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Our View
The oldest British international school in south-east Asia, not-for-profit Tanglin Trust School does an excellent job of combining an English curriculum with a truly global outlook. Renowned for its strong academics and happy, confident students, it is well regarded in the UK both by schools and universities. For new arrivals in Singapore, it should be high on the educational hit list.
Where?
Close to expat residential areas such as Bukit Timah, Farrer Road, Wessex Estate and Holland Village, as well as the Dover Road ‘educational corridor’, all schools (infant through to senior) share the same 11.3-acre campus – and they make the most of every square inch of space.
The infant, junior and senior schools have their own building and sit on three sides to form a quad around a large Astroturf; on the fourth side is the Nixon Building, which houses the canteen, offices and large performance hall. In 2023, the much-anticipated Tanglin Centenary Building opened its doors. The 11-storey state-of-the-art building accommodates 23% of the total floor space on campus and houses a cross-section of facilities to benefit the entire Tanglin community.
The building is students’ and families’ first point of entrance when they visit the school. Highlights of the new building include new music facilities, enhanced sporting facilities such as an aquatics centre with an Olympic-length swimming pool, a 15 meter tall climbing wall designed and made by the Climbing World Championships wall maker, Walltopia, 1,300sqm gymnastics centre, an athletics development gym and a parent café.
All the walkways are covered (important in Singapore, where it rains a lot) but open and airy so the campus doesn’t get hot (also important in Singapore, where the sun shines a lot).
The school has an excellent and very well organised private bus network which criss-crosses Singapore - they even have two full time members of staff to ensure it all runs smoothly for families. Each bus has a 'Bus Aunty' who manages all pupils, from age 3 to 18, and there’s a designated drive-through area and drop-off for infant and junior parents. On the last day of the summer term all members of staff wave the children off on their final bus journey of the year, to the sound of the buses honking their horns!
Head
Since 2018, approachable Australian CEO Craig Considine has overseen Tanglin, upping sticks from the UK where he was head at Millfield School for a decade. He makes a big effort to be visible at coffee mornings and drinks evenings, and has earned the respect of the staff and community. He has also made slow but steady changes, moving the school towards being all-encompassing rather than solely focused on academics. Acting head of the Middle School is Peter O'Brian, head of the Upper School is Luke Hensman; overall Senior School head is Chris Seal.
Admissions
Tanglin has run at full capacity – around 2,800 students – for years. Families often use entry at Nursery or Reception (where it’s easier to get a place); the other way to bump your child up the list is through the Placement Rights scheme where parents make a significant contribution to the school in return for a Guaranteed (you get a place straight away) spot.
Entry is based on age-appropriate fluency in English (one parent must also be fluent in English so the school can communicate effectively), a positive attitude to learning, previous school reports and grades, an assessment, as well as the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment. No bursaries – although some families can use the Tanglin Foundation for support with activities such as school trips. In August 2024, the school welcomed its first ever cohort of music scholars, with up to 10 per cent fee remission included.
Academics
Pupils are supported academically at all stages of the school and how well-prepared they are for the next step of the journey. There’s a superb Personalised Options Plan (POP) programme for pupils in Year 11 to help students decide which direction to choose: the teachers make an assessment and rate each subject as to whether an individual is capable of taking it at A-level or IB (higher or standard level).
IGCSEs are offered in Year 11. Good range of subjects: maths is notably accomplished and further maths is offered at the same time to the best students and anyone looking to continue at A-level or higher level IB. Students are streamed for sciences and languages. Very few take two languages at IGCSE stage, but the school will try to accommodate where they can. Psychology, economics, business studies, computer science and film studies are all popular. Lots of support in the lead-up to exams, with subject clinics on offer at lunchtime and after school. In 2024, 77% of iGCSE students achieved A*-A, 99% achieved A*-C.
Co-curricular
Plenty of drama productions and music events to get involved in (Battle of the Bands is popular); around 450 students across the school are learning to play an instrument. The fabulous film suite attracts a lot of students at GCSE level – the Mac computers are loaded with packages including Final Cut Pro X for video editing, Cinema 4D for 3D animation, Adobe After Effects for compositing and motion graphics, plus there’s a Foley pit to create sound effects, a screening room and a film studio with green screen.
Seen as a good school for sports, Tanglin sits in the top leagues both in Singapore and FOBISIA (Federation of British International Schools in Asia) and seniors regularly scoop up championship titles across disciplines. All teams are called the Tanglin Lions and there’s real pride among students at representing the school. Rugby, football and swimming are especially strong, and archery was recently added to the list of CCAs. The facilities might not be extensive, but the school definitely makes the best of the space they have – putting nets on top of buildings and utilising the many internal halls that can be used whatever the weather.
As you’d expect at a school this size, there’s a vast range of co-curricular – from creative clubs to sport, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (it takes the place of the National Youth Achievement Award that has been run in previous years). There’s also the new Highlands Programme for Year 9s, who spend five weeks at the Tanglin Gippsland Campus in the heart of Australia’s rural Victoria. Alongside their studies, which focus on biology, geography, outdoor education, there are also academic field trips, community service and group problem solving projects. Mobile phones are put away and students write letters home to tell parents of their news.
School community
Truly international. Although predominantly British, there are over 50 nationalities at the school and the parent community is solid, celebrating one another’s cultural diversity and customs. We love the sound of the parent ambassadors scheme where current parents show prospective families around. This works particularly well as expat parents understand the concerns of those relocating, especially first-timers. Each student is allocated a buddy before they start to help show them the ropes, and a house system runs through the whole school, with house events a key part of the calendar.
There is also the Tanglin Institute, a facility dedicated to looking at what the educational needs will be in 20 years and preparing students to be ‘future-ready.’
And finally....
Pastoral care is top notch - at the senior level, the support is there and children are encouraged to seek it out, either for themselves or friends if they feel it might be necessary. Excellent counselling team and workshops for parents on mental wellbeing.