CHOOSING A SECONDARY SCHOOL
Come
August, it will be time for your P6 child to select a secondary school
for the next phase of his education. It a very important decision-making
time! Help your child make the right choice by assessing his needs,
abilities and attitudes, and by setting aside discussion time on what
he wants in a secondary school. Your aspirations for him may not coincide
with his, so it is important that you talk things through. Consult his
form teacher, check out the schools he is interested in (visit the schools,
or the websites).
Some factors you should consider:
- his
academic ability.
You may not want him to stress out in a very academic achievement-oriented school, if his school scores are generally average. On the other hand, he might be a high-flier who thrives on competition. Think and select carefully. Check out the cut-off scores in the schools he is interested in. - his
interests.
Some schools are particularly in special interest programmes in art, music, robotics, track and field… If, for example, your child loves music and is a keen band member in primary school, you might want to consider a secondary school with good credentials in this particular field. - distance.
How much traveling time do you think your child should spend to and from school? Don't forget that secondary school will have a more hectic schedule than what he has been used to. · - The
moral 'feel' of the school.
There are schools where academic excellence is overly emphasized, to the point where pupils might just become little exam wizards and nothing else… Or schools where the discipline is so lax, you see or hear about students getting into fights or misbehaving in public. Your child will be happy in a school with a warm and caring atmosphere, where the principal and teachers are both firm and supportive. Believe me, such schools do exist!
Some schools which featured recently in a secondary school fair (West Zone) organized by MOE :
- Kranji
Secondary School
tel: 7662464,
website: www.kranji.edu.sg.
aggregate range: 224 -242 (Express)
175 -198 (Normal)
+ point: strong in IT - Nanyang
Girls High School
tel: 4663275,
website: www.nygh.moe.edu.sg.
aggregate range: 262-279 (Special, from non-affiliated primary school)
244-271 (Special/Express, from affiliated primary school)
+ point: strong in Chinese culture, IT, overseas immersion programmes - Commonwealth
Secondary School
tel: 5645361,
website: www.moe.edu.sg/schools/commonwealth aggregate range: 241-265 (Express)
185-199 (Normal)
+ point: good ratings in Schools ranking for both Express stream (ranked 16th) and Normal stream (ranked 5th)
Some schools will also be holding Open House days for the public.
Email editor@eqparent.com on this topic
Other articles
in this section:
Primary 1 Registration