United World College of South East Asia

United World College of South East Asia
Location
Dover and Tampines
Singapore
Information
Type
Established 1971
Head of College Chris Edwards
Teaching staff 568
Grades K-12
Enrolment 5280(both campuses)[1] (2015–2016)
Student to teacher ratio 10.7:1
Education system UWCSEA designed curriculum, IGCSE, IB Diploma
Campus type Suburban
Colour(s) Blue, White and Green
Mascot Phoenix (Dover campus)
Dragon (East campus)
Accreditation
Affiliation
Website https://www.uwcsea.edu.sg

The United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is an independent international school in Singapore, and a member of the United World College (UWC) movement. The school provides a K–12 education consisting of five interlinking elements: academics, activities, outdoor education, personal and social education and service. The UWCSEA learning programme leads to the IGCSE in Grades 9 and 10 and the IB Diploma in Grades 11 and 12. The school has two campuses, with around 3,000 students at the Dover Campus and 2,400 at the East Campus.

The school offers extensive sports, drama, visual art, music, clubs/societies and leadership activities, along with an outdoor education programme. All students contribute to the community as part of the service programme, which can involve service to the school community, the Singaporean community, and overseas communities. 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...".[3]

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 admits students from the age of 4 and, the majority of students are children of expatriates in Singapore. There are more than 300 boarders from 76 countries across both campuses, and over 100 students from 47 countries in grades 8-12 who are supported by scholarships. 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 30 nationalities represented in the teaching staff.

History

The site on which the Dover Campus now stands was previously occupied by St John's School, run by the British Families Education Service for the families of British military personnel. Due the British military withdrawal from Singapore in 1971, the Singapore government decided the best use for the site was as a private school for the children of expatriates. The Singapore International School was officially opened in 1971 by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. It 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 on the Dover Campus (Kindergarten 1 - Grade 12) is now over 3,000. UWCSEA's East Campus opened its doors on 1 September 2008 in a transitional campus in Ang Mo Kio. The East Infant School moved to its permanent home at the Tampines campus in 2010. 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. [4]

Campuses

The UWCSEA Dover Campus is located at Dover Road (1°18′10.88″N 103°46′38.68″E / 1.3030222°N 103.7774111°E / 1.3030222; 103.7774111). It is located near Dover MRT Station, next to Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), and is a next door neighbour to the British-based Dover Court International School. The UWCSEA East Campus is located at Tampines Street 73.

Both campuses have a campus-wide wireless network, and a central IT help desk for students. Interactive whiteboards are present in all classrooms. In Primary School, iPad and MacBook sets are provisioned in classrooms, and in grades 6–12 laptops are individually owned.

The Dover campus occupies 11 hectares, and the facilities include:

The East campus occupies 5.5 hectares, and the facilities include:

Learning Programme

The learning programming is guided by the UWC mission, which is to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. The programme consists of five interlinking elements: academics, activities, outdoor education, personal and social education and service.

Academics

Students from K1 to Grade 8 follow a UWCSEA-designed curriculum. Students in Grades 9 and 10 follow the IGCSE programme, with students entering in Grade 10 follow a Foundation IB (FIB) programme. Grade 11 and 12 students take the IB Diploma programme.

Activities

An after school activities programme is offered from Grade 2 onwards, though some fee-paying activities are available for K1 - Grade 1 students. The programme includes activities covering sports, arts (music, drama, visual art), leadership, clubs and special interests.

Sports available include athletics, badminton, basketball, climbing, cross country, cricket, football, gymnastics, hockey, netball, rugby, sailing, softball, swimming, tennis, touch and ultimate frisbee.

Outdoor education

The outdoor education programme provides students from Grade 1 to Grade 12 with opportunities to develop their independence, teamwork and resilience.

There is an annual compulsory trip from G1 to G9, starting with a sleepover in the school classroom for G1 and progressing to overseas trips in later years. In Grade 11 small groups of students research, plan and organise a low budget trip which combines adventure and service, and they travel to a site in the region unaccompanied. Additional optional overseas trips are also available in the middle school & high school.

Personal and social education

The personal and social education programme helps to ensure that students feel secure and valued, as well as encouraged in their learning, growth and social development. Students explore how they are connecting to their learning, friends, family, technology and the outside world.

The concepts covered are:

Service

Students in all grades participate in service projects. There are three categories of service:

Foundation

The UWCSEA Foundation is the fundraising arm of the college. The Foundation was established in 2008 and by 2015 had raised $12.4 million. The funds collected have supported initiatives including scholarships, teacher professional development and curriculum innovation, and environmental and sustainability programmes.

Alumni

An alumni relations programme was established in 2006 to connect former students to one another and the school. There are 10,420 alumni members located in 114 countries worldwide.

Notable Alumni

Mascot

The mascots for the United World College of South East Asia are the Dragon and the Phoenix. They represent the Yin and the Yang in Asian mythology. The East (Tampines Campus) is represented by the Dragon, while Dover bears the mascot of the Phoenix.

References

  1. ↑ UWCSEA at a glance
  2. ↑ Accreditation, memberships and registration
  3. ↑ http://gsgi.co.uk/countries/singapore/united-world-college-of-south-east-asia?
  4. ↑ "East Campus Infant Guide" (PDF). UWCSEA. UWCSEA. p. 4. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  5. ↑ https://www.redsports.sg/2011/09/20/red-sports-interview-mark-cheong/
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