Australian International School Singapore
Encyclopedia
The Australian International School Singapore (AISS) is an co-educational international school
in Singapore
. The school is owned and operated by Cognita
. The AISS has adopted a five subschool model comprising Preschool, Junior School (P–2), Primary
School (3–5), Middle School (6–9) and Senior
School (10–12).
In 2007 the school adopted the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) and in 2009 the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) for the primary and middle schools. The IB curriculum is taught in conjunction with New South Wales
Board of Studies syllabuses. Final year students take the New South Wales Board of Studies
Higher School Certificate examinations.
The subschool model allows each subschool to retain its independence while still enjoying the benefits of economies of scale that a large comprehensive school allows. Each sub-school has its own block of classrooms and its own teachers (except for Physical Education and Music). The pre-school, led by a director, is almost completely separate from the rest of the school. A Head of School is in charge of each of the sub-schools.
and New Zealand
. Very few Singaporean students attend the school, as the Singapore government's regulations prevent most of its citizens from attending international schools within the country. The average stay of a student is just over three years and the average stay of a teacher is over five years.
The principal is Peter Bond, formerly of Balwyn High School
a selective High School in Victoria, who started his tenure in 2002, following the departure of the founding principal, Coral Dixon. Bond's tenure has seen a modernisation of the school, particularly in the realm of Information Technology
, as well as the move to a new campus.
The anticipated enrolment for the beginning of 2010 is 2,400 students: 300 in Preschool, 600 in Junior School (P–2), 600 in Primary School (3–5), 600 in Middle School (6–9) and 300 in Senior School (10–12).
. It rapidly outgrew the facilities available there, and in 1994 it moved to Emerald Hill when the Singapore Chinese Girls' School
moved out. After three years, space again became tight and in 1997 the school moved to Ulu Pandan, where it took over the larger campus formally occupied by the Singapore American School
. This campus featured a 25-metre pool, two gymnasiums, a large playing field
, which was primarily used for cricket
and a smaller soccer pitch. By 2003, however, teaching space had run out, primarily due to a rapidly expanding primary school. This affected the secondary school; many secondary classrooms were converted to primary classrooms in the 2001/2002 holidays, with further modifications in subsequent holidays. Furthermore, the aging and decaying campus was falling apart, and tradesmen conducting repairs were an everyday sight.
In July 2003, AISS moved to a new campus along Lorong Chuan in Serangoon
. It was smaller than the Ulu Pandan campus and featured fewer grassed areas. Facilities at the new campus include a theatre
, a soundproof examination room, a 25-metre swimming pool
, tennis court
s, two indoor gym
nasiums, and the 'School Oval', a multi-purpose sports field
, primarily used for the codes of football
. The following September, the school was officially opened by then Deputy Prime Minister
of Australia
, John Anderson
and Singapore's then Acting Minister for Education, Tharman Shanmugaratnam
.
In June 2008 the school opened a purpose built Junior School which now sees the Pre-school and students to Year 2 housed in a separate campus adjacent to the main campus. Specialist areas are catered for with music, art, PE and ICT classrooms available to the younger students. There is a library.
. Cognita owns a number of independent school
s in the UK, and since 2007 has begun to expand its international schools. In late 2007, Cognita purchased Ausmore from its original founders, a consortium of approximately 20 private investors. Under the current owners, AISS has undergone change with new Pre-school and Junior School buildings and grounds opening (this expansion was started under the previous ownership group). In 2009, the Senior School expansion will begin.
International school
An International school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The school is owned and operated by Cognita
Cognita
Cognita is a private company which owns and operates independent schools throughout the United Kingdom. In addition, Cognita operates a number of international schools in Singapore, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam...
. The AISS has adopted a five subschool model comprising Preschool, Junior School (P–2), Primary
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
School (3–5), Middle School (6–9) and Senior
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
School (10–12).
In 2007 the school adopted the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) and in 2009 the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) for the primary and middle schools. The IB curriculum is taught in conjunction with New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Board of Studies syllabuses. Final year students take the New South Wales Board of Studies
Board of Studies, New South Wales
The Board of Studies is the state government education board in New South Wales, Australia. It provides educational leadership by developing the curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 12 and awarding of the secondary school credentials School Certificate and Higher School Certificate .-Presidents of...
Higher School Certificate examinations.
The subschool model allows each subschool to retain its independence while still enjoying the benefits of economies of scale that a large comprehensive school allows. Each sub-school has its own block of classrooms and its own teachers (except for Physical Education and Music). The pre-school, led by a director, is almost completely separate from the rest of the school. A Head of School is in charge of each of the sub-schools.
