Reflections 2013

Reflections March 2013

British-based learning with an international perspective

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02 Aims and Values

Tanglin Trust School’s Aims and Values

03 Governance

The Role of the Governing Body

04 Chief Executive Officer School Highlights & Key Information

06 Infant School

An Exciting and Inspiring Curriculum

08 Junior School

Preparing Children for Success

10 Senior School Building on Strengths

14 Financial Overview Overview of the Annual Budget

16 Examination Results Excellence and High Standards

18 Graduate Destinations University Placements from the Past 5 Years

19 Parent Teacher Association Supporting the Tanglin Community

20 Tanglin Circles Learning at Tanglin

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Contents

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Aims and Values To inspire and enthuse all students, whatever their talents, to be passionate about striving to achieve their full potential in their academic, sporting, creative and social endeavours.

We celebrate students’ personal fulfilment, achievement and success in all that they do, in and out of school. We are driven by our desire to teach students how to enjoy learning, playing and making friends.

To give each student a consistently excellent quality of education in a safe, secure and caring environment.

We allow students time and space to be who they are and begin to discover who they might become. Teachers should be fair, just, inspirational and generous in spirit. We value teachers who learn and learners who teach.

To nurture well-balanced students who have a strong sense of right and wrong, respect for both themselves and others and are well on their way to becoming responsible citizens.

We treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves. All members of the Tanglin community should model what we expect of students. We value the opportunity for all to take risks, learn from mistakes, express themselves and reflect on life and learning.

To ensure the continued relevance and sustainability of Tanglin so that it remains vital to Singapore and at the heart of the community it serves.

Tanglin is a community where everyone is valued and included. We value our parent community and encourage their participation in school life. Tanglin seeks to act ethically and according to the principles of social and environmental responsibility.

Governance 03

The governors of Tanglin Trust School (Tanglin) perform a vital role in supporting the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and his team to make the school as good as it possibly can be with clear vision, prudent financial management and high standards of achievement, within a challenging but caring environment.

As Chair of the Board of Governors I witness the full extent of the voluntary dedication and commitment of individual Board members doing their upmost to help, within the guidelines of governorship, the strategic development and future of the school. Some are parents of children at Tanglin and some are not, but each brings with them a set of skills and experiences that contribute to a proven and very successful school with eightyeight years of tradition here in Singapore.

Dominic Nixon, Chair of the Board of Governors and Peter Derby-Crook, Chief Executive Officer

The governing body breaks down its work to subcommittees to give due attention to; Education, Finance, Human Resources, Development and Buildings Policies. All subcommittees report to the Board where collective decision making takes place.

Governors are responsible for the school’s legal and regulatory compliance and are supported in this by a corporate secretary. Day to day implementation of school policies is delegated to the CEO and his management team.

As a governing body we are keen to see the school develop to meet the needs of today’s children and tomorrow’s adults. Our deliberations, and directions to the CEO and his management team, ensure the school strives to stay relevant to modern Singapore, maintains high standards, offers a varied and challenging curriculum and builds a reputation for its pastoral care.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the Board of Governors for the significant time and energy they devote to their important role.

Dominic Nixon, Chair of the Board of Governors

DID YOU KNOW...

The Junior School was recently awarded ‘Outstanding’ in the recent Ofsted BSO (British Schools Overseas) inspection. In the previous inspections in 2012 and 2011, the Infant and Senior Schools were also awarded ‘Outstanding’ illustrating the consistency of high standards, achievement and learning across the whole school.

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Tanglin Trust School Mission Statement Tanglin Trust School Singapore has a long tradition of providing British-based learning with an international perspective. At Tanglin we strive to make every individual feel valued, happy and successful. Responsibility, enthusiasm and participation are actively encouraged and integrity is prized. Working together in a safe, caring yet stimulating environment, we set high expectations whilst offering strong support, resulting in a community of lifelong learners who can contribute with confidence to our world

Chief Executive Officer Welcome to this second edition of ‘Reflections’ where we pull together the school highlights and share with you some key information. As always, we welcome your feedback to help improve future editions. This copy is different from the first, responding to research and parental feedback – thank you! As always we are guided by our Mission Statement (above), in striving to develop a bespoke curriculum driven by the Learner Profile in the context of Our World and underpinned by high achievement.

The economic uncertainty and turbulence across the world has certainly impacted on a number of our families with individuals and companies taking stock of their commitments here in Singapore. Alongside this, it appears that new industries are relocating to Singapore and bringing with them new families and applications. The result is a steady student roll of around 2,700 with the large wait-lists (particularly for Infant and Junior places), remaining. The annual turnover of families has been matched by new applications with most year groups at capacity and numbers slightly rising in the Sixth Form College. Presently, we have no plans to extend the school further than the eight forms per year group to Year 11 and approximately 300 students in the Sixth Form College.

For a number of years Tanglin has been inspected in the UK Ofsted mode by registered Ofsted inspectors. However, the inspection could never be referred to as an ‘Ofsted’ inspection nor could it be registered on the Ofsted website. The UK government has finally (following considerable lobbying), introduced a British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection, which is every bit as rigorous as the state and independent registered UK inspections. Overseas schools that pass the BSO inspection now have UK recognition and reports will be logged and available on the UK Ofsted website. BSO inspected schools will also attract other benefits and recognition for their teachers and curriculum.

Tanglin Junior School recently undertook one of the first BSO inspections with three registered inspectors (provided by UK authorised provider CfBT), intensely studying and observing the school. We are delighted that the Junior School was awarded ‘Outstanding’ in every category by the inspectors.

In the previous two inspections, our Infant and Senior Schools were also awarded ‘Outstanding’, illustrating the consistency of high standards, achievement and learning across the whole school.

