With an excess of schools to pick form, How do you choose which one to send your child to?
Michael Riches helps you through the muddle

You have collected enough information kits to make a small landfill, and surfed through endless websites to find a school for your child. At some point they all begin to look the same, and after seeing hundreds of children beaming their perfect pearly white smiles from the pages, you begin to wonder if being blond and blue-eyed is a pre-requisite for admission. The choices in Singapore seem limitless, but you should be thankful. The spectrum of schools means you should have relative ease placing your child, compared with other parts of the region. International schools throughout Asia, particularly Hong Kong, are experiencing indefinite wait-lists and heavy strains on their systems.

When looking at the private international schools, visit the various institutions. The only way to select a school is on foot. And bring your child along. He or she will need to get a sense of the school environment, and sometimes a child’s instinct for what feels right can be valuable. Watch his or her reaction as you walk around the school. You will certainly be talking with admissions agents, but bear in mind that their job is a sales function. You will hear a lot of jargon and cheerful depictions of the school, and what prestigious universities their alumnae moved on to. But try meeting one or two of the teachers. They tend to be more frank.

Pamela Killick-Calver is a parent of a 12- year-old son who has attended Chatsworth International School for the past seven years. Her advice is to ask hard questions when you visit the schools. “Your questions should regard disciplinary procedures, unsupervised children, drugs, bullying as well as the usual questions about the curriculum and the teaching style of the school.” She adds to look for small details. “Look for a genuine and open reaction to you as you walk around. The staff should know the names of the children in the school, for example.”

The opinions of parents and word-of-mouth tend to be more reliable than what you’ll get from a school official or brochure. But avoid the discussion forums of expat websites; the people posting there are strangers and often have agendas.Try to find out what the schools do help the children adapt to a new country. For instance, one aspect of Chatsworth that Killick-Calver appreciated when her son first entered was their buddy system. New students are paired up with one who is more established, and the buddy is tasked with helping the new student find their way around the school and will introduce them to other members of the school community.

There is one other choice that most expatriates forget to consider – the public school system. It’s much less expensive than a private school, and if you’re in Singapore for the long haul, it can help your child assimilate to the local culture and languages. And unlike most parts of Asia, the system here teaches in English. Singapore has some of the most well-paid public school teachers in Asia, and produces some of the best math and science students in the world. Despite the reputation of Asian schools being intensive and harsh, the Singaporean system is moving toward the North American style of positive reinforcement. The most significant hurdle would not be the teaching style, but assimilating with the local classmates and the culture.

But the teachers in the public system share a problem with their peers the world over – too much to do and too little time. Teachers at international schools are better compensated and have a less burdensome workload, so in that respect, your child may be better attended to in the private system.

However, consider whether or not the public curriculum will be recognised by universities in your home country. Although this shouldn’t be a significant problem, expatriate parents tend to prefer international schools over the public system for providing a tailored curriculum that meets accreditation standards of specific countries’ regulatory bodies, such as Britain, America, Canada, or Australia. As well, these schools tend to provide a culture-specific environment. The Tanglin Trust School, for instance, goes out of its way to provide a distinctly British setting. There is one more option that may not be for everyone, but has a dedicated following: Home schooling. There are a few hundred families that homeschool in Singapore, about half of which are expatriates. There are various reasons some parents opt for home instruction. Sometimes it’s a child who has problems socialising in a foreign culture, or a desire to integrate learning with family bonding. There are associations parents can link with, such as the Singapore Homeschooling Group, that provide resources and organise field trips and activities. As well, Teach Asia assists parents in developing a Christian-based home curriculum. With all this in mind, here is a comprehensive list of international schools to use as your guide.