Q&A with Gregor Polson from OWIS
The school you choose for your child will make an impact on their lives forever. Quite a heavy statement to make but a very exciting one if you make the right choice. And why shouldn’t you? You know your child better than anyone else and should have a pretty good idea about what they need. The dilemma is that there are countless good options available in Singapore but how do begin choosing an international school that is the best one for your child? The task of sifting through them is a daunting and difficult one, particularly when you’re comparing apples with oranges. All you need though is a little guidance, a framework with which to evaluate the choices. Thankfully for us, we had a chat with Gregor Polson, Head of School at One World International School (OWIS) and he provided us with some sound advice and effective criteria, which really helps to narrow down the pack for the ultimate decision on choosing an international school. Hi Gregor, we’re glad you’re here to help. Could you tell us about the 5 key points you advise parents to think about when choosing a school Of course, I understand what a big decision it is for parents, particularly if they’ve just arrived in Singapore. Your children are the most precious things to you and you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing that they’re happy at school, they’re being stimulated and that they fit in. As a parent and an educator I’ve come up with a list of criteria that can really help you in making the right choice for your child. So I would suggest thinking about the following: – What does successful education look like to you? – What core values and philosophy does the school claim and does it project them when you visit? – What style of education appeals to you and responds to your child’s needs? – What curriculum is going to fit your lifestyle both now and in years to come? – What is the location of the school you’re considering and can it be accessed conveniently? – What part of a school do consider to be the most important to invest in? – What feedback, comments and recommendations do other parents have? They are very thought-provoking questions and we’d love to step through them one by one. Can you tell us more about how to land on what we think successful education looks like? Sure. You must have an overview of what you want to get out of education for your child. There is no right answer and it really depends on the child. You might feel that academic excellence is the goal or perhaps your child is gifted in sports or the arts and you want to hone that or maybe you don’t care for achievement and just want your child to have lots of subject options and social activities. Here at OWIS for example, we focus a lot on the individual and tailoring education to allow teachers time to give meaningful input to each child, responding to their needs, aptitudes and interests. We know from reading brochures that each school has its’ own values and philosophy but how do we assess if those things are being practiced? The only useful way to do this is to visit the school you’re considering and observe. And visit again. And again! If the school is really interested in you joining their community as parents and students then they won’t mind you visiting them this way. We certainly don’t at OWIS. In fact, we encourage it. You need to see the school in action at different times of the day and through different activities to see if their values and philosophy shine through. Ask yourself, are the students happily engaged? Is there a good buzz in the air? Do you and your child respond positively to the students and staff? Can you see evidence of the schools beliefs in classwork that is on display; the way information is communicated on noticeboards? Do the teaching and non-teaching staff seem to enjoy their roles? We’re not sure how to evaluate the style of education. Can you let us know what to look for? This concerns things like class size, classroom layout and class schedule and routine. Do you think your child might learn better if they’re sat in rows facing a board? Are you a fan of rote-learning or do you embrace the progressive inquiry-based model of thinking. I can give you an example of our style at OWIS – we have small class sizes with a high teacher to student ratio because it reflects our core philosophy of developing independent learners. With a small class size our teachers have the capacity to nurture and extend students more than they could if we increased our ratio. But our focus is on quality and so the classroom style is intimate in order to achieve that. We’re a bit lost with curriculum. How do we scale it to fit now and in the future? Curriculum is a huge factor choosing a school, particularly for the expatriate community because of their transient nature. So a lot of parents are looking for an option that is easily transportable and therefore, internationally-minded. Even if you are staying put in Singapore for the long term, an offering that is recognized around the world is valuable. For instance, an International Baccalaureate (IB) education is highly respected and might be a good choice if you’re not sure when or where you might be living elsewhere or if you simply want your child to have an option that cuts across borders for later in life. We do offer IB PYP at OWIS for this reason. Location is a bit of a no-brainer but we’re interested to hear what you consider to be acceptable travel time? This consideration may seem superfluous but the time it takes to travel to and from school can really add on to a child’s school day and impinge on necessary down-time. Obviously, the roads in Singapore can get very congested, so even short distances need to be measured more in terms of travel time than kilometers. No matter how good a school is, if the journey to or from takes more than 45 minutes then perhaps you need to consider some options closer to home. What do you mean by ‘what part of a school is the most important to invest in’? Well, there is an opportunity cost for most things. If you want amazing grounds and facilities perhaps less might be spent on other aspects of the school. I can tell you directly that at OWIS we focus heavily on providing great teaching and learning. It’s what we pride ourselves on, our hallmark, and what we want to be known for. Having superior quality teaching and teaching methods is the foundation of education for us. Quite simply that is what you’re paying for at OWIS. That, and our ability to deliver it in an environment that is not going to have your child competing for attention and slipping through the cracks. The last point requires no explanation. We know how to talk! And we shall put the skill to good use by chatting to friends about the schools they’re involved in. Need I say more! You’ve got it. Canvas for opinion and ask to talk to current parents about their experiences of the school if possible. Thank you very much, Gregor, for stepping through your criteria. It’s given us great structure to judge candidates when the time comes. This article was contributed by our education partners at One World International School (OWIS).