Since the last time Reflections was published there have been a number of headline events. The London Olympics captured everyone’s imagination and stimulated increased participation in sport, our Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) programme and team events. The inclusion of one of our Alumni in the British team (Laura Robson, Tennis), brought the games even closer to us. One of the many successes of the games was the elevated profile of the Paralympics which generated great interest and excitement.

These athletes demonstrated particular resilience and (to use the latest buzz word), ‘grit’. As the world watched the total games experience, so did our students, learning how to strive, win and lose without being ‘a loser’! The ethical discussions surrounding drug enhancing practices have raised interesting topics at school.

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations were quintessentially British, even here in Singapore! The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) served up a super community Jubilee themed celebration Fete which made everyone feel ‘closer to home’ at this special time. Particularly impressive was the infant ‘Big Lunch’ which sprawled all the way down the infant walkway with brightly decorated (in red, white and blue), trellis tables topped off with metres and metres of bunting. These events brought the Tanglin community together in a very special way and reinforced our bond with and loyalty to the school.

The visit to Singapore by HRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge created much anticipation and excitement that was duly rewarded. Over three hundred lucky students and staff saw the royal couple at very close quarters in the Gardens by the Bay and even managed to ask a few pertinent questions. One of the more personal questions has now clearly been answered!

The 2012 external examination results were very good indeed at I/GCSE, International Baccalaureate and A Level. Some analysis of these is provided in later pages. The Sixth Form College results facilitated students accessing their universities of choice including Oxbridge. The full range of universities is featured later in this edition. We wish our 2012 graduates well in their postTanglin endeavours; we are very proud of them.

This school year is a particularly exciting one for students and teachers in Year 6 and Year 7 as we launched a large scale pilot to test the use of iPads as personal devices, which students have been taking with them to all their lessons. Whilst this can be seen as a quite natural progression from our already extensive use of technology for learning, it does represent a very significant step in terms of the ease of access that students have to their electronic resources and to the internet. The pilot at this stage has been very successful and it looks like iPads or similar devices will become, in the next few years, just another item in the school bag for many more students. Our vision for technology at Tanglin, derived from the responses to parent and staff surveys and the views expressed by focus groups is as follows: Tanglin Trust School embraces new technology wherever it supports our mission. Staff are confident users of technology and are encouraged to be innovative. Students use technology to inquire, communicate and safely take risks. When they move on from Tanglin, they are confident users of current technology in a range of contexts, understanding the benefits, limitations and risks associated with its use.

We are gathering feedback from the Years 6 and 7 iPad pilot and will communicate to students and parents the results and what happens next before the end of Term 2.

We were delighted as a school to be awarded the British Chamber of Commerce Business Award for Education and Training. Our drive to recognise and include all members of our community as important and fellow life-long learners caught the eye of the judges and the award has encouraged us to continue work in this important area of Human Resources.

We opened this school year with a number of new facilities in place including the five storey West Wing extension to the Senior School, a new location for the Senior School reception and offices, a new fitness suite and changing rooms, a new Astro turf sports pitch on top of the Junior School building, a new Junior office entrance and a resurfaced running track at JHJ Sports Ground. During this school year we will install new pedestrian pathways and gates at Gate C and on the corner of the site by the Sixth Form College. We also hope to have permission soon to build a traffic exit road in front of the new Senior School Office making drop-off and pick-up times more efficient and safer.

As many of you will know, the lease for our school site runs for another ten years here at One North. The Board has for some time been talking with the Singapore authorities about plans beyond 2023. The community will be informed as soon as these discussions are conclusive.

Tanglin Trust School never stands still and neither is it complacent. We try to strike a balance between development and improvement, and consistency and continuity. The two overarching goals in our Strategic Plan, are: ‘To further establish a shared vision of Our World’ and ‘To foster a vibrant learning community’. I acknowledge that we still have work to do on both of these, but, I hope that in reading this edition you will see evidence that we are strongly moving towards them.

Peter Derby-Crook, CEO

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When trying to succinctly answer the question ‘What are we trying to do as a school?’ our answer is that we are ‘learning about Our World and our place in it’. This seems to encapsulate our ultimate goal. It’s not surprising then that we have adopted ‘Our World’ as an overarching title to help us recognise the wide range of learning opportunities the school provides. Our World Day in October 2012 epitomised this concept with the school community collaborating across not only year groups but schools in an effort to think ‘outside the box’ and problem solve with the help of others. I am greatly reassured by the potential of our children to collaborate in finding effective solutions to the big picture problems that lie ahead for us all.

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Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Developing an exciting and inspiring curriculum The Infant School has been actively developing a curriculum that we hope not only inspires but excites the children and the teachers. Whilst we hold true to the overarching principles of the English National Curriculum which provides a framework for our key teaching and learning intentions, we firmly believe that equipping our young 21st century learners with the relevant skills and knowledge to help them move forward into the unknown is now our primary duty as teachers.

Providing a curriculum that is innovative, challenging and, at the same time, excites the learner is our key motivator. With the advent of so many learning technologies, children are now able to find information from many sources; the teacher is no longer ‘the fount of all knowledge’. However, the skills the children need to be able to access and apply their knowledge need to be taught and acquired.

The acquisition of skills and knowledge in a vibrant learning environment is at the heart of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. The Nursery and Reception teams, led by Victoria Thomas and Sonya Stevens respectively, have been working on the revised EYFS framework that came into force in September 2012. The teams are making adjustments within their curriculum planning, delivery and assessment, to reflect the shifting emphasis to three prime areas of learning and development, namely: communication and language; physical development; and personal, social and emotional development. The children will also be supported in four specific subjects, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific subjects are literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design. The EYFS Heads of Year are also working closely with our Applications team to refine the ‘In-House’ electronic EYFS assessment arrangements, so the end of the Foundation Stage Profile reflects the summative judgements of the Reception teachers, based on the reduced number of early learning goals, from 69 to 17.

