Frequently Asked Questions

1) Q: What educational program/system is SSIK accredited with?

A: SSIK is fully authorized by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of Singapore to implement the Kindergarten Programme for students between 2 and 6 years old. Please click the link to view MOE’s website. http://www.moe.gov.sg/preschooleducation/

2) Q: What curricular courses does SSIK provide?

A: We provide courses from Singapore which closely follow the GCE Curriculum from UK. Courses include Step-by-Step reading, Speedy Chinese Character Recognition, Phonics and Han Yu Pin Yin.

3) Q: What is the main language of instruction in your school? Does SSIK provide any other courses in European languages (e.g. French, German, Spanish)?

A: English is our main language of instruction. Currently, we do not provide any courses in European languages unless there is sufficient demand for it.

4) Q: If both English and Chinese languages are our foreign languages and my child has little ability in these languages, would the school accept his/her application? If so, would the school provide any special language assistance programme for him/her?

A: SSIK will not reject children with little ability in English or Chinese languages. If we identify a child as having low proficiency in either English and/or Chinese, we will have to arrange for him/her to be in an intensive language programme class commensurate with/according to her language ability.

5) Q: What is the academic year like?

A: The academic year consists of four 10-week terms per year/OR 4 terms of 10 weeks each. The total number of school days is approximately 188 days. (Please click “ School Calendar ” to view this academic year.)

6) Q: Does your school provide a bilingual education?

A: Yes. Our school provides a wholly bilingual education program in which both Chinese and English receive equal attention. Children will be examined on both subjects and will be taught phonics and Han Yu Pin Yin, both of which are essential to help children read and pronounce words. Additionally, our school not only provides a bilingual curriculum, it also allows children to be immersed in the culture. International students will be able to interact with local students for language exchange and increase their understanding of the local culture.

8) Q: Can a new student be enrolled into SSIK at any time? Would that affect his/her chances of being promoted to the next level in the following year?

A: It may not interfere with his/her promotion to the next level as we usually test the new students based on content or skill which they have learnt in our school, including some foundational topics/concepts which teachers strongly feel they should know at their level.

9) Q: Are there any entry requirements?

A: There are no entry requirements. Our teachers will assess the students in class and adjust the difficulty of the curriculum wherever necessary so that there will be proximal development.

10) Where are your teachers from?

A: Our teachers are mainly from Singapore and the United Kingdom. Our Chinese teachers are from China.

11) Q: Would Singaporean children be able to immerse into the Singapore local schools upon their return to Singapore?

A: At SSIK, we provide a balanced education in line with the educational policies in Singapore. Lessons duplicate the curriculum in Smiling Star in Singapore which will ensure that Singapore children will be up to date with the contents of learning in Singapore Schools. Singapore students will be able to integrate into any Singapore school on their return home.

12) Q: Are we allowed to pay our School Fees on an installment basis?

A: Generally, under our Tuition Fee Policy, you are encouraged to pay your fees by semester, meaning in two payments. However, we have also built in special terms for parents who wish to pay their school fees in full annually or by the School term (four payments/ year). For more information, kindly refer to Tuition Fee Schedule