After graduation from Childcare, the next milestone for your child would be to enter a primary school. Primary school education is compulsory for Singapore citizens.
With over 180 primary schools to choose from, selecting the right primary school for your child is not an easy decision.
Here are some factors that you need to consider to select the right primary school for your child.
Travel time and distance to school
Selecting a school near your home saves you time and travel costs. This criteria is important because a shorter commute lets your child rest better and have more time and energy to focus on other interests.
Tip: Use Ministry of Education (MOE)’s schoolfinder to help you identify the schools that are near to your home. After you have identified the schools, look at other criteria to whittle down to the school of your choice. Check out other criteria below.
Your Child's interests
Each school has its own programmes and co-curricular activities (CCAs) and not all schools offer the same CCAs! You should consider your child’s interests in sports, arts or music and pick a suitable school that will develop their strengths.
Do you have an active child who likes sports such as swimming or gymnastics? Or perhaps your child likes reading and indoor activities such as arts and crafts. Whichever is the case, after identifying the schools near your home, research the schools’ websites and information on the MOE page to give you a better idea of the schools.
Mother Tongue Languages
Studying a Mother Tongue Language (MTL) will help your child to communicate more effectively in MTL, appreciate their cultural heritage and connect with wider communities across Asia and the world.
There are 3 official MTLs in the national curriculum: Chinese, Malay and Tamil. For the MTL of Chinese, there are some schools that offer the special assistance plan (SAP) programme. This programme will enable students to immerse themselves in the Chinese language.
At Genesis Childcare 1989, our Chinese curriculum is supported by the well-acclaimed 孔子学院华文教学 (Kong Zi Xue Yuan Chinese Teaching Program)
This program comes with a full set of big books, lesson plans and teaching materials. These facilitate the teachers to deliver a fun and effective learning experience which will help the children master the Chinese language. We hope this will give our children a good foundation should any parent wish to select SAP schools for their children.
School culture
If you have the chance, visit the school’s open house to get a sense of the school’s culture and learning environment.
For example, are the students friendly? Do they greet their teachers? If you get to observe a class, look for interaction between students and teachers. You can also talk to the current students, teachers and principal to learn more about the school.
Understanding the school culture will also help you to prepare your child’s expectations and enable them to get used to primary school life.
For first-time parents whose child is going to start Primary 1, there can be an overload of information which can feel very daunting. Hence a Parent Support Group (PSG) can be helpful as a source of support to you.
Find out about the PSG and meet with fellow parents who are in the same situation as you.
If you join a PSG, you can share information and give constructive feedback to the school. Secondly if you have any questions on your child’s lessons, teachers or activities, you can check on the PSG.
The PSG is also a platform where you can bond with other parents and come together to deal with similar concerns. It is also a place where you may volunteer your time or expertise in certain areas and have a good understanding of the overall schooling process.
Getting to know the alumni
Very often, parents will choose the primary school which they themselves attended. To do so is testament of the good work that the primary school has done, as parents would want the best for their children.
However, if your primary school has closed down or you would like to send your child to another primary school, it is important to know the alumni of the school and to determine how strong is the alumni of the school.
Sometimes, the school’s alumni will be present at open houses. This is a great opportunity for parents to ask questions and receive genuine feedback. Alumni can share key insights on how they have benefitted from the school. Parents can understand the school’s strengths and ethos from the real-life experiences of the alumni.
Online social media
Today, it is convenient to retrieve information by visiting the school’s website and facebook pages.
Online social media is also a good way to get a feel of the school, find out more about the programmes and view videos and photos posted online.
Do check out the primary school's website and social media for information and events' information that you might be interested in.
At Genesis Childcare 1989
At Genesis Childcare 1989, we also have an active presence on social media and our website is full of useful information to parents.
Do check out our instagram, facebook and youtube channel for more information.
In addition, our website blog also has many articles that provide more information about parenting.
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Tampines)
Blk 433, Tampines Street 43, #01-63 (S) 520433
Tel: +65 9666 4141
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Taman Jurong)
Blk 153, Yung Ho Road, #01-41 (S) 610153
Tel: +65 9666 4141
Nurture Infant House (Tampines)
(2 to 18 months Infants)
Blk 433, Tampines Street 43, #01-61 (S) 520433
Tel: +65 9666 4141
Thanks !
Note:
For parents living in the east of Singapore and are looking for a childcare in Tampines, Genesis Childcare Tampines has had 31 years of experience in caring for your little ones. It is definitely one of the leading Tampines childcare centres!
Similarly, for parents living in the east of Singapore and are looking for an infant care centre in Tampines or a Tampines preschool, Nurture Infant House is one of the leading Tampines infant care centres with more than a decade of experience in caring for your beloved children.l
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