Whist we believe a broad and balanced curriculum is important to meet the needs of all our children, we also recognise the importance of regularly reviewing our curriculum relevance. To this end, an additional Chinese lesson has been added to the Year 2 timetable and we aspire to commit more time to a second lesson in Year 1. Enrichment classes have also been introduced in Year 1 to support those children who have had greater exposure to Mandarin and already speak the language. ICT is another area of the curriculum that has been invested in over the last year with initiatives, involving a range of mobile technologies being introduced to the children, iPads, digital cameras... to enhance the learning opportunities available. Integrated learning themes have been further developed by our Key Stage 1 colleagues with key skills being highlighted and specialist subjects being more closely linked to the core classroom learning.

The Tanglin Learner Profile attributes have been actively promoted by all staff and talked about more spontaneously by children when referring to their learning. The Assistant Headteacher, working closely with the Head of PSHCE, has regularly raised everyone’s consciousness, through assemblies, workshops and special days, about their importance in helping the children develop as effective 21st century learners.

Encouraging the student voice Endeavouring to put the children at the centre of their learning, we have provided greater opportunity for the ‘student voice’ to be heard. The children are now talking about their learning in terms of what they already know, what they would like to find out and how they might go about it. The Student Council, representing all Infant children and chaired by the Deputy Headteacher, have also been passionate advocates for all that is good in the world. They have regular minuted meetings, and termly working lunches with the CEO in the Boardroom to share the collective feedback of the Infant School student community.

Looking beyond our own school community has also been important to us. We have tried to help our children appreciate and respect the ‘same but different’ aspects of the cultures within Singapore by increasing the range of opportunities for them to forge links with children in local school communities. Children from Yuhua Primary School, Jamiyah Kindergarten and Chen Su Lan Children’s home have all been hosted for a range of shared learning experiences and have been gracious hosts in return.

More such initiatives are planned for in the coming months.

Supporting transition Enabling our children to successfully transition from one stage of their education to the next is a pastoral element of the school experience that we and our colleagues in the Admissions team have been working hard on during the last year. Forging greater links with local pre-Nursery settings and making earlier contact with prospective parents has enabled us to prepare the families more effectively for entry into Tanglin. Our Nursery ‘Taster Day’ programme has proven successful in allaying some of the concerns and answering questions that many of our ‘first time’ families might have. By the time our youngest children joined the school in Term 1 many of them already knew their classroom and Nursery environment, which made starting a little easier for all! However, it is not just our youngest children that need to be considered, a successful transition from Year 2 to Year 3 is equally important in ensuring our oldest children make the move to the Junior School with confidence and ease. Much has been done to refine the process, with Term 3 of the last academic year having a clear and well planned programme of Year 3 ‘Taster’ experiences for our Year 2 children. Responding to parental feedback the parents’ meeting was much earlier in the term which enabled them to be more prepared to support their children through the transition phase.

Communicating with home As part of the home school relationship, keeping parents informed of their children’s learning has been a school-wide focus. We have been working very closely with our Communications team to provide more detailed weekly and termly on-line and printed literature. Encouraging the parent body to make use of the TTS Portal has taken time but more and more families are now accessing it with greater regularity to keep abreast of their child’s activities and reports.

As you can see, the Infant School is under constant review and development. We are looking closely at our premises to see how we can improve the resources and spaces available to our staff, children and community. More will be revealed in the future.

For the time being, we are delighted to have a school where both children and staff are happy to be and learn.

Geraldine Chandran, Headteacher, Infant School

DID YOU KNOW...

Tanglin won the category of ‘Education and Training Excellence’ at the Business Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2012.

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Nurturing a community that cares Another key motivator for us has been the desire to ensure that everyone who works in the Infant School, children and adults, are happy and feel part of a community that cares. Nurturing the need for empathy, tolerance, trust and respect have been very high on our pastoral agenda in the last year. The Big Jubilee Lunch, held in June last year, and Our World Day, held last term were fine examples of the school community coming together in the spirit of friendship and fun. Over the last few terms we have also held special Awareness Weeks that have proved very successful in drawing attention to important life skills. These included: Road Safety Week; Safer Internet Day; Bug Busting Week; Sun Smart Week. In light of all the work that has taken place over the last eighteen months regarding the children’s health and well being, the school was awarded the UK’s ‘Healthy School‘ mark last November.

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Year 3 - Year 6 At this term’s lunchtime recital, Year 6 students, Beth Simons, Ellie Smith-Coates and Emma Reynolds stole the hearts of the audience with their stunning performance of the song ‘When I Grow Up’ from the West End musical Matilda. The lyrics of the song express Matilda’s determination to succeed in life despite its ups and downs and are highly aspirational. Preparing your children for success lies at the very heart of what we are about as a school. We live in exponential times. From the acceleration of technological development, to climate change and ever increasing globalisation, the world is changing dramatically. It is important that our school reflects these changes and developing a bespoke curriculum has been our key focus in the Junior School this year. Against a context of rapid change, the need for core values is greater than ever and our development of the curriculum has been driven by the whole-school learner profile qualities and commitment to Our World. It has been a real pleasure observing these developments unfold in the classroom, on the stage and on the sports field and I would like to thank the dedicated members of staff whose passion for learning has made this possible.

Developing a bespoke curriculum “The Junior School has developed its curriculum extremely well over recent years.” Chris Quigley, Curriculum Consultant.

