In the Singaporean system, English is the language of instruction

for most subjects, although all students from a very early age will
also study their ‘mother tongue’ language, and often other
languages which are commonly used in the region.

Optional for ages 3 - 6Pre-schools are run

by companies, community groups and
Pre-school charities, so fees may be payable

Primary School Compulsory from age 7Education at primary

level is free

Secondary School Mandatory secondary education runs for five

grades, typically from age 12 to 17

Optional Post After completing the mandatory stage of

Secondary education, students who want to progress to
(University university attend a ‘pre-university’ centre for 2
preparation or or 3 years of further study Alternatively,
vocational training ) vocational training is offered

Pre-School
Full details of how to enrol your children in Singaporean
school at any age, is available on the Ministry of Education
website. Places are available for children aged between around
three and six, with fees often payable. Pre-schools are operated
by community groups and charities as well as independent
companies.

The cost of pre-school varies enormously, and the best schools

are oversubscribed. To give an example, the monthly fee for the
government run MOE kindergarten is SGD 320 for a Singapore
Permanent Resident. Some preschools offer financial assistance
with fees for families who need it.

Primary School
From the age of six it’s compulsory to attend primary school in
Singapore. This stage of schooling is provided free of charge, and
there are penalties for parents who don't comply. If you want to
homeschool your child, or have them attend a religious institution
which isn't managed by the ministry of education, you have to
apply for permission to do so from the authorities.

Primary school lasts for sixth grades, split into a four year
foundation period, and two years of ‘orientation’ to prepare
children for secondary education. The main aim of the primary
years is to grasp English language, the local mother tongue, and
maths. Students can select subjects which play to their strengths
beyond these core areas.

Secondary School
The compulsory stage of secondary education lasts for four or five
years. At the end of this period, all students take an exam, and
can then choose to continue to pre-university education if they
score well. Pre-university education consists of a two or three
year course which is specifically tailored to students who wish to
attend university. Places are awarded on merit and are fiercely
competitive in the best institutions.

The alternative is to continue with ‘post-secondary’ education at a

technical institute or polytechnic, which is aimed at developing
more vocational skills.There’s a wide range of institution types,
which students can choose, all handily described on the Ministry
of Education website.

What’s the typical school calendar and hours?

The school year in the Singaporean state system is arranged
into semesters. The first semester typically runs from January
through to May, with a vacation to follow. Then from July you
have the second semester, which runs until a break in November
and December. There’s also a shorter break in the middle of each
semester.

It’s worth noting that this calendar applies to state schools only -
in private and international schools the western standard
calendar, with a long summer break and several weeks vacation
at Christmas, is far more likely to be adopted.

What’s the cost of education?

Although education in Singapore is free, all families must pay
small ‘miscellaneous’ fees, which are explained by the Ministry
of Education. These fees are fairly small for public schools, but
don't necessarily cover additional costs for things like uniforms,
transport and school materials. Independent schools, even if part
government funded, can charge fees beyond the small amounts
seen in the public school system. If you do not choose the state
system and decide to find a fully private or international school,
the costs are higher.

Singapore has a huge range of international schools, teaching in

English and other major world languages. Schools might use the
International Baccalaureate syllabus, or a variant of another
national curriculum such as the American core or Australian
standard curriculum. International schools are generally of a high
standard, and therefore typically competitive, with testing and
interviews to secure admission. You can expect the fees to vary
widely depending on the specific school and the programme they
offer. Fees of anything from USD 15,000 to USD 30,000 a year
aren't uncommon, with extras such as registration fees, deposits
and technology costs added on top.

Singapore is a fantastic place for expats, and the schooling there

is truly world class. However, whichever education route you
decide is best for your family, there will be costs involved, and you
don’t want to pay more than you have to. If you’re funding your
child’s education from your account back home,
use Transferwise to get the real exchange rate and cut out
expensive international bank transfer fees.

INGAPORE CURRICULUM PHILOSOPHY

In educating our students in Singapore, we seek to achieve our Desired Outcomes of Education so that our students

are future-ready, have a strong sense of national identity, and are equipped to contribute in a globalised world. We

aspire to bring out the best in our students so that they are empowered to live life to the fullest, contribute to, and care

for their community and nation. We also aim to enable our students to develop their interests to pursue their passions

and fulfil their aspirations.

To realise the aims of education in Singapore, our curriculum is designed to develop the character, mind and body of

our students. It serves to nurture in them values and to develop their knowledge, skills and dispositions. Our

curriculum provides learning experiences for our students to actively interact and bond with others. In doing so, they

become aware that they are part of society. Through this, they learn to embrace diversity and collaborate with people

from different backgrounds.

The Singapore Curriculum Philosophy presents our teaching fraternity’s core beliefs about learning. These beliefs,

which place every student at the heart of our educational decisions, guide the design and implementation of our
curriculum. They underpin our practices and guide our teaching actions so that every student is an engaged learner.

The Singapore Curriculum Philosophy describes our roles, and those of our students’, in the process of teaching and

learning.

WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT TEACHING AND LEARNING

We believe in holistic education centred on values and character development.

We believe that every child wants to and can learn. When children find meaning in learning, they are motivated and

challenged, and take ownership of their learning.

We value every child as an individual. Our children have diverse learning needs and bring with them a wide range of

experiences, beliefs, knowledge, and skills. For learning to be effective, we adapt our teaching pace, approaches and

assessment practices to be developmentally appropriate.

We believe that learning takes place in caring and safe environments. We cultivate positive teacher-student and peer

relationships so that there is a culture of care and mutual respect in our classrooms, where children learn to

appreciate diversity. They are encouraged to take risks, learn from their mistakes and from one another, and be

confident in expressing their views.

Learning takes place individually and collaboratively, as children construct and co-construct meaning from knowledge

and experiences. We guide learners to activate prior knowledge, and assimilate and accommodate new knowledge

through exploration, and interaction with others. This allows them to build a strong foundation of knowledge by

connecting new ideas and experiences with what they already know, thus facilitating the understanding of concepts

and the application of what they have learnt to different contexts.

We believe in developing thinking skills and dispositions in our learners. To do this, we guide them to construct,

interpret, and evaluate knowledge from different perspectives. We help learners understand that by thinking about

their own thinking, they can monitor, assess and improve their learning.

Assessment is integral to the learning process and helps children become self-directed learners. As such, we design

assessments with clarity of purpose, to provide our learners and us with feedback to address learning gaps and

improve teaching practices.