
Emma and her family had to grapple with so much when moving from England to Singapore — luckily, they found a school that checked all the boxes!
Settling into a new environment can be scary. We know, we’ve all been there! This is even more so for moving to a whole new country — which is what Emma and her family did in 2021, uprooting themselves from England to Singapore with two daughters in tow.
Other than adjusting to a new house and a new community, they also had to figure out which school would help with their fresh new start. They eventually chose OFS in Singapore, which turned out to be a fantastic decision!
We chatted with Emma to find out why she chose OFS for her two girls, and how it helped ease the transition.
Why did you decide to choose OFS for your children?
Choosing a school was incredibly tricky, especially because we had to make this decision from 7,000 miles away — with a different time zone and the pandemic added into the mix. Somehow OFS gave us a feeling of assurance, and we just went with our gut feeling.
But what cemented our decision was when we showed the girls the virtual tour and took a look at the school’s videos and images on the website and Facebook. We got a good feel about the campus and we loved the name, “Overseas Family School”, because it felt like our children would be part of a welcoming school community. What really stood out was that our kids would be happy and safe, which was one of our key priorities.
What was the key factor that impacted your decision to choose OFS?

Definitely the facilities. The campus is super impressive, it’s so modern. It feels like four schools within a big campus, with separate buildings for each of the kindergarten, elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Plus, they even have a swimming pool!
The students and staff are always very welcoming, making it feel like a real community. I especially love how the teachers have an open-door policy, allowing parents to contact them if they have any concerns. We were also drawn to the emphasis on a holistic education, with lots of extra-curricular activities and camps the kids can attend.
Even better, OFS doesn’t have an entrance exam. This is required for many international schools, which only accept students at certain times of the year. That’d have been challenging for us, especially considering our move from England. We didn’t want to subject the kids to the additional pressure of studying for an entrance exam, so it all worked out perfectly.
How helpful is the Parents Association, especially to new parents, at OFS?
The Parents Association was fab for meeting other parents from all over the world. I’ve made some nice friends! We meet monthly for coffee mornings and gather to celebrate various festivals like Christmas, Diwali, and Chinese New Year.
These also give me the opportunity to learn about different cultures and traditions, enriching my time here in Singapore. On top of all of that, I’ve learned so much from volunteering for various school events.
Has the school met your expectations at this point?

What’s most important to me is seeing my kids happy, and they’re thriving at OFS. I’m impressed by how much they’ve progressed too; the language program has helped their development by leaps and bounds. I’d say that my expectations have been surpassed — I feel reassured seeing the friendships that my girls have formed with different nationalities and different religions, and how their independence has grown.
OFS provides a safe environment where they can be supported, but also where they’re free to be who they are. What they’re experiencing now is something they wouldn’t necessarily have back in England, and we couldn’t be happier.
Thanks for sharing all this with us, Emma!
This post is in partnership with Overseas Family School.