Building upon our structured approach to teaching the core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics, our development of the curriculum has seen a shift in emphasis from content coverage to the acquisition and application of skills. In line with the whole-school commitment to nurturing lifelong learners, the impact of this transition has been higher levels of engagement, motivation and independence. While it remains essential for children to know the right answers it is increasingly important that they are able to ask the right questions as well.

In recognition of its commitment to educating the whole child the Junior School was honoured to receive the UK Healthy Schools Award. A key development in this aspect of the curriculum has been the introduction of the pastoral hour, which has made a positive impact on children’s social emotional learning. As one teacher reflected, “children are able to deal with issues more independently. Discussion has lead to understanding of different points of view and the time to work together has helped my class bond and become a successful team.”

The introduction of new topics such as Ancient China in Year 4 and Incredible India in Year 3, highlight the way in which we continue to develop the programme of study to reflect our international setting. Children learn exactly the same historical and geographical skills as their peers in the UK, but in a context that is relevant to them. Opportunities to sample a Chinese tea ceremony or learn an Indian dance provide memorable experiences and enrich the curriculum. Explicit links are being made within the curriculum to charities relating to the programmes of study. The positive impact of this has been acknowledged by organisations working closely with the Junior School: “We are simply overwhelmed and moved by your students’ sincere commitment and very objective interest towards global developmental projects,” Abha and Prabhakar Goswami, founders of I-India. In recognition of its ‘outstanding development’ of a curriculum with international perspective, the Junior School was honoured to receive the International School Award from the British Council.

The Junior School has established the school’s Head of Gifted & Talented (G&T) as a full time position in order to develop provision for the most able pupils. The impact of this was reviewed by Ian Warwick, Senior Director of London Gifted and Talented, in October 2012 who found that: “the provision is a clear strength and an exciting part of children’s learning in the school. The Head of G & T and the leadership team are fully aware of their strengths and the next innovative steps that they can take and are already planning for this.” A similar process of review is taking place in Learning Support as the school continues to enhance the way in which it meets the needs of individuals and groups.

The systematic enhancement of specialist provision has made a significant impact on the breadth and quality of the curriculum and dramatically increased the opportunities available to Junior School children. The most striking change has been the introduction of a full-time drama teacher and the development of a dedicated Junior School Drama Studio, with kind support from the PTA. One of the highlights of the year was the official opening of the studio by the cast from Horrible Histories, who have provided workshops for children in Year 3 and Year 5. Loose Cannon visited children in Years 4 and 6 to present their highly

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energetic and engaging Sideshow performance. The children loved the range of characters and settings Jonny and Liesel created, a particular favourite was a rather humorous interpretation of the Emperor’s New Clothes. Increased staffing in ICT has been matched by the development of the inspirational collaborative learning zone in Year 6 and investment in resources including tablet technology. Increased staffing in Chinese has been matched by the development of two dedicated Chinese language classrooms and investment in Chinese reading books for the library. The introduction of our Chinese as an additional language programme has been a positive development. Increased staffing in music has been matched by the introduction of class sets of violins and ukuleles, again with kind support from the PTA. While increased staffing in PE has been matched by a new teaching space on the roof. Many of these developments originated from suggestions from our Parent Year Group (PYG) forum and I would like to thank all those parents who contributed to this valuable process.

Commitment to high standards Underpinning curriculum development is our unswerving commitment to high standards. It can be difficult to convey this in a way that really captures the very special and personal nature of academic progress. I see it every week when children come to my study to show me their books and share their successes. There is nothing quite like that beaming smile as a child walks through my door. Collectively, these individual successes contribute to a whole school culture of achievement. As an accredited member of the Independent Association of Prep Schools the Junior School seeks to benchmark itself against the very best. The 2011/2012 Year 6 results were the highest ever and compared favourably with the UK independent sector. High standards were also reflected in the outstanding success of Year 3 children in the English Speaking Board assessments and Year 6 children in the UK Mathematics Trust challenge.

Celebrating success Junior School children have flourished this year and there have been numerous highlights to celebrate. It was a privilege to listen to our first recipients of the High Commissioner Award, a bespoke Junior School version of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, reflect on their experiences at a memorable ceremony hosted by His Excellency Antony Phillipson at Eden Hall. On the stage, Year 4 delivered a compelling message about sustainability in their powerful performance of Big Beautiful Planet, while Year 6 are set to impress with their upcoming production of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Junior School musicians perform for us at every assembly and have entertained the community at events ranging from the Year 3 and 4 Choir singing at Chen Su Lan Children’s Home to ensemble groups playing at the PTA Diamond Jubilee Fete. The Young Musician of the Year Concert provided a fitting stage for our most able musicians to perform, while the introduction of whole class violin lessons extended opportunities for a much wider group of children. Open mic sessions on the outdoor stage prove highly popular at break time. With increased provision in Drama, the Junior School has become the first international school in the world to be granted permission to enter children for the UK Arts Awards, starting with the Arts Award ‘explore’ and ‘discover’ certificates. This pilot has been integrated into the CCA programme and will give our children the opportunity to reflect on their own interests and consider how the arts surround us here in Singapore.

On the running track, the athletes of Harimau House dominated the four sports days winning the Year 3, Year 4 and Year 6 events to claim the overall title. It was a memorable year with several long-standing Junior School records being broken by outstanding individual performances. All children received a commemorative medal for the 2012 Tanglin Mini Olympics. In the swimming pool, it was Singa House that dominated, winning the Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 galas to claim the overall title. Again, several long-standing Junior School records were broken including a superb swim by Elang’s Aryaan Din, Year 5, who broke the 50m backstroke record in 45.57sec. The record was 10 years old, which means Aryaan had just been born when it was set. This year has also seen the inauguration of the ‘Murphy Cup’, a Junior School house football tournament named after Alastair Murphy, who retired in July 2012. Mr Murphy’s passion for football over a period of 35 years of teaching has left a long lasting influence on hundreds of children and I am thrilled that we can honour his contribution in this way.

