Singapore Expats

I had great hopes for Dover Court after being taken over by Nord Anglia but as far as I can see the building has had a new coat of paint but otherwise nothing has changed. Where are all the new teaching resources we were promised and where is all the investment? As a parent I am quite dissapointed. I was expecting great things. Would like to know what others think?

Pravda1 wrote:I had great hopes for Dover Court after being taken over by Nord Anglia but as far as I can see the building has had a new coat of paint but otherwise nothing has changed. Where are all the new teaching resources we were promised and where is all the investment? As a parent I am quite dissapointed. I was expecting great things. Would like to know what others think?

Gee, are you the same guy who's washing dirty laundry in public About Dover court, in other forums too ????

In their defence the teachers are great. I have kids there and am happy with the standard of teaching but also worry about the lack of basic resources, especially laptops etc. I have spoken to my kids teacher but, understandably, they're a little cagey about saying too much. When I talk to other parents who have kids at UWC it isn't up to that standard. We have decided to give them a couple more terms as now they are owned by Nord Anglia we are hoping things will change.

It's a for profit school. Nothing new here in terms of broken promises. If the shareholders can get away with stuffing 100 kids in a closet with one teacher (who doesn't speak English and isn't qualified) and a stolen photocopy of a text book they will. It's up to the parents to push back.

Wake up and smell the roses.

Does anyone know about how good the management is at Dover?

I just saw a job posting today (Sat 27th Feb 2016) for a new Principal. It was posted 10 days ago.

Makes me wonder how things are. Is it good to get a job there?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Hiring a new principal at this time of the year simply means the old one has indicated that he will not be back after the summer (Int'l school teachers usually need to indicate around about now if they plan to return after the June/July break). You should not read anything into the management of the school about this unless you see it very frequently for the same school. As for the working prospects they'll be the same as any for-profit school. They'll plagiarize text books, scrimp on resources and screw over the teachers for a profit for the owners.

I think my kids in the ESL stream are learning decently. Only thing that bothers me is that its hard to keep track of what they are doing since they are leaving all learning materials at school. The start of the school year was a tad messy, but I think they are slowly finding their pace...

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.
We were considering Dover Court International School (DCIS) and then spoke to some other expats that are not returning to Dover Court International school after the end of this term. Some have had shocking experiences with ensuring full inclusion.
They said the school has changed for the worst, driven mostly because of the private equity ownership (Nord Anglia) that it's all about simplicity and maximising investor profits, $$$ verse student welfare. Apparently there are good teachers that also feel the change in the schools approach to student welfare and there is a ground swell for them to leave. I'm told the turning point was the new heads of year and principle placing the school under strict new management. So in summary lots of disgruntled parents and teachers that want to escape the despot regime! Will look at other International Schools and double check that they are as inclusive as they have advertised.
Disappointed since it was so close to our intended new condo. Any other recommendations on schools still focused predominantly on student welfare?

Head of Secondary has thrown in the towel.

https://img.nordangliaeducation.com/res ... r-2017.pdf

Plus another 3 vacancies at the school!

Does anyone know of any websites that monitor the teaching vacancy rates at International Schools. I think it would be a good indicator of the stability they are able to offer its students.
In my current searches it seems Dover Court is definitely struggling and having high turn over of teaching staff. Would be great to see a leaderboard

Why are your flogging a dead horse?

are you suggesting that no International School in singapore is interested in students?

I'm suggesting that three successive posts all flogging the same school is a dead horse. Especially with no replies. It is pretty obvious that most International Schools here that are 'for profit' school are not looking out 100% for the students interest.

thank you, in fairness there is only a few minutes between posts, I think its fair to give it a couple of days for others to respond. Do you know if there is there a good International School leader board?

Mayby PNGMK knows, but my children are all married and the one that has children will have a couple more years to worry about it, but they will go through the local system.