| United World College of South East Asia | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Dover, Singapore Tampines, Singapore Singapore |
|
| Information | |
| Type | International Baccalaureate school |
| Established | 1971 |
| Affiliation | United World Colleges |
| Website | http://www.uwcsea.edu.sg |
The United World College of South East Asia (abbreviation: UWCSEA) is an independent, international school in Singapore. The school's main campus is in Dover Road. A second campus was opened in 2008 in Ang Mo Kio (this is a temporary campus which is now replaced by a permanent second campus in Tampines). UWCSEA is the largest of the 13 United World College (UWC) schools, a movement founded by the German educationalist Kurt Hahn with the mission of bringing together students from all over the world and developing them as global citizens. The UWC movement aims to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.
Since its founding, UWCSEA has offered full secondary school education. In the late-1990s the school expanded and now also offers full primary education. Today the Dover Campus takes students from the age of four. The number of students on the Dover Campus (Kindergarten 1 - Grade 12) is over 2,900. Once the UWCSEA East Campus is at full capacity in 2015, the additional 2,500 available places will swell the number of students to 5,400.
UWCSEA is somewhat different from many of its sister colleges in the UWC movement, most of which are wholly boarding institutions which offer only a two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for mainly scholarship students of around 16–19 years of age. UWCSEA has always been a full secondary school taking in students from age 11, and has offered primary education since the late-1990s. While the majority of students are children of expatriates in Singapore, there are also around 200 boarders at the Dover campus, most of whom come from neighbouring countries in Asia or are children of expatriates living in the region. A small percentage of the students at the College come on scholarships organised by UWC National Committees from around the world. There are around 40 scholars aged 11–19 at the school. Unlike most of the schools in the UWC movement, the majority of UWCSEA's pupils are fee-paying students. Singapore government policy prevents most citizens from attending international schools within the country, and therefore UWCSEA has the smallest percentage of local students of any UWC. There are over 20 nationalities represented on the staff.
UWCSEA was the first UWC to be invited to become a Round Square school, and is now a full member of the Round Square movement, which also shares a commitment to the principles of Kurt Hahn.
UWCSEA has high annual pass rates for GCSE and IB examinations. The Good Schools Guide International's review of the school, states that: "This school has a deservedly good reputation academically but offers far more than exam success to its students...This is not a school for those who would be happy to sit on the sidelines or for those with substantial educational needs.".[1] UWCSEA was named on Lifestyle Boutique's "Top 10 Schools In The World".
Contents |
In 1970, the site on which UWCSEA's Dover Campus now stands was occupied by the St John's Army School, run by the British Army, but in the light of British military withdrawal from Singapore in 1971, it was due to be vacated. Lord Mountbatten, then the President of the UWC movement, was keen to set up a United World College in Singapore and the Singapore government was equally keen to have a school for the education of the children of expatriates.
The school was opened as the Singapore International School in 1971 in an official opening ceremony attended by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The Singapore International School was affiliated with the United World College movement, and formally became a member of the movement in 1975, changing its name to the United World College of South East Asia.
Originally a secondary-only school, UWCSEA Dover today has a primary section which takes students as young as four. The total number of students (Kindergarten 1 - Grade 12) is now over 2,900.
In 2006, Singapore's former Ambassador to the United Nations and former President of the United Nations Security Council Kishore Mahbubani was appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors.
UWCSEA's East Campus opened its doors on 1 September 2008 in a transitional campus in Ang Mo Kio. Initially a Kindergarten 1 - Grade 4 primary school for 420 students, by 2015 UWCSEA East will offer over 2,500 places to Kindergarten 1 - Grade 12 students, including 120 boarders.
Students in all grades are involved in social service projects, which fall into three categories:
Within the Singapore community, UWCSEA supports over 60 Social Services programmes, working with groups such as with disadvantaged children, the aged, and the disabled. This program is introduced as early as Grade 3, and becomes a fundamental aspect of the curriculum from High School onwards.