As usual, ‘Team Tanglin’ has enjoyed considerable success in competitive sports fixtures in Singapore and across the region, with standout performances at the Federation of British International Schools in South East Asia (FOBISSEA) Games in Bangkok, the Phuket football tournament and the Athletic Conference of Singapore International Schools (ACSIS) cross country championships.

I was delighted to join more than 300 children and staff in this year’s Swimathon, which raised more than $5,000 for CandleAid Lanka.

Getting better never stops In April 2012, we conducted the Assessment of School Climate, a comprehensive survey of the Junior School community. The findings of the survey indicate a very positive school climate with a very large majority of stakeholders believing that the Junior School provides a safe and caring environment in which children really learn and develop important life skills for the future. I took great satisfaction from these results but the most valuable outcome of the process was the wide range of feedback that we received to help inform our future development. It has been a successful year for the Junior School but we are not remotely complacent. Like Matilda, we are looking forward and aiming even higher.

David Ingram, Headteacher, Junior School

DID YOU KNOW...

Last year, over 2,000 travelling students spent a total of 6,000 nights overseas in 11 different countries over 4 continents.

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Year 7 - Year 13 The 2011 Ofsted report on Tanglin’s Senior School highlighted many areas of strength, awarding us ‘outstanding’ in 30 categories.

We have built further on that foundation while maintaining a clear direction based on Tanglin’s Mission Statement, ‘Our World’ values and Learner Profile attributes. Some key factors that support our ambition to improve our provision include the high expectations of students, staff and parents; excellent resources and facilities; a dynamic and progressive curriculum presided over by an enthusiastic and committed staff; well-focused and timely professional development; a strong pastoral care system; and a forward-looking technology team.

Enjoying new facilities It is gratifying to see both students and staff embrace the new West Wing as the most recent addition to the Senior School. Both the Senior School and Sixth Form College now provide a learning environment that is modern, effective and encouraging. While the sights and sounds of science, music, maths and languages have expanded to fill the corridors and classrooms of the West Wing, the examination hall on the top level has proved to be a real bonus for assemblies, professional development and parentteacher conferences. In addition, the provision of a fitness centre for older students offers considerable encouragement for those seeking to improve their personal fitness, and is also a great boost for some of our teams given the close proximity of the swimming pool and green deck.

Celebrating achievement Academic results remain excellent. At I/GCSE, 85% of all grades achieved were A* to B and 27% of all grades achieved were A*.

96% of students achieved five or more passes at A* to C and six students achieved 10 A* grades or more. Our 2012 A Level cohort of 76 students had a 100% pass rate with 88% of their grades in the range A* to C, and two students achieving a commendable 4A*s. Our second International Baccalaureate (IB) cohort of 43 students achieved an outstanding overall average points score of 36.8 (compared with the global average of 29.8), with approximately one third of the cohort scoring 40 points or more. This would place Tanglin in a top position in the UK IB School league table. Two students scored 45 points, the maximum possible and achieved by only 109 students in the May 2012 exam schedule.

The great majority of our 2012 graduates secured places at their universities and colleges of first choice including LSE, Imperial, Kings, Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Durham, Bristol, Edinburgh and UCL. The 2012/13 intake looks set to continue this admirable track record with nine students gaining conditional offers from Oxford or Cambridge, in addition to others receiving impressive offers from other high quality educational institutions, both within the UK and globally.

An uplifting Senior School Awards Evening in September 2012 recognised those students who had achieved academic excellence in the Upper School and those nominated in the Main School for overall outstanding achievement. There were also subject awards for Year 12 AS and IB students; recognition for Student Leadership and citizenship; and the Simon Hebert Award, which is given for exceptional effort and endeavour in mathematics. The evening was also a tribute to the encouraging and supportive work of staff throughout the school.

DID YOU KNOW...

As a whole school, Ch@t (Charities at Tanglin) recorded 127 Events/Activities for 2011/12, supporting over 53 non-profit, charitable organisations and raising a grand total of $208,098!

Commitment to pastoral care Two significant factors in the last two academic years have driven Pastoral Care in the Senior School. First, the 2011 pre-Ofsted Climate Survey yielded thought-provoking soundbites from students about their connection to the school and the levels of mutual respect in some cohorts. The second prominent event was the death of Oliver Betts in January 2012, after which, while the connections around Oliver and the quality of pastoral care, academic support and relationships with his family were excellent, we naturally began the process of reflecting on our knowledge, understanding and actions around the issue of teenage wellbeing.

The demands of facing external exams; academic and, sometimes, domestic pressure; together with the freedoms of young adulthood can sometimes leave some students feeling vulnerable. To support our students in these challenges, we have developed a close connection with Singapore American Community Action Council (SACAC) to provide workshops for parents and students on understanding stress and depression. This includes a unit on teenage depression within the Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) programme; the introduction of adult advocates where appropriate; a clear anti-alcohol stance; several Passion for Parenting workshops; and targeted pastoral surveys to listen to the student voice. A third School Counsellor has been appointed and a Head of Counselling Services is now in place.

At a whole school level, additional daily tutor time allows more opportunity to engage and connect. For Year 11 students, to ensure that each student is well-known academically and that they make suitable choices in the Sixth Form, the Declaration of Eligibility (DoE) has been introduced and precedes clear and individual guidance. Our aspiration is that every child at Tanglin should feel that they are known well by at least one teacher throughout their school career and receive particular support and guidance at key points such as transition, options or university entrance.

