How did you choose your Secondary School

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 03 Mar 2017 10:48:19 GMT

coast — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 10:48:19 GMT

lchunleo:
just curious, how to know which school has express, normal academic, normal technical? thanks

hi lchunleo,

There is a column Courses Offered (E, NA, NT) in the following link:-

https://www.moe.gov.sg/admissions/direct-admissions/dsa-sec/participating-schools

Do note that the list contains only those schools who are participating in DSA.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 03 Mar 2017 10:48:14 GMT

coast — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 10:48:14 GMT

lchunleo:
just curious, how to know which school has express, normal academic, normal technical? thanks

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:22:45 GMT

coast — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:22:45 GMT

lchunleo:
just curious, how to know which school has express, normal academic, normal technical? thanks

P6 students will be given a booklet with information of each school. Or you can go to http://sis.moe.gov.sg/.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:22:41 GMT

coast — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:22:41 GMT

lchunleo:
just curious, how to know which school has express, normal academic, normal technical? thanks

P6 students will be given a booklet with information of each school. Or you can go to http://sis.moe.gov.sg/.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:16:02 GMT

lchunleo — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:16:02 GMT

just curious, how to know which school has express, normal academic, normal technical? thanks

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:15:50 GMT

lchunleo — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:15:50 GMT

just curious, how to know which school has express, normal academic, normal technical? thanks

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Sat, 25 Feb 2017 10:48:24 GMT

kimberchin — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 10:48:24 GMT

Some of the considerations when choosing secondary school for my niece and nephews for the mass majority of P6 to Sec 1 kids. I am usually roped in to share.

1) Location: Shouldnt be too far away. These days most schools end at 3-4pm on average. with CCA/remedials, can stretch till 6-7pm. If travel time is too long, end up not having enough rest. Less time for other activities like tuition or enrichment classes.

2) Sec 3 subjects combination: That can affect their post-secondary options, either JC or even for poly courses.

3) National results: How well are the students doing? Value-added?

4) CCA options, school culture, discipline : Just observe the school students. Their grooming, classrooms, decorum, teachers etc.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Sun, 15 Jan 2017 15:15:02 GMT

precioustime96 — Sun, 15 Jan 2017 15:15:02 GMT

Both A Levels & IB are perfectly okay I think. The rest depends on the admission tests and interviews

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 30 Dec 2016 06:10:02 GMT

zakashi — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 06:10:02 GMT

fable:
Thank you! Anyone else deliberating between IB and IP? Our thoughts regarding the advantages of one system viz the other :

IB
is more similar to the GEP pedagogy, with more project work, independent research. Its also more broad-based than A levels which is good if he hasn't decided yet what he wants to be.
is that it is marked on one unified international standard, which given Singaporean students' general performance on the right side of any curve, should mean relatively high marks. Singapore-Cambridge A levels are a special Singapore exam, which is known to be more difficult than the generic GCE A levels. Works fine when seeking to enter local university, but may put local students at a disadvantage if applying to overseas universities.
seems to be more widely recognised in the US and also in the UK.
Is easier to pass but harder to get \"full marks\"

A levels
are more established, something we as parents are familiar with which gives us a certain level of comfort and perhaps less risk?
Are supposed to be \"deeper\" than IB subjects and therefore better especially if you plan to pursue the sciences like Medicine
Are more recognised when applying for local universities, especially the most difficult courses to get into - Medicine and Law
requires less consistent work throughout the years - feedback is that you can study like crazy for half a year and do ok for A levels but can't do this for IB

Are these reasonable suppositions, or have I got it wrong? I'm also wondering about the syllabus because it looks like in year 1 and 2, IB and O level curricula are the same?

You mean A level is more recognised than IB when applying for local U to study medicine and law?

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Sat, 26 Nov 2016 17:19:04 GMT

Amzingstriker38 — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 17:19:04 GMT

Just to say, I came from a good primary school but I ended up in Tanglin Sec (i used my mum’s acc). It is quite a good school to be honest. The teachers are caring, they take their personal time to spend time with students after school to give them extra lessons. The DM is very strict (new one mah). Tho im not in the first express class, the teachers are quite good in teaching and a lot of our seniors actually did well in O levels. Just to say, even though im in the second express class, a lot of teachers always say that TSS makes a student that entered with a low t score to a student that graduates with good results. I think its true since a few of my neighbours was in TSS sec 4 last year and he did very well. Just like me, they werent in the first express class and they reported their class doing quite well Every school is a good school, it depends on what you think of it, MOE teachers are definitely good for a reason so if you were to ask me, I choose a nearby school with a longer history and more teachers.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 03 Jun 2016 01:00:06 GMT

marmalade — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 01:00:06 GMT

CatMoon:
marmalade:
Any parent who has kids who went to a non SAP primary school but ended up in a SAP secondary school ? Was the transition tough?

How did your child cope with the higher Chinese in Secondary school ?
Thanks !
Hi marmalade,

My ds did HMT in a non-SAP primary school and he is now in Sec 2 at HCI. At HCI, the focus is on making the language come \"alive\" and so the school emphasizes alot on culture, values and activities in Chinese.

