Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Our school starts from 10am and ends at 4.30pm.
No we do not. We accept only dependent pass holders and Singaporean PR.
There is one snack break and one lunch break for our students.
We currently do not operate our own school canteen. All parents are required to prepare a nutritious meal and a snack for your child. This is a great opportunity for parents to take control and monitor what your child consumes. Please note that we are a no-pork, no-lard and a nut-free school.
Yes. All specialist programmes are part of regular classes. In addition to many IPC Units of Learning that already incorporate Art, Music, Technology and PSPE activities, every student gets extra specific instructions in these subjects on a weekly basis:
– Art x 2 double-lessons per week
– Music x 2 x single lesson per week
– PSPE x 2 x single lesson per week
– Coding x 1 x single lesson per week
- Mandarin as a Foreign Language
- Japanese as a Mother Tongue
- Additional English Language
- Our philosophy about homework is that it should be used effectively to support the different stages in the process of learning. There is certainly possibilities for homework to be used as such:
- Daily independent, or parental shared reading is an important part of a student’s developing literacy. Hence, it is a given that Reading is a necessary homework that should be carried out daily.
- Home learning involving parents as building prior knowledge for the student before a unit of study begins in the classroom.
- Homework, home learning activities, whether independent or supported by the parents, could be an excellent extension of learning in the classroom, especially when the student can see how the knowledge acquired in the classroom is evidence in daily life.
- Homework, especially those that help student consolidate newly-learned knowledge or skills, are necessary opportunities where the student can gain extra practise outside of school.
- Home activities related to inquiring about and understanding one’s own culture and personal history are an important part in many of our units of learning in the IPC. In such cases, parents and grandparents would be incredible resources that would help the student understand him/herself better.
- However, we do not believe homework that homework should be laborious, or overly time consuming, or punishing to a student. We certainly do not expect parents to teach new knowledge or skills or concepts at home. We trust that this role is best fulfilled by the teacher(s).
Our Year 1A programme is a transition into formal primary years for students. Unlike most other Kindergarten year level focusing on mostly play-based learning, our Year 1A appeals to parents who want a smoother transition for their child as together with the Year 1B class, they start more formalised instructions in literacy, numeracy and science through beginning exposure to our Cambridge Primary curriculums.
The Year 1B is in essence a more conventional Primary One programme where students cover all the intended Year 1 learning goals in Cambridge English, Mathematics and Science.
We are not a SEN (Special Educational Needs) school and will be unable to provide for any students with known special educational needs that cannot be supported without additional adult support in the mainstream classroom.
The facilities at The Grange would make it difficult for any students with a permanent physical disability that affects his/her ability to maneuver staircases and steps.
All other mild learning or physical needs may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The final decision rests with the school Principal who will base it only on whether the school is the right fit for the child and would help the child experience success in education at this stage of his/her life.
We encourage parents to be open with us and provide us with as much information about your child(ren) as possible. Even if your child does not have a known or diagnosed need, we would need to know every child well to know if we are a school that could help your child experience success. We will not be a great school if we are not great for your child.
It is not our intention to constantly increase school fees each year. However, just like other schools, our school fees will be reviewed each year to factor in any substantial change in investment costs. On average, when school fees do increase, expect a 5-10% increase from the last published fees.
We do not pro-rate school fees for admission in the middle of a semester. If there is less than half of a semester, we would encourage you to enrol in the next semester.
We do not require new students who enrol at The Grange to sit for an entrance test/assessment, provided the parents have submitted the necessary detailed academic report and references from the child’s current (and previous schools) as required. Instead, all new students (and in some cases, their parents) would be required to attend a short interview (approx. 30 minutes) with the Principal (or a designated teacher/s). On a few rare occasions, the Principal may request to interview the child (or the parents) a second time before the result of the offer is made known to the parents.
Good assessment strategies and tools should be purposeful, balanced and varied. We would expect teachers to rely heavily on formative assessments in the forms of daily observations and anecdotal notes, checklists, group work, individual work, and conferencing but also where appropriate, to use summative assessments to see how students are able to apply their understanding at the end of a unit of learning. Our students are assessed on a performance rubric instead of only relying on absolute marks.
At The Grange currently, no single nationality is above the 18% mark. We want to keep our school as diverse as reasonably possible.
