Singapore Expats

Hi all

When I was in Singapore 6-7 years ago OFS was based near Orchard and did not have the greatest of reputation on academics etc. Now the company is sending me back to Singapore and I've been told OFS has moved to a brand new campus at Pasir Ris and has improved.

I would appreciate your expert views on whether the school has indeed improved and if it would be a good option now for my two boys (Grades 5 and 2).

Any feedback would be useful, we are aiming to join from August term

thanks in advance

I don't think it has changed.

glin777 wrote:Hi all

When I was in Singapore 6-7 years ago OFS was based near Orchard and did not have the greatest of reputation on academics etc. Now the company is sending me back to Singapore and I've been told OFS has moved to a brand new campus at Pasir Ris and has improved.

I would appreciate your expert views on whether the school has indeed improved and if it would be a good option now for my two boys (Grades 5 and 2).

Any feedback would be useful, we are aiming to join from August term

thanks in advance

The school looks very nice from outside as I pass it on the way to work every day.

Don't know if this helps your situation though.

Its very easy to get to though via Public Transport if you don't have private means though.

Personally find their curriculum holistic and indepth

Thank you all for your response and input. All very much appreciated.

My son is currently going to the school in Grade 2. So far we are happy with the academic focus. The facilities in the new campus is also great. As for the transportation, we live in the central area. By school bus it takes only 35 minute for one way commute.

Had some experience with the school as a kindergarten parent in the new school. I’ve seen both campuses and I can say the Pasir Ris one was definitely much bigger with better amenities and bright airy classrooms.
In terms of my experience with teachers though I don’t think anything has changed. This school is still a stop gap measure for students and teachers waiting to move to better schools. As a result the teachers who stay back and become more senior are unfortunately not the best.
It’s not just my personal experience but i’ve heard quite a few parents complain about the lack of professionalism in some of the teachers and the academic curriculum (including some parents who themselves were teachers).
My personal opinion was that teachers were more interested in complaining rather than work constructively to help the child. My child’s teacher complained non stop about how he must have some kind of learning disability (she has no psychology or early childhood development qualifications) all because his sentences in writing exercises weren’t correct due to him repeating some words (this is a 5yr old writing sentences for the first time in his life).
She refused to acknowledge that he had glowing reviews from his mandarin teacher and was 2 years ahead of his grade level in math. I was told I had to get him some external “help” as “they had other children to teach”! It took me just 2 sessions to teach him to review his sentences and there was no looking back after that.
This whole experience made my son very terrified of this teacher-making both his and my year rather stressful. I didn’t think kindergarten would be so hard and my son would have to constantly dodge emotional minefields everyday. I’ve since moved my child to another school and he has thrived in the new environment so far.
Unfortunately teachers like the one my child had are not one-off in this school.

OFS means "Often Failing School" I believe.

Very disappointed with the school. The 8th grade girls seem to be a pack of mean horrible drama queens. Worse, the school has done nothing effective to stop the bullying problem currently going on.

sing-expat2018 wrote:Very disappointed with the school. The 8th grade girls seem to be a pack of mean horrible drama queens. Worse, the school has done nothing effective to stop the bullying problem currently going on.

IT's a FOR PROFIT school, not a school for education. I am not sure which fat cat owns it but he/they literally don't give a flying shit about your kids.

Not the true international experience that you would normally see in other schools. K2 in OFS wasn't a good experience for us. A lot depends on the teachers though. We have seen the best and the worst. Teachers have an always complaining attitude, they tend to compare kids in the class irrespective of the age gap (sometimes the age gap more than an year as OFS has No age based restriction). Teachers keep complaining about small kids but do nothing to improve the situation. They ignore you if you ask questions or provide feedback. Except for some of the teachers there is lack of dedication in most of the teachers (i'm talking about kindy). But I heard good reviews abt their primary school- again I have no idea how good it is. You wouldn't get any feedback about your child unless you ask. The initial years are not IB, it is IPC.

Vegetarian options are less in the canteen. Not much variety of food.

sing-expat2018 wrote:Very disappointed with the school. The 8th grade girls seem to be a pack of mean horrible drama queens. Worse, the school has done nothing effective to stop the bullying problem currently going on.

8th grade girls are drama queens in ANY school. Single gender schools are the worst.