simplymum:

momsie:

I have a story to share with all parents choosing a secondary school for their children. I have a daughter who was from one of the top SAP schools. She was only an average student there. My daughter was a well behaved and quiet girl. With her average results, she was not given much opportunities to shine. With her aggregate of 207 at the end of P6, I decided to put her in one of the notoriously 'bad' school, where she was top of her cohort. She was put into the best class and was given all kind of opportunities to shine. For 4 years, her teachers willingly stayed back after school whenever she needs extra coaching. At the end of 4 years, she was a leader in her CCA, a peer support leader and an oganiser of many activities, each allowing her to hone her leadership skills. She went into her 1st choice in Poly, Business Engineering, because of her strength in A/E Maths. Her Sec 4 teacher is still her mentor. She's just as popular in the Poly. The head of her Course is given her extra guidance now and then and she's just as active in all the activities. My daughter is now in her 2nd year in Poly and is one of the top 10 students there. I believe she would not have any problems getting accepted into our local U and most importantly, she has become a very confident girl.


My son this year score 226. He's all along had his eyes set on Temasek (COP 230-252). My choice for him is Bedok View (COP 218-229). Thanks to koguma for highlighting the Means and Median, I agree this is also very important. I brought him to Bedok View this morning and I was greeted by 4 students cousillors there, all in their Sec 2. The Principal and Manager were not available to answer to my questions. In fact there was no one in school other than these student cousilors. But, my trip was not wasted. They politely, diplomatically and clearly answered all my questions in good simple English, even the difficult ones I put in to test them. I saw with my own eyes the confidence the School has in them and how well they were trained. Yes, although Bedok View is just an average school, I'm impressed. My son wiill be one of the top cohort there in their best class. I believes like my daughter, he'll be given all opportunities to shine there and being one of the best, his morale will be high and that will motivate him to give off his best. But, if I were to appeal for him to go to Temasek, or put him in one of the better schools with COP 22X, he'll only be at the bottom of his cohort.

With so many of his peers better than him, would he be able to shine?

With my son's personality, I believes Bedok View is a good fit. My son also feels comfortable interacting with these students and is convinced Bedok View is more suitable for him. This school will be my son's 1st choice.

I've scanned thru many comments in this and other threads and I feel it is not how good the school is, but how good will your child be in that school. That's the questions you should be asking. A good school is a school that would give your child lots of opportunity to shine without overwhelming him. Hope all of you will make the right decision where to put your child in.

I am very encouraged by your success story and i have a similar experience now. Son from decent SAP school but not doing too well. Results only 210 and therefore can only consider limited school. If i may asked which school did you put your daughter into which she subsequently blossomed?

All my 3 children are from Red Swastika. My daughter only blossomed in her Secondary School days as being one of the top students, she was recognised and felt good, that brought out the best in her. I must add that most of her classmates were sleeping in class when lessons were being carried out. Most of them play truant and some got into trouble. The teachers can't do much, some of them are not motivated to teach as the students were not motivated to learn. I'm a stayed at home mom and I monitored my daughter very closely. I also interact with her teachers frequently. My daughter's conduct is very good and she's very hardworking, therefore the teachers there all like her a lot and entrusted a lot of responsibilties to her. This is what made her bloomed. So, if you put your child in a lousy environment, remember to watch closely. My daughter is from Changat Changi Sec.

JieTing:

momsie:

I have a story to share with all parents choosing a secondary school for their children. I have a daughter who was from one of the top SAP schools. She was only an average student there. My daughter was a well behaved and quiet girl. With her average results, she was not given much opportunities to shine. With her aggregate of 207 at the end of P6, I decided to put her in one of the notoriously 'bad' school, where she was top of her cohort. She was put into the best class and was given all kind of opportunities to shine. For 4 years, her teachers willingly stayed back after school whenever she needs extra coaching. At the end of 4 years, she was a leader in her CCA, a peer support leader and an oganiser of many activities, each allowing her to hone her leadership skills. She went into her 1st choice in Poly, Business Engineering, because of her strength in A/E Maths. Her Sec 4 teacher is still her mentor. She's just as popular in the Poly. The head of her Course is given her extra guidance now and then and she's just as active in all the activities. My daughter is now in her 2nd year in Poly and is one of the top 10 students there. I believe she would not have any problems getting accepted into our local U and most importantly, she has become a very confident girl.


