At One World International School, our parents and students come first. We understand that making the right decision about your child's education is not something to be taken lightly. Allow us to assist by answering any questions you may have. We've compiled a list of queries that we hope you will find helpful as you consider what to look for in an international school. This page contains additional information about our admissions process, curriculum and co-curricular activities.
If you can't find the information you're looking for, we invite you to complete our enquiry form and let us know how we can help.
We have been certified under the EduTrust Certification scheme from February 2020. Our EduTrust certification is valid from 12 February 2020 to 11 February 2024 and this allows us to support students who require a Student Visa in Singapore.
Our academic year starts in August and concludes at the end of June. We divide the academic year in to 4 terms of approximately 10 weeks.
We accept students throughout the academic year as long as there are places available in their respective grades and they meet the admissions criteria.
Our teachers come from all over the world and we are proud of the diversity of our teaching staff. We have teachers from Australia, Canada, China, India, Ireland, Philippines, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Srilanka, United Kingdom and United States of America to name a few places. Our teachers are also a reflection of our diverse student body.
Our Head of School is originally from the UK but has been in Asia for almost 20 years. All our teachers in Primary School are PYP IBO accredited and our Secondary Teachers are authorised to teach CIE IGCSEs and the IB DP.
IB PYP has a reputation for being an internationally-recognised transdisciplinary programme that allows students to make connections across different subject areas. The IB programmes encourage international-mindedness and citizenship skills in IB students. To do this, we believe that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. IB encourages a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, critically reflect, develop research skills, learn how to learn and participate in community service.
Authorisation is the process of having IB representatives visit the school for an evaluation. During this time they go through the school’s curriculum, assessment, planning, professional development and reporting procedures. They also discuss with administration, teachers, parents and students about what is going on in the school. OWIS is an IB World school and is authorised to offer the IB PYP and IB DP.
IB authorised schools participate in a range of professional development courses, workshops and events to strengthen their implementation of the IB programmes.
During the admission process, we check for the age appropriateness of a student for their grade, based on their date of birth. We also review a minimum of two years’ previous reports (not applicable for Grade 1 students and below) to assess the student’s academic ability and behaviour. An assessment or interview may be required should the reports not provide a clear understanding. There may also be an assessment for students who speak English as an additional language.
English is the language of instruction for all our programmes, except our Bilingual programme where Mandarin and English are equally used.
For students who are new to English, OWIS offers specialised English as an Additional Language (EAL) lessons with an EAL teacher. The number and frequency of EAL lessons required for each student are determined by the EAL teachers based on a pre-assessment. Each student’s progress is closely monitored throughout the EAL programme with a final assessment at the end of the programme.
In IB PYP there is a requirement for all schools to offer additional language tuition. At OWIS, our chosen language is Mandarin. Students are taught Mandarin using the same inquiry-based model and making as many links as possible with the Units of Inquiry.
Secondary students continue to learn Mandarin. Students have the option of choosing French or Spanish from Grade 8 based on certain criteria. In our IGCSE (Grades 9-10) and IB DP (Grades 11-12) programmes, we offer Mandarin, French and Spanish as foreign or modern language options for our students.
All formalities for admission can be completed online. However, if there is any assessment needed for a student before admission, the student will have to be present on campus for the assessment.
Yes, we have school buses that leave at the regular school departure time and school buses that are available to pick up students after their CCAs in school.
To maintain the diversity of our student population, we have a 30% cap for every nationality. Once the 30% limit for any one nationality is exceeded, students from that nationality are put on a waiting list for admission.
We don’t offer sibling discounts as our school tuition fees are very moderate for an IB World school. We offer academic merit scholarships to students and Covid-19 scholarships to families who meet the specified criteria.
Any yearly fee increase is no more than 1% above the Singapore inflation rate.
Early Childhood 1 (EC1) students do not have any learning-at-home assignments. From Early Childhood 2 onwards, there are no written assignments but EC2 and EC3 children have reading books that they take home. They also have Maths activities, such as measuring and counting, for each unit of inquiry. These at-home learning activities take no more than 15 minutes per day.
In Primary school, as our Units of Inquiry are inquiry based, most work is completed during the school day. We have noticed that many children will continue to research topics at home and will ask parents questions as they seek to deepen their understanding of material explored during class time. Each class teacher provides learning at home opportunities each week that is available on our communication app for students and parents to access.
In Secondary school, students have learning expectations at home on a regular basis based on their grade level. Subject-specific learning at home responsibilities increase as students progress through their secondary school years.
Grade outlines consisting of our school routines, timetables, curriculum and learning objectives for each grade level are given to parents at the beginning of the academic year.
Our Early Childhood and Primary teachers post weekly updates for parents on our parent communication app. Information regarding Secondary learning-at-home arrangements, timetables, assignments and exam schedules are posted on our Secondary school communication app. Parents of Secondary students receive regular updates from teachers on each subject and Pastoral care every month.
Our teachers are always available to share information regarding your child’s education and will happily answer any questions you have about current learning.