Technology for learning During the last academic year, we trialled a new online learning platform called Edmodo, with the intention of providing a powerful and visually appealing tool that students and teachers would enjoy and want to use. This year, Edmodo entered the next phase with an expectation that teachers would use the platform with all their classes for homework and assignments. We also opened up the option for parents to have access to Edmodo, not in the sense of standing over their children’s shoulders to check their academic progress on a daily basis but, rather, as a unique opportunity to appreciate the positive comments and feedback students receive from teachers. As of the start of Term 2, there were over 155,000 hits on Edmodo, with the majority of teachers and students using it as intended.

Following a year of research, discussion and planning, an iPad pilot was successfully introduced for all Year 7 students early in Term 1 of 2012/13. Teachers have commented on increased student motivation, engagement and creativity as well as on the willingness of students to help others with any technical issues. There is growing evidence of good and innovative use in a wide range of subjects and excellent examples of collaboration with students presenting good learning apps to others in the library. Students have received strong, consistent messages and guidance about being principled and caring communicators. A completely revised Digital Citizenship programme is being delivered (now up to Key Stage 4) in PSHCE, Library and ICT lessons to reinforce awareness of key issues such as cyber-bullying and plagiarism. The new Acceptable Use of Technology policy is in student planners. Further iPad rollout to Year 8 and all staff has been proposed and is under discussion.

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Supporting Professional Development A staff commitment to their own learning and development ensures the positive growth of professional, open-minded and principled individuals. We recently introduced a web-based professional development platform, ‘BlueSky’, across the school as a tool for staff to reflect on and evaluate their current teaching standards. We have also introduced a programme of ‘Further Learning’, where staff may apply for support towards further education. Recently, we hosted our third regional IB Teachers Conference for approximately 600 teachers from around the Asia-Pacific region, moving towards achieving our goal of establishing Tanglin as a leading centre for professional development in the region.

Senior School 12

Year 7 - Year 13 Ongoing commitment to Our World The Senior School Our World commitment through Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) has grown over the last three terms.

‘Beyond Social Services’ (BSS) now has the support of two Year 10 and 11 groups working with the Sixth Form CAS group across three centres. We have also recently started working with Rotary to support communities on HDB redecoration projects.

Students were also instrumental in the setting up of two new school-based CAS service projects.

2012/13 has also seen the development and strengthening of the school’s community link with Lamdon School in Ladakh. The 2012 expedition of Year 13 students was very successful and has been followed by the development of a unique opportunity for Tanglin students to work with IMPACT, a group formed by Singaporean ophthalmic and dental surgeons, CFOs and NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO) representatives. Students will learn how to help with the first line of ‘diagnostic identification’ so that, when trekking through the remote valleys of the Himalaya in Ladakh, they can assist the team with medical intervention.

This is a significant merging of ‘learning in Singapore’ translated into effective service in-country, an experience students will keep with them for the rest of their lives.

Outdoor Education continues to grow and thrive with the numbers taking up National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) almost doubling during this period, leading to bronze, silver and gold expeditions both in Singapore and the SE Asia region. ‘Travel and Adventure’ in the Sixth Form has excellent numbers for the programmes due to run in 2013 and the year group trips from Year 7 to Year 11 have been successfully launched.

Measuring standards In 2014, there will be an emphasis on inspections as the Senior School hosts a team of Ofsted inspectors from the UK to assess our standards under the British Schools Overseas framework as well as our award status for International Schools Quality Mark (ISQM). We will also have a team from the IB Organisation Asia Pacific office who will be evaluating our adoption of the IB Diploma programme five years on from instigation. These reviews and inspections will be rigorous and comprehensive as teachers will be interviewed, lessons observed and students and parents consulted.

Looking ahead, the Senior School Leadership Team has considered how we can interpret and prioritise the wider aims of the overall school’s Mission Statement and how to apply the Learner Profile attributes in a way which is unique to the Senior School. The qualities we feel capture the ethos of the Senior School are: humility, curiosity and community. To explain this further, Tanglin’s Senior School will strive to create a culture of curiosity where student success is driven by a sense of wonder and genuine engagement. Through exposure to a diversity of human experience students will learn to make a difference, act creatively, think critically and develop humility. While making this journey, every individual will be respected, known and cared for in a community which values both personal and collective responsibility.

Neil Turrell, Headteacher, Senior School

DID YOU KNOW...

Over 470 of our Senior School students enter the American Scholastic Mathematical Association contests each month, and out of more than 200 participating schools globally, Tanglin is one of very few British International schools.

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Financial Overview 2011/12 The audited Financial Results for the 2011-12 school year were in line with the Board approved budget. This outcome was achieved, against the backdrop of uncertain economic climate and lower than anticipated growth in enrolment. It also reflects the management’s continuous focus on expense management.

Average enrolment and new student admission growth were slightly lower than anticipated, standing at over 2,680 and 500 students respectively. The total school fee revenue (including Building Funds and Placement Rights) comprised 97% of total income, with other miscellaneous income making up the remaining 3% of total income. Revenue composition for 2011-12 remained consistent with 2010-11. It is notable that TTS fee charges are below the majority of similar schools in Singapore. Click here to see a comparison with an average of other schools.

Staff salaries and benefits remained the single largest category of expenses, representing 77% of total costs. Salaries and benefits in 2011-12 represented a slightly larger percentage of total costs, up two percent from previous school year, which was in line with continuous efforts to provide outstanding education services as well as upward pressure on benefits costs.

Depreciation made up the next largest category at 10% of total costs while expenditure for Teaching Resources, Campus Operations, Technology and Administration made up the remaining 13%. Significant renewal and expansion efforts in 201112 included the new Senior School West Wing, fully fitted Fitness Suites and changing rooms, Junior School roof repair and extended facilities, replacement of JHJ running track and Berrick Theatre floor and other works totaling S$17m.