History
The school opened in 1993 with 32 students and seven teachers. By the end of that year, its enrolment had grown to 200. Today the school has around 2250 students and around 250 staff. The student body comprises over 40 nationalities, with 66% coming from AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Very few Singaporean students attend the school, as the Singapore government's regulations prevent most of its citizens from attending international schools within the country. The average stay of a student is just over three years and the average stay of a teacher is over five years.
The principal is Peter Bond, formerly of Balwyn High School
Balwyn High School
Balwyn High School is a state-run high school in the suburb of Balwyn North, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1954. As of 2009 it has some 2,000 students and over 180 staff, making it one of the largest schools in the inner-eastern suburbs of Melbourne or the third largest...
a selective High School in Victoria, who started his tenure in 2002, following the departure of the founding principal, Coral Dixon. Bond's tenure has seen a modernisation of the school, particularly in the realm of Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, as well as the move to a new campus.
The anticipated enrolment for the beginning of 2010 is 2,400 students: 300 in Preschool, 600 in Junior School (P–2), 600 in Primary School (3–5), 600 in Middle School (6–9) and 300 in Senior School (10–12).
Campus
The school's original campus was at Mount Sophia, the former campus of the Methodist Girls' SchoolMethodist Girls' School
Methodist Girls' School is a girls' independent school, consisting of two sections - the Primary School and Secondary School, located in Bukit Timah, Singapore. It is affiliated to the Anglo-Chinese School family and the Methodist Church in Singapore...
. It rapidly outgrew the facilities available there, and in 1994 it moved to Emerald Hill when the Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Singapore Chinese Girls' School is one of the oldest schools in Singapore having been founded in 1899. It is a full school with both primary and secondary divisions, taking in students between the ages of 6 and 16...
moved out. After three years, space again became tight and in 1997 the school moved to Ulu Pandan, where it took over the larger campus formally occupied by the Singapore American School
Singapore American School
RedWebsiteThe Singapore American School is a private international school in Singapore. Established in 1956, the school offers an American-based curriculum from preschool through to Grade 12 for approximately 3,800 expatriate students, making it the largest international school in the world...
. This campus featured a 25-metre pool, two gymnasiums, a large playing field
Playing field
A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions...
, which was primarily used for cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and a smaller soccer pitch. By 2003, however, teaching space had run out, primarily due to a rapidly expanding primary school. This affected the secondary school; many secondary classrooms were converted to primary classrooms in the 2001/2002 holidays, with further modifications in subsequent holidays. Furthermore, the aging and decaying campus was falling apart, and tradesmen conducting repairs were an everyday sight.
In July 2003, AISS moved to a new campus along Lorong Chuan in Serangoon
Serangoon
Serangoon is town situated in the central part of the city-state of Singapore, within the North-East Region. The Housing and Development Board housing estate of Serangoon New Town in Serangoon is one of the smaller new towns. Its town centre is known as Serangoon Central, and is the target of...
. It was smaller than the Ulu Pandan campus and featured fewer grassed areas. Facilities at the new campus include a theatre
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
, a soundproof examination room, a 25-metre swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s, two indoor gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasiums, and the 'School Oval', a multi-purpose sports field
Playing field
A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions...
, primarily used for the codes of football
Football
Football may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
. The following September, the school was officially opened by then Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, John Anderson
John Anderson (Australian politician)
John Duncan Anderson AO is a former Australian politician. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Leader of the rural-based National Party of Australia from July 1999 to July 2005.-Early years:...
and Singapore's then Acting Minister for Education, Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and Minister for Manpower. He previously served as the Minister for Education from 2003 to 2008...
.
In June 2008 the school opened a purpose built Junior School which now sees the Pre-school and students to Year 2 housed in a separate campus adjacent to the main campus. Specialist areas are catered for with music, art, PE and ICT classrooms available to the younger students. There is a library.
Ownership
AISS is privately owned by Ausmore Pte Ltd, a company registered in Singapore and owned by the UK parent company CognitaCognita
Cognita is a private company which owns and operates independent schools throughout the United Kingdom. In addition, Cognita operates a number of international schools in Singapore, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam...
. Cognita owns a number of independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
s in the UK, and since 2007 has begun to expand its international schools. In late 2007, Cognita purchased Ausmore from its original founders, a consortium of approximately 20 private investors. Under the current owners, AISS has undergone change with new Pre-school and Junior School buildings and grounds opening (this expansion was started under the previous ownership group). In 2009, the Senior School expansion will begin.