Choosing a Primary School for Your Child

Our kids are growing too fast, and now time for one of the most important phases of their life is to choose a good primary school.  Being a parent it is your responsibility to choose an appropriate primary school for your kids. As a parent, it is a very difficult and stressful task. The future of your child is also depending on this phase, after completing the primary studies your child paves the way for his further studies and beyond. From this stage each child starts learning new things. Here we bring some useful information which helps you to make the decision of choosing a primary school for your child.

Total Distance to School:

A short distance between the school and home is very convenient in many ways. Less distance means short travel time and also reduces the cost of transportation. Your child won’t be tired by the time he or she gets to school. It is also beneficial for you because you won’t be stuck in traffic and also save some time. The short distance from school is also helping to make a strong relationship with the school. If you have a strong relationship with your child’s school, it is very beneficial in cooperation in raising and educating your child.

What’s Your Child’s Interest?

As a parent obviously you are more qualified than your child and you can choose a better school for him or her.  But before making any decision also know what he or she likes.  Maybe your child has an interest in non-academic like performing arts, music, sports, technology, etc. Before choosing a school you will have to understand your child’s interests.  If your child is naturally interested in sports or music or science then try to focus on your child’s interest. Your child will automatically performed well in something he or she is already interested in.

Different schools in Singapore hire and train staff for non-academic activities such as:

Aesthetics:  Cultural training, Music, Calligraphy etc.

Arts: Choir, Dance

Character development: Outdoor rugged activities.

Sports: Rugby, Swimming, hockey, etc.

Intellectual development:  Math Olympiad, Chess.

Info-comm: Multimedia, Information technology,  Robotics.

Single-sex vs. co-ed schools:

Each parent has a different mentality, some of them believe in single-sex education, and some of them in co-ed schools. The parent who is in favor of single-sex education thinks that students can be treated uniformly across the entire school. Also, find a tutor from a tuition agency in Singapore to help your child in his daily school home-works, spelling tests and major exams.

Co-ed schools have a big advantage for parents who have both male and female children. In this way, you have to go to only one primary school for your children’s admission, since both sisters and brothers can attend the same school. if you won’t need more information about a school then visit the school website, call the school, or attend the school’s open house

The School’s Level of Autonomy:

On the bases of autonomy, the school is divided into two categories:

Government Schools:

The government schools are completely funded by the government. These schools are strictly following the order and the rules of the Ministry of Education.

Government-Aided Schools:

Government-aided schools received a large portion of their funding from the government. They also receive some portion from other private sources such as fund-raising activities. These schools are not according to the Ministry of Education.

For example, this type of school may change the size of their classrooms that are different from those recommended by the Ministry of Education. Due to their flexibility, some parents prefer these schools.

School’s Identity:

Each school has its own different identity and special strengths which is very important for the parents while researching a school for their child. Researching the school will help you to find out about the following things:

  • Parent Support groups
  • Culture of the school
  • School’s vision and mission

Affiliated Schools:

In affiliation, primary schools have close ties with certain secondary schools. If this is often the case, your child is often given priority for admission to the lyceum affiliated to his or her grade school, provided he or she meets the school’s admission criteria, and he or she indicates the affiliated lyceum as his or her first choice.

Special Education Schools:

Special Education schools provide an alternate education pathway for child’s with special educational needs who may find it difficult to profit from mainstream education. They provide customized education and training programs to cater to the various needs of kids with special needs.