CKJlim:I think you forgot that Pats school house teacher student ratio is so much lower as compared to LSH.my son is enrolled in amk lsh for almost 4 years now. to be honest, the standard of the school has been stabilized since the new principal has joined. from wearing home clothes to uniform, my son is very proud when he knows which school he is going to right now. i have questioned on the purchases of the uniforms last year and this year, and i do agree that it may seemed like a 'unnecessary' purchase, but the school has clarified well on the safety of the children especially when they go out in the afternoons. i am preparing my son for P1 soon and ask myself if this negative mindset against the school's concerns for my child be done against MOE when he goes to P1. my son still needs to wear uniform everyday to a primary school no matter what whether parents like it or not. I have friends in other lsh branches whose child HAS to wear uniforms everyday, morning is the checked shirt and the afternoon is the polo which is a strict school policy from other lsh principals. i asked the amk principal and the officer before, why the children do not wear the shirt, and they were understanding to explain that parents preferred to buy the polo for their child and as long as the child is in any option of both uniforms, it would be ok to identify when they go out. To me, it was a flexibility that parents could choose as long as your child does not get 'lost' in the crowd in home clothes especially when the shopping centre has been so crowded this year. my friend from other lsh centre had to buy 5 shirts for the morning and polos for the afternoon because all the children wears them in this routine. but I do agree on the breakfast options and I think the school can have more options or revised the menu. i am happy that the school has shown improvements in terms of their qualities and preparing the children for the REAL MOE schools. i am satisfied that lsh management has put a strong principal in managing the school last year that i do not worry much on the change of principal / teachers or even HFMD this year. The teachers at amk are also patience and caring towards the children.
just to share, i have gone to find out the fees of the other premier schools around my place, and i was shocked on how much more they are charging. for example, pats school house half day programme are on parr with lsh full day. curriculum, menu are almost the same everywhere else. So a word of advise, work within your budget to choose a school, if you cannot afford a premier brand.. then choose something you are more comfortable in paying for your child's education.
I don't deny that they do help in some ways in preparing the children for P1, however, as a government (aka NTUC) linked childcare, before they even go into premium branding, they need to rethink what do parents want in terms of premium childcare that other childcare do not provide, low teacher student ratio, and definitely a good and clean environment. The teachers in LSH AMK are nice and do have patience in teaching the students, however there are other factors which do determine if a childcare is a \"premium\" brand or not. Not just the high fees and good teachers per say. You do not simply head into the \"premium\" branding just because you change a little of the façade of the school. The teacher student ratio is high in LSH and the classrooms are small.
In addition, with fees going up to around 1.1k (after working mother subsidy!) in 2015/2016, I am considering to change to mindchamps where the curriculum, teacher student ratio, environment matches to that pricing.