So you know that you are moving to Singapore with your family….but now the hard part, which international school to send your children to!
Moving abroad as a family is a big decision, and the international school you choose can be one of the make-or-break factors to the success of your relocation. If you’re an expat in Singapore, you have a huge choice of incredible international schools but knowing which one to pick can be a tricky decision. As an ex-teacher, and a mum of two girls who has done two international moves, I know how hard it can be to narrow down your choices! So, here are my top tips for choosing an international school, and the things you should consider when moving to Singapore with children.
#1 Does the International School’s Curriculum Matter to You?
One of the first and easiest ways to filter international schools in Singapore is by thinking about the curriculum they offer. For example, if you’re moving from the UK to Singapore, do you want a British curriculum? In a British school, you can expect most staff to be British or have links to the UK and their curriculum will be most similar to the National Curriculum that you’ll find in the UK. In Singapore, you’ll actually find schools for a wide variety of national curriculums – French schools, German schools, American schools, Australian schools – so there is an option no matter where you are moving from. Term dates and year grades will generally also match that of the home country which can help when navigating a move to Singapore.
The benefits of choosing a curriculum based on your home country’s is that it can help to ease transition between the two systems. This is particularly important if your children are older and in the run-up to exams and you may need to transfer between countries around GCSE/A Level age. By choosing an international school based on nationality, you’re also likely to find a community of people who have done the same move as you, and perhaps who have similar educational values to you.
But, having sent our children to a British school when we lived in America, we definitely still noticed the difference between the way that the curriculum was taught when we returned to England and so we didn’t place as high a priority on finding a British school for this move. You’ll soon realise that all of the international schools are exactly that – international – and as such, they teach the curriculum with an international focus even if they are based on a particular country’s national curriculum.
#2 What Kind of Extra-Curricular Activities Do You Expect to Have?
The huge range of extra-curricular activities (called CCAs at most international schools in Singapore) was quite a shock to use when we moved to Singapore. Both in and out of school, it feels like there is an endless list of opportunities for your children to get involved in! But, lots of international schools in Singapore don’t have the same kind of breakfast club and after-school clubs to help with childcare* that we were used to when we lived in England! So if you are going to rely on that, be sure to ask what’s on offer!
*When I asked, lots of people told me that the reason there is no breakfast club/after-school club option like in the UK is partly due to longer days if you’re taking public transport/school bus, but also because so many people have a “helper” – a live-in employee who helps with childcare, laundry, groceries etc.
At the school we chose, the CCA options are vast, but they run on their own calendar (ie not every week from the start of term to the end of term). There is also an extensive list of music and sporting clubs to be involved in too! Our school in Singapore is also a lot bigger than our school in England, and so while there are lots of options available, there isn’t always space for every child to do the clubs they want every term. This means that some terms we have a rota full of clubs and other terms, our schedule is a lot lighter! All of the schools we toured offered most of the usual suspects when it comes to after-school clubs (sports, choir, dancing), but as most international teachers have to offer a CCA as part of their contractual hours, there are also some really interesting groups to get involved in! Just this term, my kids had options of Gaelic Football, Inline Skating, and Lego Robotics!
When you’re thinking about which international school to choose in Singapore, definitely consider what kind of enrichment activities each school offers. Whilst there are a lot of external providers in Singapore, it definitely helps if some of the activities can take place at school!
#3 How Will Your Children Get to Their International School in Singapore?
One of the best bits of advice we received when moving to Singapore was to choose the school first and then base our accommodation search around the school. Whilst Singapore is not a big place, most people don’t have a car and so doing the school run in Singapore is a little different too!
I used to drive my children to school, but now, like many others, they take a private school bus that is organised through a transport company that the school works with. It picks them up from our apartment every morning and drops them back home in the afternoon. Whilst this is a great (and very convenient) option, it can make for a long day if you’re one of the first to be picked up and last to be dropped off! It can also be quite expensive depending on how far you live from school. Speak to your prospective international schools and ask for details of the bus service. The international school we chose in Singapore was able to give us details of the bus company before enrolment so that we could work out timings and cost from the apartments we viewed.
Alternatively, look at the public bus and MRT (underground) options. The public transport system in Singapore is incredible – it’s clean, efficient and super reliable, not to mention cheap! So this is also an option. Lastly, you could consider a private taxi, either by grouping together with other students and hiring a driver or by taking a Grab (like Uber) to school. This would be more expensive, but is a definite possibility if you’re not keen on the other transport options.
#4 How Big Do You Want the International School to Be?
For us, one of the big differences we found with international schools in Singapore versus typical schools in England is the size. A lot of the international schools in Singapore serve an age range of 3-18 years and have 4 or 5 class entry per year group whereas in England, the majority of schools nearby were smaller primary schools with perhaps 2 or max 3 classes per year. The girls’ previous primary school in England had just 300 students aged 4-11. In Singapore, that number is closer to 1500 students aged 3-18. This means that the school campus is also a lot bigger – in fact I’d argue the school looks more like a university than a school! There are pros and cons to this of course. The facilities are also much better at our Singapore school because there are more students on-site, and arguably there are more opportunities too, but if you have moved from a small village school, it can be a lot to deal with at the start! Questions to ask on tour might include how many students per class, and how do the classes mix because whilst there are A LOT more students in the girls’ year groups, the class sizes aren’t too much bigger and generally the numbers of students moving around school are very well managed. My girls now have a lot of friends much higher up the school and massively feel a part of the whole-school community.
#5 Can You Tour the International School Virtually or In-Person?
If a tour is possible, virtually or preferably in-person, I would argue that it is the best way to learn about the various international schools in Singapore. In fact, before we moved I had done hours of research on various schools, sent numerous emails and I was 99% certain of which school my children would attend given the choice. But honestly…when we arrived in Singapore for our look-see trip to suss out apartments, schools etc I visited my preferred school and it just wasn’t what I had expected. There was nothing wrong with it, but it also just didn’t feel right. I’m sure my kids would have been perfectly happy there but from the moment we walked into the school that we later chose, we had a feeling that it was the right place for us, and up until the trip it hadn’t really been on the shortlist! It goes to show that an in-person tour can really make all the difference!
Similarly, you may find that when you speak to admissions that there is a waitlist, application process, or absolutely no space at all for your children in the school so starting a discussion with admissions is always a good place to start after your initial research! Many schools also have application fees (and can cost at least $1000 SGD per child just to apply!) so definitely ask about the admissions process when considering which international school you send your child to in Singapore.
Choosing an international school in Singapore can be a huge decision and was a large factor in our choice to move here from the UK. I often remind myself that all of the schools here have their pros and cons, and so long as your child is happy going to school that really is the main thing! For me, the girls’ school has also been an amazing way for me to make friends in Singapore. (Read about other ways expats can make friends in Singapore in my blog here!) There are some amazing groups on Facebook including the Expat Schooling Forum where there are lots of people willing to help you in your choice!