My son this year score 226. He's all along had his eyes set on Temasek (COP 230-252). My choice for him is Bedok View (COP 218-229). Thanks to koguma for highlighting the Means and Median, I agree this is also very important. I brought him to Bedok View this morning and I was greeted by 4 students cousillors there, all in their Sec 2. The Principal and Manager were not available to answer to my questions. In fact there was no one in school other than these student cousilors. But, my trip was not wasted. They politely, diplomatically and clearly answered all my questions in good simple English, even the difficult ones I put in to test them. I saw with my own eyes the confidence the School has in them and how well they were trained. Yes, although Bedok View is just an average school, I'm impressed. My son wiill be one of the top cohort there in their best class. I believes like my daughter, he'll be given all opportunities to shine there and being one of the best, his morale will be high and that will motivate him to give off his best. But, if I were to appeal for him to go to Temasek, or put him in one of the better schools with COP 22X, he'll only be at the bottom of his cohort.

With so many of his peers better than him, would he be able to shine?

With my son's personality, I believes Bedok View is a good fit. My son also feels comfortable interacting with these students and is convinced Bedok View is more suitable for him. This school will be my son's 1st choice.

I've scanned thru many comments in this and other threads and I feel it is not how good the school is, but how good will your child be in that school. That's the questions you should be asking. A good school is a school that would give your child lots of opportunity to shine without overwhelming him. Hope all of you will make the right decision where to put your child in.

Thanks for your sharing.

I have headache to choose secondary school for my son (score 230) because his result is \"not up not down\"

Maybe I shall bring him to visit Bedok View. Can I go there tomorrow?

Can I know which school your daughter from?

The students will be there everyday from 8.30am to 6pm to answer any questions and to show you around. Tomorrow is Sat, so I'm not sure if they are available. You can call the school to find out, tel. 64430563. If your son has done better in his prelim, is independent and is motivated to work harder when surrounded by friends better than him, then you should consider putting Temasek as 1st choice and Bedok View as 2nd since his score is 230. There are children who matured later and does better in their Secondary school. Temasek is taking in only 200 Express students this year, I like the small size. Please note also Temasek is Band 3 and Bedok View is Band 8. My son's not a fighter, putting him in a place where most are better than him will not do him good. He can only thrive in an environment where he does not feels threatened. His aspiration is to go into Poly, not JC. If you want your son to go the JC route, Temasek is a better choice. Important thing is you must know your son and what is he comfortable with.

ttlkbs:

vynx:

[quote=\"momsie\"]This is more for average students.


I have a story to share with all parents choosing a secondary school for their children. I have a daughter who was from one of the top SAP schools. She was only an average student there. My daughter was a well behaved and quiet girl. With her average results, she was not given much opportunities to shine. With her aggregate of 207 at the end of P6, I decided to put her in one of the notoriously 'bad' school, where she was top of her cohort. She was put into the best class and was given all kind of opportunities to shine. For 4 years, her teachers willingly stayed back after school whenever she needs extra coaching. At the end of 4 years, she was a leader in her CCA, a peer support leader and an oganiser of many activities, each allowing her to hone her leadership skills. She went into her 1st choice in Poly, Business Engineering, because of her strength in A/E Maths. Her Sec 4 teacher is still her mentor. She's just as popular in the Poly. The head of her Course is given her extra guidance now and then and she's just as active in all the activities. My daughter is now in her 2nd year in Poly and is one of the top 10 students there. I believe she would not have any problems getting accepted into our local U and most importantly, she has become a very confident girl.

My son this year score 226. He's all along had his eyes set on Temasek (COP 230-252). My choice for him is Bedok View (COP 218-229). Thanks to koguma for highlighting the Means and Median, I agree this is also very important. I brought him to Bedok View this morning and I was greeted by 4 students cousillors there, all in their Sec 2. The Principal and Manager were not available to answer to my questions. In fact there was no one in school other than these student cousilors. But, my trip was not wasted. They politely, diplomatically and clearly answered all my questions in good simple English, even the difficult ones I put in to test them. I saw with my own eyes the confidence the School has in them and how well they were trained. Yes, although Bedok View is just an average school, I'm impressed. My son wiill be one of the top cohort there in their best class. I believes like my daughter, he'll be given all opportunities to shine there and being one of the best, his morale will be high and that will motivate him to give off his best. But, if I were to appeal for him to go to Temasek, or put him in one of the better schools with COP 22X, he'll only be at the bottom of his cohort.

With so many of his peers better than him, would he be able to shine?

With my son's personality, I believes Bedok View is a good fit. My son also feels comfortable interacting with these students and is convinced Bedok View is more suitable for him. This school will be my son's 1st choice.

I've scanned thru many comments in this and other threads and I feel it is not how good the school is, but how good will your child be in that school. That's the questions you should be asking. A good school is a school that would give your child lots of opportunity to shine without overwhelming him. Hope all of you will make the right decision where to put your child in.