Net Surplus in Operating and Building Funds are added to school’s reserves and are primarily for developing and maintaining the school’s premises, to fund the lease renewal as well as to finance the school in the event of unexpected future decline in enrolment. Revenue from Placement Rights has also supplemented the above reserves.

DID YOU KNOW...

Tanglin employs 555 staff members; 305 support & management staff and 250 faculty staff.

Project

S$’m

Senior School New West Wing, Fitness Suites, changing rooms and other refurbishment works

13.8

Summer Works

1.2

• • • •

Junior School roof repair and extended facilities Replacement of Berrick Theatre floor Infant School air-con and staircase refurbishment Replacement of pool shade and other works

0.7 0.2 0.2 0.1

Furniture, fittings and equipment

0.5

Computers, hardware, software and audio equipment

1.5

Total

17.0

Planned Capital Expenditure for 2012-2013 Project

S$’m

Summer Works

1.0

Furniture, fittings and equipment

1.0

Computers, hardware, software and audio equipment

1.2

Total

3.2

15

Capital Expenditure for 2011-2012

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Examination Results I/GCSE Examination Results 2012 • 141 students took I/GCSE exams in 24 subjects • 85% of all grades achieved were A* to B • 60% of all grades achieved were A*or A • 98% of students achieved at least 5 A*-C grades • 20 students (14%) got 7A* or more • 4 students achieved A* in all subjects, one in 11 subjects, the other 3 in 10 subjects.

Subject

No. of Candidates

No. of Grades A*

A

B

C

D

Art & Design

52

10

12

21

6

3

2

Biology

66

35

27

4

Business Studies

65

6

27

26

4

Computer Studies - CIE

14

4

5

5

ICT

17

4

8

4

Chemistry

66

28

24

13

1

E

F

G

1

%

%

%

A *- B%

A *- C

A *- E

83%

94%

100%

100%

100%

100%

91%

97%

100%

64%

100%

100%

71%

94%

100%

98%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

71%

86%

100%

Chinese

25

18

6

1

Classical Civilisation

14

2

2

6

Dance

10

4

1

5

100%

100%

100%

Drama & Theatre Studies

38

17

14

7

100%

100%

100%

2

1

1

English - CIE

139

35

54

40

7

3

93%

98%

100%

English Literature

141

32

48

42

18

1

87%

99%

100%

Film Studies

32

10

10

11

1

97%

100%

100%

French

54

15

11

15

6

6

1

76%

87%

100%

Geography - CIE

53

14

21

14

1

2

1

92%

94%

100%

German

20

4

6

3

5

1

1

65%

90%

100%

History

72

22

29

13

4

3

1

89%

94%

100%

Latin

13

7

5

1

100%

100%

100%

Mathematics

140

49

49

27

15

89%

100%

100%

Music

16

3

6

5

1

1

88%

94%

100%

Physical Education

33

1

6

10

8

8

52%

76%

100%

Physics

66

35

24

5

2

Science Double Award

145

3

36

50

27

14

Spanish

33

9

16

2

5

1

359

442

334

122

47

TOTAL

9

14

5

5

1

1

97%

100%

100%

60%

78%

94%

82%

97%

100%

85%

94%

99%

2012 A Level Examination Results • 32% of grades were at A* or A, while 88% were in the A* to C range • Two students scored four A* grades • A vast majority of our A Level students have secured places at their university of first choice No. of

No. of Grades

Candidates Applied ICT

A*

A

B

C

1 9

Biology

13

Business Studies

28

Chemistry

12

Chinese

2

Classical Civilisation

6 6

D

E

U

1

Art & Design

Drama & Theatre Studies

%A-E

1

100%

1

4

3

100%

2

4

3

4

100%

1

8

11

5

3

100%

1

2

5

3

1

100%

1

1

100%

1

3

2

1

3

1

100%

Economics

14

1

5

6

1

1

English Literature

27

2

4

11

6

4

Film Studies

13

1

6

6

French

1

Geography

16

1

100% 100% 100% 100%

1 3

3

100% 9

1

German

1

Government & Politics

13

1

3

4

3

History

18

2

3

9

4 5

100%

1

100%

Mathematics

24

5

10

2

Further Mathematics

4

2

1

1

Music Technology

1

Philosophy

4

1

1

100% 100%

1

1

100% 100%

1

Physical Education

6

Physics

13

5

Psychology

20

1

Spanish

1

17

Subject

100%

1

1

1

2

3

2

3

2

1

9

5

4

1

100%

1

100%

1

100%

100%

1

100%

TOTAL

26

55

89

52

26

5

0

100%

Total % of grades achieved

10%

21%

35%

20%

10%

1%

0%

100%

2012 IB Diploma Examination Results • Our 2012 IB Diploma results have bettered the outstanding success of our first cohort in 2011 • Approximately one-third of the cohort scored 40 points or more • Two students scored 45 points, the maximum total possible (joining an elite club of only 109 students who achieved this feat in the May exam schedule).