Global Concerns represent a number of organisations within UWCSEA that seek to integrate an awareness of global development, educational and environmental issues into the College's education programme, supplementing the College values. These programs likewise become integral aspects of education within the College. Global Concerns projects are usually linked with an associated organization within the target country, allowing students to work towards a goal and subsequently see their efforts put into action.
Initiative for Peace was founded by a group of students and teachers at UWCSEA in 2001 as an action-based programme that extends beyond the UWC movement. It offers UWCSEA students the opportunity to promote international understanding and reconciliation in areas of conflict.
United Nations Day celebrations are a major event at the school each year, marked by cultural performances and an international food fair. UWCSEA celebrates a UWC Day each year, undertaking activities in order to raise awareness of the mission of the UWC movement and the values of UWCSEA.
Expeditions out of Singapore are a major emphasis of the school's education program. Most students begin annual expeditions from the age of eight as part of the college curriculum, often travelling to nearby countries. As they age, they begin travelling further and further afield, culminating in a Project Week in the first year of IB (Grade 11). The college also offers outdoor educational experiences to enhance students' classroom experiences with cross curricular teaching and opportunities for learning outside of the classroom.
Project Week, which is compulsory for all Grade 11 students, requires students to undertake self-organised, low-cost travel group educational trips, normally outside Singapore. The trip generally lasts a week (as stated) and can be oriented according to the group's consensus - usually either a service based trip, where students work in schools, orphanages, animal sanctuaries and so on, putting into action the service work emphasized by the College, or action based trips, where students tackle personal challenges such as a climbing mountains or trekking across a countryside. The students organize the entire trip and manage their own money.
The Dover Campus has sports facilities such as an Olympic-sized swimming pool and training pool, astro turf and two grass pitches, tennis courts, two sports halls with basketball/volleyball courts, a gymnasium and fitness centre, a high-ropes course and rock-climbing walls. Similar facilities are planned for the East Campus at Tampines. The Dover Campus maintains teams in tennis, netball, rugby union, badminton, basketball, swimming, football, gymnastics, volleyball, floorball, athletics, sailing, and cricket. These activities usually include competitions that the students will take part in during the course of the year, such as SEASAC. There are also sporting activities run by the staff such as kickboxing, golf, rock-climbing, sailing and canoeing and muggle quidittch at the East campus.
Competitively, the school has also acquired a good reputation on Singapore's inter-school debating circuit. In 2007, the school's team won The Arena – a nationally-televised debate tournament in Singapore.
UWCSEA has a music department and there are musical ensembles that students can join. The Symphonic band (Brass and Woodwind), Percussion Ensemble, Jazz band, Senior String orchestra and Singers are available for participation by senior students (Grade 7 and above) of all skill levels, though auditions are required for some. Vocalists in grades 11 and 12 can join Cantabile, the school's a cappella vocal group. Auditions are required for this, and acceptance is limited.
There are also intermediate and junior music ensembles available for junior players. There is a performance held by the College every school term (three per year), an example being the annual OPUS concert (in term 1), held at the Esplanade Theatre. In addition, there are opportunities for students (especially those aiming to study music) to perform in Chamber concerts as part of smaller ensembles.
The school's drama department presents productions at the school's theatres, including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Cloudstreet, Sweet Charity and Oliver!.
UWCSEA Gap Year programme offers opportunities to put UWC values into practice in South East Asia before going to university, with opportunities to work human rights, environmental and child protection NGO’s, all of whom have direct connections to UWCSEA, either through Global Concerns or SeaLinks. 2008 saw 16 UWCSEA volunteers undertake Gap Year placements in Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia.
The Community Education Programme (CEP) is a fee-paying programme of sports and other activities offered by UWCSEA to the whole community within and outside of the College. It is an opportunity for those outside the College to be able to participate in activities that use Dover Campus's facilities.
|
United World College of the Atlantic · United World College of South East Asia · Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific · Waterford-KaMhlaba United World College of Southern Africa · Armand Hammer United World College of the American West · United World College of the Adriatic · Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture · Red Cross Nordic United World College · Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong · Mahindra United World College of India · United World College of Costa Rica · United World College in Mostar · United World College Maastricht |