All children today are preparing to be adult citizens of tomorrow. The future of the country and the world will depend on how these children will grow, and their growth is highly dependent on the quality of the present education system. A school should have the means to stimulate curiosity and equip them with tools so that they grow to become responsible and better citizens. As parents, you must know that the choice of enrolling your children in a school depends on you. While it may seem like it is a life-altering decision, be relieved to know that you can take lots of advice from people around you. Knowing these, you must know how several teachers, parents, and university professionals are vouching for the quality of education that an International Baccalaureate in Singapore can offer!
It is generally agreed that the learning process is significantly important in shaping one’s personality and the way children will deal with situations in their lives. Thus, why is it that these professionals recommend parents to enrol their children in an International Baccalaureate (IB) school? As of 2020, there are about 152 IB programmes in countries around the world. It showed that it is one of the widely recognised comprehensive curriculums available today. With its programmes, IB schools have grounded in a clear mission, and that is: to provide a whole academic experience to children. Focused on development, they will equip children not only for their academic life but also for the adaptability required for productive lives in the future.
What is IB?
The International Baccalaureate is an education that fosters creativity and imagination. It provides students with for considering the nature of human thought and for developing the skills and commitments necessary to drive their thinking and effort. Hence, it would develop a range of thinking skills, self-management skills, social communication, and research skills they need to live their lives fully.
With IB programmes that you can choose from, you must know what level is suited for your child. There are four of them:
Primary Years Programme
The IB PYP in Singapore is for children aged 3 to 12. Here, students will be trained to be agents of their learning. It encourages students to use their initiative to be responsible for their learning. Through inquiry and reflection, they can develop knowledge, confidence, and independent learning skills!
- Middle Years Programme
Depending on the partner school, an MYP can be a five-year programme, but it can also be two, three, or four years. They are offered to children aged 11 to 16 to provide a broad and balanced education.
- Diploma Programme
DP is the programme to take for students from the age of 16 to a19. It is the pathway that they can take to help prepare them physically, intellectually, emotionally, and ethically for university and employment. They can expect to learn in-depth knowledge of the community and their personal goals.
- Career-related Programme
When it comes to learning the needs to engage in careers, CP is the education that your child can take. At the age of 16 to 19, they will take the path to further education or employment.
The Education of Your Child
You would not need to read several books to know that school plays an essential role in every person’s life. For young minds to become a good citizen in society, they would need to have people to guide them. Of course, these people could be none other than their parents, teachers, and themselves.
Why is Choosing a School Crucial?
Being the first place, other than their home, where they get a chance to meet other individuals, school is valuable for the development of their sociable behaviours. It includes empathy, fellowship, engagement, and encouragement, which they would need as they grow up. Thus, if you want to surround them with the right people, you would want to choose the right school!
Here are some of the factors that you should consider when you are in the process of school selection:
- Cost – affordability is a crucial factor. It would determine if your income can manage the tuition expenses until the end of the programme.
- Location – would you be comfortable knowing that an institution can offer a private school bus service in Singapore? If so, location is something that you should prioritise.
- Chances of admission – several schools have different admissions requirements. Hence, you would want to look at the acceptance rates before you get an application for your child.
What Your Child Wants
Your child will reach the age when they want to decide for themselves. Usually, it is the time when they turn 16 or 18 years old. At this time, you should give them the chance to choose their school. Whether they want to stay in an IB diploma school or not, you should listen to what they have to say.
If you want to help them finalise their decision, you should talk about their:
- Strengths, interests, and learning style
- What they want for extracurricular activities
- Where they would like to go to college
Some parents find it helpful to know what their child wants, and you might want to know how they feel about schools that can impact your selection of schools. Exploring school options should also involve your child, especially that they will be the ones attending the institution. If you found that IBDP would be a great programme that your child can take, maybe you should show how they would like it!
What is Great about IB Schools?
Singapore is one of the countries that can offer IB programmes to children. There are international schools that can be within your home area that you would like to have a chance in being a school choice. If you need more convincing to know what is admired about these types of schools, keep reading!