True. I agreed with you. My niece went to Ngee Ann with an aggregate of 250 last yr. She top in the Sec 1 cohort and she is very happy there. She have told me that if she has gone to any of the top school, she would not shine there.

Oh, now i m totally confused. DS's T-score is 235, thot of TKSS as 1st choice, but after reading above, shld i chg to Temasek as 1st choice? :?[/quote]You're the best person to know your son's personality, whether he'll thrive in a competitive environment or lost himself there. Secondary school is unlike Primary school. The students there are considered teens and will only be guided not spood-fed. If environment is too overwhelming or competative, putting a non-competitive child there will only kill him. I attended the open-house in Temasek so I can only tell you what I was told there. The school's only taking in 200 express students, about 30 in a class, given the size, I think there should be lots of opportunity for every child. However, they're going to have a new principal, who's from a neigbourhood school. He's promised not to change anything. The students I spoke to are decent and most of them are shy and the teachers I chanced upon are friendly. The feeling I got from there is 'small and close', hope you know what that means. Their mean is 233 and median is 232.

TKSS IS a good school, with many good feedbacks too. Their mean is 239 and median 238. If your child is the kind who is competitive, motivated to do better than others, than TKSS is also a good choice. Find out what's their class size and cohort and compare. Most importantly, don't care whether they have open house or not, bring your son to both schools, look at the canteen, the kind of food they sell. The food they serve at Bedok View and Temasek, I prefer Bedok View, more varieties and colours, they also have a deli serving healthy dishes. If there are students there, make some small talk to these students and get a feel of the school environment and culture. Finally, ask your son which one he likes. If he likes the school he goes to, he'll look forward to going to school everyday and that's half the battle won.

This is more for average students.


I have a story to share with all parents choosing a secondary school for their children. I have a daughter who was from one of the top SAP schools. She was only an average student there. My daughter was a well behaved and quiet girl. With her average results, she was not given much opportunities to shine. With her aggregate of 207 at the end of P6, I decided to put her in one of the notoriously ‘bad’ school, where she was top of her cohort. She was put into the best class and was given all kind of opportunities to shine. For 4 years, her teachers willingly stayed back after school whenever she needs extra coaching. At the end of 4 years, she was a leader in her CCA, a peer support leader and an oganiser of many activities, each allowing her to hone her leadership skills. She went into her 1st choice in Poly, Business Engineering, because of her strength in A/E Maths. Her Sec 4 teacher is still her mentor. She’s just as popular in the Poly. The head of her Course is given her extra guidance now and then and she’s just as active in all the activities. My daughter is now in her 2nd year in Poly and is one of the top 10 students there. I believe she would not have any problems getting accepted into our local U and most importantly, she has become a very confident girl.

My son this year score 226. He’s all along had his eyes set on Temasek (COP 230-252). My choice for him is Bedok View (COP 218-229). Thanks to koguma for highlighting the Means and Median, I agree this is also very important. I brought him to Bedok View this morning and I was greeted by 4 students cousillors there, all in their Sec 2. The Principal and Manager were not available to answer to my questions. In fact there was no one in school other than these student cousilors. But, my trip was not wasted. They politely, diplomatically and clearly answered all my questions in good simple English, even the difficult ones I put in to test them. I saw with my own eyes the confidence the School has in them and how well they were trained. Yes, although Bedok View is just an average school, I’m impressed. My son wiill be one of the top cohort there in their best class. I believes like my daughter, he’ll be given all opportunities to shine there and being one of the best, his morale will be high and that will motivate him to give off his best. But, if I were to appeal for him to go to Temasek, or put him in one of the better schools with COP 22X, he’ll only be at the bottom of his cohort.

With so many of his peers better than him, would he be able to shine?

With my son’s personality, I believes Bedok View is a good fit. My son also feels comfortable interacting with these students and is convinced Bedok View is more suitable for him. This school will be my son’s 1st choice.

I’ve scanned thru many comments in this and other threads and I feel it is not how good the school is, but how good will your child be in that school. That’s the questions you should be asking. A good school is a school that would give your child lots of opportunity to shine without overwhelming him. Hope all of you will make the right decision where to put your child in.

