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We believe that children who meet the school's entry requirements are entitled to a broad and balanced curriculum, which is differentiated to meet individual needs and which enables them to reach their full potential. However, we recognize that a small percentage of our children will have special educational needs at some stage in their school career, and these might be cognitive, social, emotional or physical. The transient nature of our school population may also contribute to gaps in child's education where previous school experiences may not have prepared them for the demands of the curriculum offered at ISS. We assist students in achieving their potential in various ways.
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Counseling
Changing grades, changing schools, changing countries and even changing continents and cultures is never an easy task for a student. ISS is well known for placing a strong emphasis on student welfare, is one of a very few international schools in Singapore with qualified counselors on staff to support our students.
Our qualified counselor acts to assist students in achieving their maximum potential by being available to assist with stresses that arise as a result of living overseas, and in helping students develop self-esteem, and in building confidence in themselves.
We also have a Japanese Counselor, who supports the needs of our Japanese students and families in the high, middle and elementary school.
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English as a Second Language (ESL)
The ESL program at ISS is designed to enhance language development both in and out of the ESL classroom. Upon entry into Middle and High school, all non-native speakers of English are required to take an English Language placement test to determine whether or not they will need ESL Support. If support is necessary, students in middle and high school will receive an English language support class as well as in-class support in their Humanities and Science classes. There are also after school programmes at each school to help students with their English language learning.
At the Elementary School we offer two types of ESL support; beginners and inclusion. Our beginner English students are withdrawn from their grade level classrooms for up to three periods a week for language instruction. Inclusion students are supported by an ESL teacher in their grade-level classrooms. Exit from the ESL programme is determined through discussion between the ESL and mainstream teacher.
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Kathryn Upshall
ESL Instructional Leader |
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Vivian Evans
Student Support Coordinator |
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Special Needs
Special Needs Support is available for students at the Elementary, Middle and High School levels. Needs are met wherever possible within the classroom, but extra, short-term support and/or withdrawal may also be used to meet a child’s needs. Special Needs staff also liaise with specialists within the community as appropriate. If over a period of time, needs emerge which are beyond the resources that the school can provide, a more appropriate educational setting will be recommended.
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Guardianship for Students
Many ISS students study in Singapore while their parents are overseas. In order to maximize their successes, it is our policy that they stay with ISS-listed guardians. Although ISS-listed guardians are each very different in terms of the location of their homes and the number of students under their care, etc., all are willing to work closely with the school, with the ISS Guardianship Coordinator and with parents to ensure that ISS students enjoy the very highest standards of care. Parents who are considering placing their children under the care of guardians should contact the Guardianship Coordinator for a copy of the guardian list and are encouraged to meet with the Guardianship Coordinator when they visit ISS. We also recommend that parents visit the homes of several prospective guardians before deciding who should care for their child. Individuals who are interested in becoming ISS-listed guardians should contact the Guardianship Coordinator for details of the application process. |
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Angeline Soosay
Guardianship Coordinator |
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Sarah Jeyaram
University Advisor |
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Cheryl Keegan
University Advisor |
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University Advising
To help our students make the very best decisions about their academic futures, we have various advisors and programs to assist our students in their university application process. This includes seminars and workshops attended by representatives from the countries in which our students regularly attend university, especially the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. We also have a large number of university representatives who visit us on campus from all of the above countries. We also have a large reference library of university calendars, prospectuses and application forms on campus. In addition, we encourage students to work with counseling offices outside of ISS who tend to store the full range of informative material. ISS students applying to universities in the United States have access to the university counselors and vast resources of the United States Education and Information Center, the only US Department of State authorized university counseling service in Singapore. |
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