We take bullying very seriously at OWIS and have an Anti-bullying policy to assist students and parents. Our internal policies for staff members require administrators, teachers and staff members to remain vigilant and to recognise the signs of bullying among students. They actively work to prevent and resolve instances of bullying. This requires them to understand the signs of an isolated incident versus chronic bullying. If a report of bullying is made, all staff members treat it seriously and investigate it properly.
Kindness is one of our core values and we believe that by focussing on kindness, we create a positive culture in school where behavioural problems are minimised. We encourage students to be kind to each other and respect all members of our school community.
As part of our efforts to create a kind and positive culture at OWIS, we have developed several initiatives to support and encourage kindness, empathy and good behaviour. This includes Our Kindness Leaders programme, our Student Kindness Council, our behaviour agreements with students and our Pastoral care programme for secondary students.
We have a trained registered nurse on the school premises from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The sick bay is located behind the main reception area and has first-aid medication available for students, should they need it.
We have a designated staff member who fulfills the role of school counsellor. We are committed to keeping children safe and promoting the welfare and wellbeing of the children in our care. We aim to ensure that every student at OWIS feels that they have a trusted adult that they can confide in or communicate their concerns to. Our staff are regularly trained in relation to our professional safeguarding and child protection responsibilities.
We aim to ensure a safe and welcoming learning environment for all our students and we work with parents, when necessary, to ensure that appropriate support and interventions are in place to support their child.
As part of our Pastoral care programme, our secondary students meet in small groups with their form tutors each morning, where they get to know each other better, discuss any struggles they may be having, and are prepared in the right way for the day. This mentoring time helps students better connect with their teachers and one another.
Our secondary teachers work with our students to develop their self-discipline, self-motivation, self-confidence and independence. Our tutors also provide personalised support and guidance to students, whenever they need it, so that they are ready to embrace all challenges that life holds for them.
Tutor sessions include activities and study related to PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) Education and help students understand and develop resilience, self-esteem, risk management, teamwork and critical thinking in the context of health and well-being, relationships and living in the wider world.
Yes, Mandarin classes are a part of our Early Years curriculum. Students have two hours of Mandarin lessons per week.
Yes, we have educational visits and field trips for Early Childhood students to nearby parks, playgrounds and other places of interest. These trips may be directly linked to promoting knowledge, understanding and skills related to a particular unit of inquiry or to promote attributes of the IB learner profile. Parents may be invited to join these trips as responsible adults.
Yes, our Early childhood students are taught Phonics in a way that is systematic, organised and fun. Our approach meets young learners where they are and builds on existing concepts whilst helping them form new ones. For more information on our Phonics approach, you can download our Phonics ebook here.
Children have to be toilet trained before they start at OWIS but we do assist them, as needed.
We believe every child should receive every advantage that enables them to realise their fullest potential. It is important to harness the strength of each child and provide the necessary scaffolding to enable them to have a meaningful learning journey. We provide learning support through our Additional Needs team for children who have specific learning requirements to supplement their learning and development. We are also cognisant that it would be a disservice to place any child in a learning environment that is unable to meet their needs.
ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is characterised by a combination of impulsiveness, inattention and hyperactivity. Very often, this disorder continues into adulthood. Irrespective of cognitive and intellectual abilities, most children with ADHD are easily distracted and persistently exhibit disruptive behaviours across several environments such as school, home, supermarkets, etc. Often, despite high cognitive abilities, children with ADHD are unable to apply themselves to tasks that require sustained and continuous attention.
There are several known ways recommended to manage ADHD. These include medication, behaviour management and behaviour modification support, parental training and sensory integration. A collaborative and holistic plan for intervention is necessary to enable children with ADHD as well as their peers to have an optimum learning experience.
We encourage you to schedule an appointment with our friendly staff so that we may assess on a case-by-case basis the needs of your child and determine if and how we can meet our mutual goals for the optimum and holistic well-being of your child.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an umbrella term used to describe a broad range of developmental challenges mostly characterised by difficulty in communication, limited social skills and sensory sensitivities.
A diagnosis of Autism may be made as early as 18 months of age. Any person with such diagnosis may have varying degrees of autistic as well as intellectual abilities, thus making it imperative to provide different levels and kinds of support to enable them to have the optimum learning experience. Commonly known therapeutic support may be in the form of Occupational therapy, Speech therapy, Applied Behaviour Analysis and Remedial teaching.
We are mindful of the strategies and specific resources needed to support children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. At this point of time, we do not have a programme in place to support children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
We provide university counselling and career guidance to secondary students to help them make the right decision in their future academic and career journey. Our university placements and career guidance counsellor works with students from Grade 8 to Grade 12 to inform and guide them with subject choices in the IGCSE and IBDP according to their interests and potential career paths.
Our university guidance counsellor meets with students individually and in groups to counsel them regarding admissions procedures and scholarship opportunities for different courses and universities. Students are also provided with moral support and guidance with respect to college essays, personal statements and anything else required to get into their university of first choice.
Overseas field trips are not compulsory for students but provide a memorable experience for students and we encourage students to participate in these trips. However, it is upto parents or guardians to allow student participation. Typical places that students have visited in the recent past include Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.