Boarding schools in Singapore & Johor are as much of a wonderful experience as those in the US, Australia and Europe. The decision to attend boarding school is not an easy one. While the quality of resources, activities, and academics offered by boarding schools may be found in regular schools, boarding schools offer a unique set of benefits and experiences for young people. Boarders can enjoy readily available educational, social and sporting facilities throughout the weeks and weekends. Students who attend these boarding schools come from all over the world creating a rich and culturally diverse student community – friendships are forged at boarding schools which broaden horizons and last a lifetime.
Boarding Locally
There has been an increase with independent international schools offering boarding across the border from Singapore in Johor. With the opening of Excelsior and Marlborough, and the well-established UWCSEA, the boarding experience is now more accessible and the choices are getting better with other home environment options like Hillside World Academy (HWA),
BOARDING LIFE IN SINGAPORE
United World College South East Asia (UWCSEA)
Background: Boarding at UWCSEA reflects the international nature of the educational experience on offer at the College, with students from all over the world living and studying alongside each other. The boarding houses are a comfortable ‘home from home’ for young people aged between 13 and 18 years, all of whom study in an English-medium school.
Boarding Feel & Community: UWCSEA has state of the art facilities for sport, arts, science and IT. The busy life of UWCSEA boarding provides students with many opportunities to contribute to the residential community as well. Boarders are encouraged to join house committees to represent boarders’ views and enthusiasms, and actively work together to support social, charitable and sporting initiatives and events. The supportive and caring boarding environment nurtures boarders’ self-confidence, self-management and leadership skills, and is true to the mission of the UWC movement.
Resident 'house parents', who are also teachers in the school, lead a team of dedicated 'day parents' who not only look after the smooth running of the boarding houses, but also plan activities that develop the feeling of family in the houses, and support students with settling in.
Accommodation: Dover Campus has two boarding houses, accommodating nearly 200 students, in shared accommodation sleeping four students. Each bedroom has an en-suite bathroom. The East Campus hosts around 160 students; as students progress into high grades their accommodation moves from four and three share rooms to twin share in Grade 11. Grade 12 students have single room accommodation.
Application Process: The application process for boarding is similar to that of day students. All prospective boarders are interviewed. The interviews usually take place in Singapore at one of the campuses, however Admissions staff can occasionally conduct an interview in a potential student’s home country while visiting on promotional tours. When applying for a place in the boarding programme, applicants are assigned a place at either the Dover or East Campus, depending on their profile.
Students who join the boarding houses are asked to commit to remain a boarder for:
• one full academic year, in the case of Grade 8 to Grade 10 students
• until the completion of the IB Diploma Programme, in the case of Grade 11 and 12 students
A new boarding video was released recently and captures the essence of UWCSEA boarding https://youtu.be/nGY7aTtOJa4
Further information may be obtained at www.uwcsea.edu.sg/boarding
Hillside World Academy(HWA)
Background: Hillside World Academy (HWA) is a three-tiered International Baccalaureate (IB) World school with a strong emphasis on English and Mandarin bilingualism. At HWA, quality education can be achieved across all levels within the IB programme integrating the discipline and rigour of Eastern pedagogy, with the inquiring, creative, and collaborative classroom practices of Western pedagogy. HWA's goal is to provide an all-rounded learning environment that emphasises a balance of competencies in English and Mandarin, in both academic outcomes and student development.
Boarding Feel and Community: International students from 25 nationalities are able to enjoy HWA home-stay style boarding facilities in a quiet residential area within a 10 minute walk away from the school in northeast Singapore. The teacher/student ratio in the dormitory is 1: 8. The boarding houses are generally 4-8 bedrooms residential dwellings with an average of 8 students per house, giving a ‘home away from home’ feel. Students have choices of single one bedroom, 2 or 4 to a room with meals and laundry services provided. The school nurse is accessible 24/7 as she resides in the dormitory. From Mondays to Thursdays boarders attend the daily 2 hours teacher-supervised self-study, a time when students can do homework, read or prepare for the following day’s classes. Students have access to the nearby Serangoon Sport Stadium where there is a 400m running track and a standard full-sized football field. Next door to the stadium is a Swimming Complex with Olympic-sized swimming pool. For leisure, shopping or weekly groceries, students visit the not too far NEX mall with an assortment of retail shops, eateries and a cinema, which is popular with students during the weekends.
Application Process: Apart from the documents required for day scholar, prospective boarders need to submit their full passport details, medical information and existing conditions and allergies. Parent’s detailed information and emergency contact person’s details are also essential.
Further information may be obtained at http://hwa.edu.sg/
BOARDING LIFE IN JOHOR
Marlborough College Malaysia
Background: Bringing with it the rich heritage from one of England's finest and most respected public schools, Marlborough College Malaysia provides an opportunity for students in South East Asia to enjoy education of the highest quality, combined with an association of a world renowned institution, without the need to travel to the United Kingdom. The 90 acre site has a 50 m swimming pool, a small training pool in the preparatory school, a sports hall, gymnasium, fitness suite, health and well-being centre (with 24 hour medical cover), four squash courts, eight tennis courts, six netball courts, an international-sized cricket pitch, three fibre-turf, rugby/football pitches (fibre-turf is used on the majority of English premier League football grounds and on most of the international rugby pitches), in addition to six other pitches.
Boarding Feel & Community: Boarding Houses are staffed by teams of educators who work generously to sustain and uphold the health and happiness of young people in their care. Housemasters and Housemistresses (HMs) are supported by Resident House Tutors, Graduate and gap assistants, Dames and visiting Tutors. The Houses vary in character, composition and location but they all share the central ethos of the Marlborough community, one of which engenders a tremendous spirit and sense of comradeship, which is borne out in a broad range of inter-House competitions: in quizzes, public speaking, debating, general knowledge, drama and singing. The co-educational boarding nature offers wonderful opportunities to young people but also makes certain demands: readiness to live as a boarder within a tight-knit community is key to prospects of success. A number of places each year are designated for boarding only.
Application Process: Boarding is an option from Year 5. Weekly boarding is an option in Years 5 – 8, in addition to full boarding. Full boarding is only allowed from Years 9 – 13. However, only boarding places are offered to those applying for Lower Sixth (Year 12).
Further information may be obtained at www.marlboroughcollegemalaysia.org
Excelsior International School (EIS)
Background: Excelsior International School (EIS) is located within the City of Knowledge in a beautiful forest area above the Town of Bandar Seri Alam, 18km east of Johor Bahru. The school is accredited for Cambridge programmes including Checkpoint and IGCSE examinations, and is a Candidate school for IB Primary Years and Diploma programmes.
Boarding Feel & Community: The purpose-built campus spreads over 20 acres and houses world-class learning, sporting, recreational and boarding facilities along with IT, Science and Multimedia laboratories. There is a range of sporting and recreational facilities such as an indoor Sports Hall, two swimming pools, tennis courts, a full-sized artificial turf soccer field and a 400-metre all-weather running track along with a 527 seat auditorium for the arts. Excelsior provides boarders with a campus environment that facilitates cross-cultural experiential learning, and supports the philosophies of cultural respect and intercultural awareness and understanding. Boarding is provided within the main campus building facilitating a homely familiarity enabling boarders to settle in quickly.
Application Process: Application for places at the school and for boarding should initially be via contact with, Ms Rexanne or Ms Siew Mei at [email protected]
Further information may be obtained at www.eis.edu.my
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