Hence, the syllabus does not focus on the textbook so much like in other sec schools - but on Chinese drama classes, music lessons (some songs in Chinese), class discussions in topical issues in Chinese and more on Chinese immersion activities. So there is alot less \"memorizing\".

Coming from a mixed race family, we do not speak Chinese at home. My boy is coping alright in school and is conversant in the language in class. He also enjoys watching Chinese TV programmes.

Thanks CatMoon for sharing. I am impressed that your boy is able to cope even though the family doesn't speak Chinese as even for those who speaks do not necessarily do well in the language. Did he go for any enrichment class when he was in Primary School ? And if yes, which enrichment school did he attend ? (can PM me if you prefer)

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Wed, 01 Jun 2016 08:01:07 GMT

titank — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 08:01:07 GMT

We choose the school (IP) that have dual track. In the event the kid do not do well at the end of Sec 2, there is opportunity to transfer to O level track. Therefore the top 4 secondary are out for us.

Also you may consider whether the school have a complete system of education from Year 1 to Year 6. Example like RVHS, DHS, NJC, TJC etc.

Personally find that Yr 1 to 4 (Take care by Nanny 1) & Yr 5 to 6 (Take care by Nanny 2) which I don't find it comfortable.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Tue, 31 May 2016 06:16:53 GMT

CatMoon — Tue, 31 May 2016 06:16:53 GMT

marmalade:
Any parent who has kids who went to a non SAP primary school but ended up in a SAP secondary school ? Was the transition tough?

How did your child cope with the higher Chinese in Secondary school ?
Thanks !

Hi marmalade,

My ds did HMT in a non-SAP primary school and he is now in Sec 2 at HCI. At HCI, the focus is on making the language come \"alive\" and so the school emphasizes alot on culture, values and activities in Chinese.

Hence, the syllabus does not focus on the textbook so much like in other sec schools - but on Chinese drama classes, music lessons (some songs in Chinese), class discussions in topical issues in Chinese and more on Chinese immersion activities. So there is alot less \"memorizing\".

Coming from a mixed race family, we do not speak Chinese at home. My boy is coping alright in school and is conversant in the language in class. He also enjoys watching Chinese TV programmes.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Tue, 31 May 2016 01:10:20 GMT

marmalade — Tue, 31 May 2016 01:10:20 GMT

Any parent who has kids who went to a non SAP primary school but ended up in a SAP secondary school ? Was the transition tough?

How did your child cope with the higher Chinese in Secondary school ?
Thanks !

NOTE: I posted the above in \"Choosing and Evaluating Primary Schools\" http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum ... start=1820
but I didn't get any reply. Since it is also a related post in Secondary School, I thought posting here would help. Thanks !

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:50:43 GMT

pirated — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:50:43 GMT

For US uni entrance they are pretty much relying on SAT scores than either A level or IB

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:23:38 GMT

metz2 — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:23:38 GMT

My son is in Sec 1 this year. We too went through a period of wondering which school he would fit in best.

For us, things were less complicated as we ruled out NUSH from the very beginning. Reason being we were not comfortable with Maths & Science specialisation at such a young age. My son felt the same way despite having a good time attending some lessons conducted by NUSH.

Between A level and IB Diploma, I have a stronger preference for the IB program. To me, the A level syllabus is more specialised and drilling intensive. It reminds me of PSLE except on a much larger scale. The IB Diploma, on the other hand, covers a broader scope and encourages a more balanced approach to learning. Furthermore, my impression was that IB diploma is more recognised in US and it would be easier to get acceptance from US universities with IB diploma than A level. Most importantly, I felt my son would benefit greatly from the programme as he enjoyed working on the various GEP writing assignments and debate. We (my son and myself) kind of set our hearts on the IB programme since P5.

However, things were not that simple. When it was time for him to make a decision, we realised we had not considered other aspects such as school culture and environment, friends, his personality, CCA etc. We have my friend and her two children to thank for that. Her children - one went through A level and the other in ACSI (IP) kindly shared with us their experience. My son had a lengthy talk with both. In the end, I left my son to make the choice. He chose the A level route and I respected his decision.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Thu, 28 Apr 2016 13:10:35 GMT

sky minecrafter — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 13:10:35 GMT

fable:
My son is in P5 GEP and we've been going to the Sec school open houses. My son is kind of an all rounder. He represents school in various sports, plays an instrument, competes in triathlons, loves math and science and ISO. If you have kids from GEP who have already moved on to Sec school, what was your thought process in your selection of school? And how is it working out? Is there really a difference between a school with a SBGE and one without?

Hi fable, (1) travelling distance, (2) school culture, (3) child's personal preference.

I made a list of all e \"suitable\" schools & ranked them in accordance w e above 3 critieria. We discussed e research details w dc & ultimately left it to dc to decide. Dc is happy now, work is a breeze & dc is taking up new challenges.

