and can offer your guidance where necessary. Your child will thank you for it!

oxyleo:

optimistforum:

I am attending a Secondary School open evening today, for my son to enter in Sept 2014. For me it is crucial to see a school embracing good ol' fashion O'Levels (or even its poor cousin, the IGCSE!).

Good to hear that. Indeed, it is crucial that you are involved and can offer your guidance where necessary. Your child will thank you for it!

optimistforum:

I am attending a Secondary School open evening today, for my son to enter in Sept 2014. For me it is crucial to see a school embracing good ol' fashion O'Levels (or even its poor cousin, the IGCSE!).