Subject

No. of candidates

No. of Grades 7

6

5

4

% 7-3

Subject

No. of candidates

3

No. of Grades 7

6

5

4

1

English A1 HL

24

7

12

5

100

Philosophy SL

2

2

English A1 SL

18

5

8

5

100

Psychology HL

11

1

5

4

French B HL

1

1

100

Psychology SL

3

1

1

1

French B SL

4

German B HL

1

1

1

German B SL

4

Mandarin AB. SL

3

Mandarin B HL

1

Mandarin B SL

10

4

Spanish AB. HL

13

2

Spanish B HL

1

1

Spanish B SL

5

5

1

1

100 100 100

100

Biology HL

13

5

6

2

1

100

Biology SL

5

1

2

1

1

3

100

Chemistry HL

12

4

2

4

2

1

1

1

1

1

2

100 1

100 100

100

Chemistry SL

3

1

1

100

Physics HL

9

5

6

100

Physics SL

2

1

100

Math.Studies SL

16

4

1

9

1

1

100

100

Mathematics HL

10

4

2

1

2

1

100

100

Mathematics SL

17

1

7

5

3

1

100

5

1

% 7-3 3

5

Economics HL

9

3

2

Economics SL

5

2

2

3

Env. and Soc. SL

10

1

3

Geography HL

4

3

1

Hist.Europe/ME HL

7

1

3

2

History SL

5

1

3

1

Philosophy HL

3

1

3

1

1

1

1

100

Film HL

4

4

1

100

Music HL

4

2

3

100

Theatre HL

3

2

100

Theatre SL

2

2

100

Visual Arts Option A HL

8

1

100

Visual Arts Option A SL

2

100

TOTAL

1

1

100 1

100

100 2

100

1

100 100

7

100

2 62

100

99

100 65

21

7

100%

Graduate Destinations 18

A glimpse at some of our key graduate destinations in the past five years.

United Kingdom Acad of Contempy Music Guilford Ayr College Bath Spa University Bournemouth School of Art British School of Osteopathy Cardiff University Central St Martins School of Art Chelsea School of Art Durham University Eastern Institute of Technology Edinburgh College of Art Glasgow School of Art Goldsmiths, University of London Heriot-Watt University Imperial College London Keele University, Staffordshire King’s College London Kingston University Lancaster University Leeds Metropolitan University Liverpool John Moores University London Metropolitan University London School of Economics (LSE) Loughborough University Manchester Metropolitan University Middlesex University, London Motherwell College Newcastle University Northumbria University Nottingham Trent University Oxford Brookes University Queen Mary, University of London Royal Veterinary College School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) School of Pharmacy, University of London

Sheffield Hallam University St George’s, University of London Swansea University University College London (UCL) University of Aberdeen University of Abertay Dundee University of Bath University of Birmingham University of Bristol University of Cambridge University of Central Lancashire University of East Anglia, Norwich University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Glasgow University of Greenwich University of Hertfordshire University of Hull University of Kent University of Leeds University of Leicester University of Lincoln University of Liverpool University of Manchester University of Nottingham University of Oxford University of Plymouth University of Portsmouth University of Reading University of Sheffield University of Southampton University of St Andrews University of Strathclyde, Glasgow University of Surrey, Guildford University of Sussex University of the West of England University of Wales University of Warwick, Coventry University of Westminster, London University of York

United States of America American University Boston University Georgia Tech Stanford University UCLA William’s College USA Australia Australia Deakin University Melbourne University University of Sydney University of New South Wales University of Western Australia Macquarie University Canada Columbia College McGill University University of British Columbia Other De La Salle, Phillippines Singapore Institute of Management Sorbonne, Paris Trinity College Dublin, Ireland University of Canterbury Christchurch,NZ Wellington University, NZ

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Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

The PTA Committee consists of a group of mums and dads who volunteer their time to help organise fun activities and events for the Tanglin community, during the academic year. There are a number of roles within the Committee; President, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and a Vice President representing each school. Committee members also volunteer to take responsibility for particular areas of the PTA. The Committee meets at least once a month to discuss forthcoming events and other items.

This year, the Summer Fete was a very special event, celebrating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. The whole community came together to mark this occasion at a traditional Summer Fete. The Fete was officially opened by the British High Commissioner, HE Antony Phillipson; The Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr Dominic Nixon and the CEO of Tanglin Trust School, Mr Peter Derby-Crook.

The Christmas Fair was very popular and another opportunity for the whole community to come together, to enjoy a special time of year before the end of term.

Other organised PTA events such as the PTA Quiz Night, the Newcomers Coffee Mornings, the Grandparents Tea, Ladies Evening and Junior Discos, were enjoyed by members of the Tanglin community throughout the year.

Some of these PTA events raise funds to support select projects within the school. In the fullness of time, these projects would have been funded by the school but with the support of the PTA, they can happen earlier for our children. Below are projects the PTA have supported in the past: Shade for Foundation Stage Playground Infant School Authors In Residence, All Schools Violins and Pianos, Junior School Spotlight, Berrick Performance Hall Weather Station, Senior School Interactive Playground, Junior School Climbing Wall, Junior School Audio Visual Equipment & Large Screens, Berrick Performance Hall Eco Garden, Infant School Gymnasium Equipment, Griffith Jones Hall Retractable Basketball Hoops, Berrick Sports Hall Retractable Seating, Senior Drama Studio Lighting, Junior Drama Studio Thank you to the Tanglin community for their support of the PTA Committee.

Tracy Betteridge, PTA President

DID YOU KNOW...

In 2012, Tanglin recycled 14,660kg of materials including plastic, paper and glass.

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Tanglin Circles Learning at Tanglin The four ‘Curriculum Drivers’ underpin learning at Tanglin, so that our curriculum reflects the mission, aims and values of the school. Academic challenge and personal development have long been strengths of the British education system and both these aspects are very important at Tanglin. In keeping with our vision to create ‘a community of lifelong learners who are able to contribute with confidence to our world’, we also focus on skills for learning rather than just specific knowledge and an awareness of community at both a local and global level. The learner profile attributes sum up our aspirations for Tanglin students as Reflective, Knowledgeable, Balanced, Caring, Open-minded, Principled, Risk-takers, Resilient Inquirers, Communicators, Thinkers. Young people with these qualities will truly be ready for life beyond school!

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