Guide To Understanding Primary And Secondary School Curriculum Choices In Singapore

BRITISH CURRICULUM IN SINGAPORE (ENGLISH NATIONAL CURRICULUM):

The British, UK, or English National Curriculum is a highly structured, incredibly globally popular curriculum developed to ensure a degree of uniformity through a general framework prescribed by the UK government. The rigorous curriculum is followed by a rigorous selection of teachers who get to teach it. Needless to say, only the best of the best can meet the teaching standards. The efficiency of both the curriculum and the teacher's performance is regularly reported on for each student and each subject through evaluation forms, and the collected data is used to help the students flourish individually further. The curriculum prepares students for GCSE and A-Level senior school qualifications, and the ultimate goal of premium UK higher education, through compulsory subjects taught at an age-appropriate level.

Schools Offering British Curriculum: Click here!

AMERICAN CURRICULUM IN SINGAPORE:

The American curriculum is among the most widely used ones, along with the English National Curriculum and the IB curriculum. Unlike the British, the US educational system is characterized by a lack of uniformity, so it is often unclear what the term "American curriculum" exactly implies. American international schools provide a core curriculum designed to prepare students for enrolment at schools and universities in the US especially, as well as other universities across the globe. The approach is less focused on the strict and boring academic side and more on the open and engaging holistic side, yet excellence is continuously achieved. This westernmost approach is student-centered, based on inquiry and hands-on teaching, and prepares our humans aged 5 to 18 for the greatest test of all—the unpredictability of the future.

Schools Offering American Curriculum In Singapore: Click here!

SINGAPORE NATIONAL CURRICULUM: Primary Only

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has developed a holistic education centered on values and character development. Learning takes place individually and collaboratively, as children construct meaning from knowledge and experiences. The development of confident learners with strong social skills and a good foundation in literacy and numeracy is at the core of the Singapore National Curriculum. Preschools following the Singapore National system incorporate a bilingual (Mandarin) element to their early learning programs as well as a focus on hands-on learning.

Singapore National Curriculum And Schools: Click here!

IB (INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE) IN SINGAPORE:

You must have heard the letters "IB" thrown around when it comes to the overwhelming subject of choosing an education for your kid. They often appear with other mysterious combos of letters: PYP, MYP, DPCP. The International Baccalaureate (IB) consists of 4 programs of international education covering learners aged 3-19. All levels are built on IB's core values of holism and sustainability, a winning combination when you are on a mission to change the world at large in the best way possible—through cherishing children's inherent curiosity and openness and turning it into the knowledge of how to navigate and embrace the life-long process of learning, appreciate and understand the beauty of the world's diversity and complexity, be proactively kind to others and our planet, form communities and grow as individuals.

Schools Offering IB Curriculum In Singapore: Click here!

• *FEATURED*: GERMAN EUROPEAN SCHOOL SINGAPORE (GESS): IB School In Singapore Offering PYP, MYP, DP
  • Not only is the German European School offering IB programs (PYP, MYP, and DP), they are also accredited to offer a German curriculum (from ages 2 to 18). German is offered as a language pathway from grades 1 to 12, French and Spanish from grades 6 to 12, Latin from grades 6 to 10, and other mother tongue languages from grades 1 to 5. In the holistic curriculum, GESS offers STEM, Humanities and Social Sciences, Sports, and Languages. To extend the possibilities for students beyond their academic learning, the school officially launched BeyondClassrooms programme in 2021, partnering with companies and partners, which bring about internships, career counseling, industry talks, site visits and more. In August 2018, GESS moved to a new purpose-built campus with brand new facilities at Dairy Farm Lane, near Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
  • German European School Singapore, 2 Dairy Farm Lane, Singapore 677621, +65 6461 0801, school@gess.sg.  www.gess.sg
• *FEATURED*: GLOBAL INDIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: IB School in Singapore Offering IB PYP and IBDP
  • Global Indian International School (GIIS) offers a premium international education to more than 3,000 students in K-12 across its two campuses in Singapore - the SMART campus in Punggol and their East Coast campus. For primary school students, GIIS offers the IB PYP, which is an inquiry-driven program that fosters curiosity and independent thinking in students. Students at GIIS have multiple second-language options to choose from. For secondary students, GIIS offers the Cambridge curriculum (Cambridge Lower Secondary and the IGCSE). For students from 16 to 18, GIIS offers the internationally reputed IB Diploma Program, which is known for its academic rigour.
  • GIIS, SMART Campus (K-12), 27 Punggol Field Walk, Singapore 828649; East Coast Campus (K-10), 82 Cheviot Hill, Singapore 459663, +65 6914 7100, +65 9631 6000 (WhatsApp), admissions.sg@globalindianschool.org, singapore.globalindianschool.org

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM IN SINGAPORE:

The Australian Curriculum is made up of 8 learning areas. These learning areas are English; Mathematics; Science; Humanities and Social Sciences; The Arts; Technologies; Health and Physical Education as well as Languages. Students graduate with the Western Australian Certificate of Education at the end of year 12.

Schools Offering Australian Curriculum In Singapore: AIS Singapore

OTHER SCHOOL CURRICULA FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SINGAPORE:

In addition to the above curricula, Singapore also boasts a number of other curricula schools. These are international schools that offer the education of their home country’s curriculum, and these schools usually teach in their home country’s language. The German-Swiss and French for example, are well-suited for families whose overseas stay is going to be short, or whose children are planning to attend university in their home country. The advantage of attending such a school is that students can continue with an education system they are familiar with while gaining experience of living overseas and then can return to a school in their home country with minimum disruption. There is also The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) which is put forward by the Union Government of India, and it carries out final exams for Indian schools in Years 10 and 12.  Another key curriculum worth mentioning is the popular IPC curriculum which is a skills-based curriculum for kids ages 3-12.

Other Curriculum Schools In Singapore:

CBSE: Global Indian International School

German-Swiss:  GESS Singapore

French: IFS