The challenge
Life is not meant to be stagnant. While comfort is a feeling that everyone wants to achieve, it is not a life without challenges. Children learn this at an early age in school. There, they will know that every challenge must be faced with hard work if they want to be rewarded with comfort. It is a practice that they can experience in an IBDP. They will learn how the challenge that they would face now would pay off in the future!
Core subjects
There are six subject groups that an IBDP student must take to finish the programme. It, at least, comprises the theory of knowledge (TOK), creativity, activity, service (CAS), and the extended essay. Schools find these essential subjects because they would help them explore what they want to do in their lives and stick with them. With different academic possibilities on their plate, it can help them have time to specialise and streamline their decision.
Give them the sense of ownership
Beginning from the IB primary school programme, your child is training to be an independent learner. This development allows them to take ownership of their learning process. Since these IB programmes are student-centric, their instructors will only fulfil the role of being a guide or facilitator, the rest will be up to the children.
Every class is a fruitful discussion
Being the person who has the most knowledge on the subject, the teacher will explain concepts to the students in their most simple way, but they ensure that it would still lead to an in-depth and fruitful discussion. They want students to get involved as they can in what is discussed in the classroom. Hence, it would encourage them to be participative!
Development of international-mindedness
IB would not have “international” in its name if it cannot fulfil it. In an IB school in Singapore, their curriculum promises international-mindedness at the core of its courses. They are inclusive when it comes to cultures. Thus, you can expect that your child would develop an understanding of several different information about the world they are in, and it may inspire them to be better in appreciating differences–making them better leaders of tomorrow.
The enjoyment of learning
Did your child dread going to school on the first day? It is a normal reaction, but as they understand that learning is fun when they are surrounded by passionate people, they might even be the ones to prepare in the morning! While the rush of meeting deadlines is not always fun, there will be activities that would change their mind.
If these all sound good to you and your child, you might want to think of applying for the IBDP in Singapore. You must remember that not all applicants will get accepted since their selection process is rigorous, but there is always something that you can do about it. That is: you should help your child prepare for the upcoming tests of the international school!
How to Help Prepare Your Child for the Admission Exam
An IBschool is not an easy school to get into, but this should not discourage you. Most schools require students to conduct admission tests before letting students enrol in their classes or programmes. Its purpose is to determine a child’s skills and knowledge. Also, it is their way to measure if an applicant can handle what they will face in classes.
If you want to help your child get into their dream schools, here are some tips that you can do to help them:
Enquire about what to expect in the admissions process
Every IB school has different admission processes. While they follow the materials that the organisation gave them, it would depend on how they would run it. The best you can do to know how it would go, you can enquire about it. Take this chance to ask all the questions that are running through your head and the ones that your child asked you. Trust that you and your child can well prepare for the admissions process if you know what will happen.
Give encouragement
Parents are proud of their children, and they always want to give them support. The support a parent can give can be in many forms. It could be with words or with rewards. As a parent, you would want to give your child some encouragement to give them a boost in studying. It does not have to be in words, you can give them the materials they need for studying, such as notebooks, a calculator, pens, a studying desk, among others.
Hire a tutor if necessary
While you want to be there for your child all the time, certain factors do not allow you to do it. Your work would get in the way, but you must know that you should not abandon it because you and your family need it for the future. If you want your child to have more chances of getting accepted, you should consider a tutor. They have experiences in preparing students for admission tests. With their techniques, trust that they can teach your child what they need to do and remember during their examination.
Not everyone gets the opportunity to give their child a chance to get into an International Baccalaureate school in Singapore. Thus, you must choose which IB partner school you would like your child to study. It would determine whether they will find their time learning an enjoyable experience!
Choosing Hillside World Academy
There are universities across the world that are keen on the graduates of an IB programme since they know that from the beginning of primary school to high school, they have grown to be independent learners. Hence, they are critical and innovative when it comes to understanding concepts in an academic setting. With this, your child would have greater opportunities in the future!
Hillside World Academy is an IB primary school in Singapore. They are a partner school of the IB organisation that allows them to offer quality education at the international level! More than that, they offer Diploma programmes as well.
If you want to know how you can get your child in the school, check out what they do for their admission process on their website today!
