Excelling in PSLE English!
The dreaded PSLE is one of the most important milestones that our Singaporean children face. There is a running joke among parents, that we all need to take the PSLE at least twice. Once for ourselves, and the other times, according to the number of children that we have! 🙂 Being such a major examination, Parents are always looking for good programs, to help their children ace their papers! One such course is the PSLE course at the British Council.
Personally, I have attended British Council courses when I was a teenager. The classes are always fun and engaging, and I believe that the exposure to the language helped me greatly, in the development of my language. If we want our kids to excel in their languages, it is best for them to develop a firm foundation in their early years. In that aspect, it is definitely important for them to excel in English, as the English Language will play a prominent role in their futures.
In the early years, the British Council was only located at Napier Road. I used to remember walking up the slope after school, and meeting some of my friends from other schools in the library. However, the British Council has expanded into the neighbourhoods, and today, they have centres in Marsiling, Tampines and Toa Payoh! This is not only a testament to the popularity of their courses, but it also makes things more convenient for everyone! I visited the British Council Pre-school campus in Tampines, and I was impressed with their setup!
If you are doing a course comparison between the British Council and other schools, here is a brief summary on what their courses cover:
Built on the Ministry of Education’s learning outcomes, courses are developed to help students improve their writing and speaking skills in this critical phase of their education. Parents will be glad to know that courses are based on the new English syllabus and are aligned with the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) 2015 format.
Courses will cover components such as structural clozes and comprehension clozes, graphic stimulus, situational writing, organisation, grammar and vocabulary practice, PSLE techniques and last minute strategies. Kids will therefore be picking up skills, that can help them ace their PSLE exams! 🙂
The British Council also further supports broad-based development including 21st century competencies, such as collaboration, leadership, critical thinking, confidence building and media literacy. These are essential skills that will help them make an easy transition to secondary school.
As a parent, I feel that the best way to evaluate a school, is to go down personally and see the setup for ourselves. After all, it is the teachers that make all the difference, and it is always better to hear from the teachers themselves. And what better way for parents to find out more about the British Council than by joining them for their open house!
On the weekends of Nov 29 – Dec 7,get a chance to sit in and observe a class to understand how the British Council methodology can help students cope with the recent MOE syllabus changes and how courses can develop students to write creatively, think critically and speak confidently.
Besides the Free trial lessons, there will also be parent workshops, where one can find out how to help your child cope with their studies. Here are some of the details:
List of Free Trial Lessons and Free Parent Workshops that will be available during the Open House at ALL four centres:
Open House is from 10am to 4pm. Trial lessons by the British Council Pre-school (daily 3-hour bilingual programme) are also available only at the Tampines Centre.
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To find out about the British Council Open House Dates for each centre, follow the link and make an appointment! Places are limited, so do book your appointments quickly!
And if you do sign up your child for the PSLE courses now, expect to enjoy up to $600 in discounts and secure your preferred time slots. Alternatively you can call the British Council for more details! 🙂