School selection

*appended on 23 Nov 2022

By now, most parents are probably considering several strategies on school selection.

There have been many posts about secondary school selection strategies, and much revolves around the COP. Perhaps, let me share a different perspective so that readers can make more informed decisions.

COP
Adolescence is a period of character building. In fact, this character-building phase will drive the level of excellence your child will achieve. As an educator and parent, this will my top consideration when choosing a school. A school with a conducive environment will have a higher possibility in bringing about self-motivation towards work. Certainly, schools with COP variation of 1-2 will not make too big a difference in standards. Deliberation, while understandable, may be unduly. As such, any strategy to ‘maximise’ the cutoff points of different schools is really unnecessary.

Normal (Academic) vs Express Streams
Some students within a certain score band is given a choice between Normal and Express Stream. In such a situation, parents often deliberate on two options; to go to a good Normal Stream School in the hope of promoting to Express Stream, or to go to a seemingly average Express Stream School. Considerations are complicated with the introduction of Subject-Based Banding.

First of all, many parents may opt for Normal Stream in a good school, with the intent of working hard towards promotion to Express Stream. While this is not impossible, such promotions are typically very environment-variable dependable, well beyond the control of the child. Moreover, the lateral promotion criteria for students would entail getting an average of 70% for all subjects, and this includes the core three subjects (English, Maths and Science). This will be an uphill task, and the number is typically at the lower end of single digit each year for schools. It’s almost easier and simpler to opt for the Express Stream and maintain status quo, rather than choosing Normal (Academic) Stream in the hope of doing well under environment-variable conditions, which is beyond one’s control. Adding on, with Polytechnic-Foundation Programme, there seems to be a tendency by schools to gear towards sending their students towards this path, neglecting the prospects of students’ stay well into Secondary 5. In truth, in 3 recent encounters with students from 3 different schools, preparations for long-haul education for N(A) students towards Secondary 5 seems to be totally lacking, as students were not discouraged from lifting text in comprehensions on the assumption that they are weak in language, and the school clarified that students will be taught to paraphrase only in Secondary 4, which by then would bode very badly in Secondary 5. 

Subject-Based banding (SBB)
SBB provides students in Normal Stream with deemed competencies to offer subjects at Express levels. While this seems to offer some form of life buoy, it comes with some caveat.

Parents will need to note that for Secondary 3 Normal Academic Stream Students, Pure Sciences is not offered as an option for under SBB, and there is a limit of up to 3 subjects that can be taken at Express Level. While this option sweetens the option in event Normal (Academic) Stream is chosen, it’s by no means cast in stone that the preferred subjects will be offered to the child at Express level. Moreover, Additional Mathematics in N(A) stream is a watered down version of what is taught in Express Stream.

Open house
Many of us who went through National Service will know the “Stand-By-Bed” routine. While not trying to sound overly skeptical about open-house sessions, it is logical to acknowledge that in such open-house sessions, parents need to be prepared that it is not possible to see the “entire picture” of the school. Some parents have lamented about the various presentations by students at different kiosks, but it is good to note that there are lots of “PR elements” when interfacing with parents, and it’s hardly representative of the school. Nonetheless, attending such sessions is a bonus for decisions to be made.

This morning, a parent asked me for advice on choosing school. She mentioned that while her child qualifies for a top school in the NE region, her child is not keen, as most of his friends could not enter this top school. For this instance, there was a difference of 26 points in the 2 schools of concern. In my view, this is an instance which intervention from parents is perhaps necessary, as I am of the view that young adults ages 16 and below may not be able to exercise due diligence in their decisions. It is definitely important that children learn to exercise their judgment, but for such matters of gravity, it is very important that parents communicate the importance to the younger ones, knowing that it is almost pointless to undo the consequences of a poor choice.

Just yesterday, a parent wrote this message on a FB group

While this seems to be a simple question at first, subsequent replies from this parent seems to imply that a learner’s primary motivation stems from teachers, and not from the parents themselves. Having taught for more than 2 decades, I do feel that a child’s ability not to stray towards the wrong path largely hinges on values imparted from parents. Likewise, the academic excellence stems from the family upbringing as well.

If your child may have prospects of heading to IP stream, you may want to take a look at another post I wrote.
https://passioninlearning.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/4-year-mainstream-vs-6-year-ip-course/

What about CCA considerations, and where does it stand in my strategy? Having taught over the past 25 years, and taking into considerations the workload in upper years, I would say CCA considerations will be an added consideration, and not one factor that will determine my final decision. Certainly for me, I will not encourage my child to travel 1 hour more each day, just to justify one’s decision for Co-Curricular Activities.

In most cases, I will often advise parents not to get too overly perturbed with the strategies of COP discrete scores. Looking beyond the COP, such as proximity and environment, is equally important. Would you like your child to travel 2-3 hours daily to attend the school that has the highest COP ? Not forgetting CCA commitments, which can be heavy.

Have a great weekend ahead!

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