I have a story to share with all parents choosing a secondary school for their children. I have a daughter who was from one of the top SAP schools. She was only an average student there. My daughter was a well behaved and quiet girl. With her average results, she was not given much opportunities to shine. With her aggregate of 207 at the end of P6, I decided to put her in one of the notoriously ‘bad’ school, where she was top of her cohort. She was put into the best class and was given all kind of opportunities to shine. For 4 years, her teachers willingly stayed back after school whenever she needs extra coaching. At the end of 4 years, she was a leader in her CCA, a peer support leader and an oganiser of many activities, each allowing her to hone her leadership skills. She went into her 1st choice in Poly, Business Engineering, because of her strength in A/E Maths. Her Sec 4 teacher is still her mentor. She’s just as popular in the Poly. The head of her Course is given her extra guidance now and then and she’s just as active in all the activities. My daughter is now in her 2nd year in Poly and is one of the top 10 students there. I believe she would not have any problems getting accepted into our local U and most importantly, she has become a very confident girl.


My son this year score 226. He’s all along had his eyes set on Temasek (COP 230-252). My choice for him is Bedok View (COP 218-229). Thanks to koguma for highlighting the Means and Median, I agree this is also very important. I brought him to Bedok View this morning and I was greeted by 4 students cousillors there, all in their Sec 2. The Principal and Manager were not available to answer to my questions. In fact there was no one in school other than these student cousilors. But, my trip was not wasted. They politely, diplomatically and clearly answered all my questions in good simple English, even the difficult ones I put in to test them. I saw with my own eyes the confidence the School has in them and how well they were trained. Yes, although Bedok View is just an average school, I’m impressed. My son wiill be one of the top cohort there in their best class. I believes like my daughter, he’ll be given all opportunities to shine there and being one of the best, his morale will be high and that will motivate him to give off his best. But, if I were to appeal for him to go to Temasek, or put him in one of the better schools with COP 22X, he’ll only be at the bottom of his cohort.

With so many of his peers better than him, would he be able to shine?

With my son’s personality, I believes Bedok View is a good fit. My son also feels comfortable interacting with these students and is convinced Bedok View is more suitable for him. This school will be my son’s 1st choice.

I’ve scanned thru many comments in this and other threads and I feel it is not how good the school is, but how good will your child be in that school. That’s the questions you should be asking. A good school is a school that would give your child lots of opportunity to shine without overwhelming him. Hope all of you will make the right decision where to put your child in.

koguma:

Not sure if I am right, perhaps someone here can advise.


Say 5 students get the following score and apply to the same school,
Student A - 258
Student B - 210
Student C - 208
Student D - 200
Student E - 198

Therefore,
Lower COP: 198
Upper COP: 258

Mean is the average score for all the students. Hence (258+210+208+200+198)/5 = 214.8 (think round up to 215)

Median is the middle score when you arrange the scores from lowest to highest, so for the above case is 208.

Thus if you get 215 and you apply to this school, you are actually consider the top 50% of the cohort.

Bedok View's COP is 218-229, Mean 222 and Median 221. My son's score is 226. Going there would mean he'll be one of the top right? Whereas if I appeal for him to go Temasek and succeeded, he would be right at the bottom of the cohort, right? In between, my son's interested in NCC. What about all those AA awards and CCA awards. Are they important when choosing school? I noticed Bedok South has better AA and CCA awards (NCC Gold)than Bedok View. Thanks so much for your advice!

koguma:

momsie:

Hi, my son's 1st choice was Temasek Secondary School (COP230-252). However, his score is only 226. We are living in Bedok, anyone familiar with Bedok View (CPO 218-229) or Bedok South? Any comments on these 2 schools esp Bedok View or any other recommendation for good school in the east that he qualifies for??? In between, should I try for Temasek?

Hi, 226 for Temasek will be tough as the COP may drop by 1-2 marks but not so much. You can try, but high chance your son will not get in. For your info, Temasek's COP for 2009 and 2008 are 302.

When you choose schools, you should not just look at the COP, but should also look at the MEAN and MEDIAN scores. You can get these numbers via the MOE website >> http://app.sis.moe.gov.sg/schinfo/SIS_AdvSearch.asp

Also, you may want to consider the CCAs your son wants to join, and look at which school is good in that CCA.

Some schools I recommend in Bedok.
Bedok Green Sec, Bedok View Sec, Bedok South Sec

Some schools I recommend in Tampines.
Pasir Ris Sec, Tampines Sec, East Spring

Some schools I recommend in Pasir Ris.
Hai Sing Catholic School, Pasir Ris Crest Sec

Cheers

Personally I prefer Bedok View which is just next to my block. What is this Mean and Median thing? What do they represent?

Hi, my son’s 1st choice was Temasek Secondary School (COP230-252). However, his score is only 226. We are living in Bedok, anyone familiar with Bedok View (CPO 218-229) or Bedok South? Any comments on these 2 schools esp Bedok View or any other recommendation for good school in the east that he qualifies for??? In between, should I try for Temasek?