Gifted children manage well on their own wherever they r. At e same time, whichever Sec school one finds oneself (gifted or not), there r bound to be challenges & times when u r \"bored\". Once e child buys-in, e child has to live w e consequences. Gifted children r mature enough to understand tt.

My personal preference would be SBGE, IP program.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Wed, 27 Apr 2016 08:58:07 GMT

jtoh — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 08:58:07 GMT

fable:
pirated:
in broad terms, one of the JC principals summarized this way :

IB is more broadbased learning

A Level is more in depth in the selected subject area compared with IB
yes I read that article. I wonder if that's because the IB SL subjects are equivalent to H1 A level while HL are equivalent to H2, and A level programmes offer H3 subjects which are more advanced than HL subjects? If the H3 subjects are not considered would the A levels still be considered more in depth? Or are H2 subjects studied in more detail than equaivalent IB HL subjects?

Generally H2 subjects are more indepth than HL subjects. I've heard that IB students need to attend bridging classes in the local unis for some subjects.

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Wed, 27 Apr 2016 08:45:46 GMT

pirated — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 08:45:46 GMT

fable:
pirated:
in broad terms, one of the JC principals summarized this way :

IB is more broadbased learning

A Level is more in depth in the selected subject area compared with IB
yes I read that article. I wonder if that's because the IB SL subjects are equivalent to H1 A level while HL are equivalent to H2, and A level programmes offer H3 subjects which are more advanced than HL subjects? If the H3 subjects are not considered would the A levels still be considered more in depth? Or are H2 subjects studied in more detail than equaivalent IB HL subjects?

truthfully the vast majority doing A level don't take H3

so when it is said A level is of greater depth, it refers to H2 level

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Wed, 27 Apr 2016 08:42:43 GMT

fable — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 08:42:43 GMT

pirated:
in broad terms, one of the JC principals summarized this way :

IB is more broadbased learning

A Level is more in depth in the selected subject area compared with IB

yes I read that article. I wonder if that's because the IB SL subjects are equivalent to H1 A level while HL are equivalent to H2, and A level programmes offer H3 subjects which are more advanced than HL subjects? If the H3 subjects are not considered would the A levels still be considered more in depth? Or are H2 subjects studied in more detail than equaivalent IB HL subjects?

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Wed, 27 Apr 2016 07:31:23 GMT

pirated — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 07:31:23 GMT

in broad terms, one of the JC principals summarized this way :

IB is more broadbased learning

A Level is more in depth in the selected subject area compared with IB

Most unis around the world cater both qualification for admission purpose. Check the admission pages of those uni you are considering

It is true that the Singapore Cambridge A Level is known to the UK unis that it is tougher than their peers in UK. If there is a waiting list or appeal situation for the UK unis, this is a qualitative factor taken into consideration. However if the degree course is a popular one, waiting list or appeal cases may not come into play.

For local u purpose, 80%~90% of the intake are local, so it is fair competition. Local u must reserve 10%~20% to foreigners to maintain its international ranking - else not ranked or ranked lowly

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Wed, 27 Apr 2016 06:43:09 GMT

fable — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 06:43:09 GMT

Thank you! Anyone else deliberating between IB and IP? Our thoughts regarding the advantages of one system viz the other :

IB
is more similar to the GEP pedagogy, with more project work, independent research. Its also more broad-based than A levels which is good if he hasn’t decided yet what he wants to be.
is that it is marked on one unified international standard, which given Singaporean students’ general performance on the right side of any curve, should mean relatively high marks. Singapore-Cambridge A levels are a special Singapore exam, which is known to be more difficult than the generic GCE A levels. Works fine when seeking to enter local university, but may put local students at a disadvantage if applying to overseas universities.
seems to be more widely recognised in the US and also in the UK.
Is easier to pass but harder to get "full marks"

A levels
are more established, something we as parents are familiar with which gives us a certain level of comfort and perhaps less risk?
Are supposed to be "deeper" than IB subjects and therefore better especially if you plan to pursue the sciences like Medicine
Are more recognised when applying for local universities, especially the most difficult courses to get into - Medicine and Law
requires less consistent work throughout the years - feedback is that you can study like crazy for half a year and do ok for A levels but can’t do this for IB

Are these reasonable suppositions, or have I got it wrong? I’m also wondering about the syllabus because it looks like in year 1 and 2, IB and O level curricula are the same?

Reply to How did you choose your Secondary School on Tue, 26 Apr 2016 01:47:27 GMT

jtoh — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 01:47:27 GMT

fable:
jtoh, thanks very much for your feedback. What we are looking at is quite similar. Its not just about getting into the \"best\" school that will take him, but whether we think he will be more suited to the IB vs A level approach. Is your child in an A level IP SBGE school?

She was from RGS and just graduated from RI. We went to several Open Houses and confirmed that this was the best fit for her. We liked that the school wasn't focused on just academics but allowed a lot of opportunities to explore non-academic pursuits as well. In short, the students worked hard but played hard too.