Best international school language programmes in Singapore

Knowing more than one language has many benefits, including the potential to study, work and live abroad. Let your child make the most of their expat lifestyle now by picking up new languages at school that might just come in useful in the future. With many preschools and international schools in Singapore offering a wide variety of languages – Mandarin and more – parents are really spoilt for choice.

Find out more about what you can expect from the language programmes below and hear what the students have to say.

UWC South East Asia

UWCSEA school language programmes dutch class — A High School student in a Dutch Language class at Dover Campus (leads to a bilingual IB Diploma)

UWCSEA school language programmes languages — The UWCSEA community speaks at least 68 different languages which are celebrated on International Mother Tongue Day

UWCSEA school language programmes cultural events — Annual events UN Night and Culturama are celebrations of culture, not just language but food, performance, art and dress

UWCSEA school language programmes language day — Student-run stall on International Mother Language Day at the Dover Campus

UWCSEA school language programme Chinese workshop — Chinese chess – Go workshop at the High School at the East Campus

UWCSEA school language programmes Chinese New Year celebrations — Chinese New Year celebrations in the Middle School Chinese classrooms

UWCSEA school language programmes Chinese activity — Students in Primary and High School practise Chinese during an activity at the East Campus

UWCSEA school language programmes competition — Grade 5 Language Idol on East Campus sees student-devised language-based performances vying for top spot each year

UWCSEA school language programmes language immersion — Middle and High School students learning Spanish, Chinese and French have an opportunity go on a language immersion tour each year

UWCSEA school language programmes french breakfast — Role play and cultural sharing at the Grade 4 French breakfast at the Dover Campus

What’s on offer

UWCSEA’s new home languages (mother tongue) programme supplements the extensive array of languages offered to students as part of the academic curriculum. Available from K1 up, the after-school programme allows students to maintain proficiency in their mother tongue and supports those who aim to study for a bilingual IB Diploma. Piloted at the Dover Campus during the last academic year, the home languages offered included Bahasa Indonesian, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. Students take these lessons until they can move into an advanced language class as part of the academic curriculum in Middle or High School (this includes Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Russian) or can continue through these non-examination classes. Chinese is offered at all fluency levels in the academic curriculum from K1 to Grade 12.

An inside look

Home language classes are delivered by a qualified teacher in small group classes after school. The youngest students (K1 and K2 especially) focus on maintaining and expanding exposure to their mother tongue through activities such as games, songs, stories and role-play. For older students, the focus of the programme shifts to developing reading and writing. The languages are offered at each campus are based on demand.

Dover Campus: 1207 Dover Road
East Campus: 1 Tampines Street 73
uwcsea.edu.sg

White Lodge

What’s on offer

At White Lodge, children aged 18 months to six-and-a-half years are given the opportunity to learn Mandarin as part of the curriculum. There are dedicated Mandarin teachers who run daily lessons, and the centres also run extracurricular Mandarin classes in the mornings and afternoons.

An inside look

Based on the Singapore Kindergarten and Primary School frameworks, the preschool’s Mandarin curriculum aims to offer exposure to the language, culture and history. For older children, their exposure to learning Mandarin is also extended to reading and writing. The children have fun with storytelling, singing, play-acting, listening, reading, writing, art projects, movement and performances. Recently for Mother’s Day, younger children sang and danced the song “My Great Mom” in Mandarin for their mums while older children made a Mother’s Day Card with messages in Mandarin. Mandarin listening stations have also been introduced in the Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes where children listen to stories and rhymes while following the words on the page in front of them.

Hear from a student

“I like to write the Chinese characters on the whiteboard. I also like to work on my Mandarin workbook because I can draw on it and write too.” – Krishay Ranawat (Kindergarten)

7 locations islandwide
6255 4230 | whitelodge.edu.sg

SJI International School

What’s on offer

Exposure to Mandarin starts from a young age at SJI International. From Elementary School, students receive daily Mandarin lessons offered at different levels. As students progress to the High School, more languages such as Malay, Spanish and Tamil are available, with many continuing Mandarin. French and Japanese are also offered at the IB Diploma Level. The new Home Language Programme also offers Japanese, French, Korean and Thai.

An inside look

Daily Mandarin lessons start from the Early Years and are reinforced by home readers and teaching partners who converse with students in Mandarin. In High School, first language students start to ponder the literature of Confucius. Spanish starts at the beginner level in Grade 7. Students learn the languages through interactive activities such as debates, games, role play and a variety of resources such as movies and mobile apps are used for learning. Trips are also organised locally to museums and the theatre, and the school offers annual cultural immersion trips.

Hear from a student

“The immersion trips are really good because you’re able to see different cultures first-hand. I like the curriculum as the focus isn’t placed solely on exams, but on learning how to communicate in different contexts.” – Tanisha Naqvi (10RegS)

490 Thomson Road
6353 9383 | sji-international.com.sg

ELFA Chinese Preschool

ELFA preschool language programme — Learn Mandarin from a young age at ELFA

What’s on offer

ELFA Chinese Preschool offers little ones ages 18 months to six years a head start in Chinese. The school’s Chinese-focused early years curriculum is specially designed to nurture children’s love of the language and build a strong foundation in Chinese, an essential language in Asia. A new centre has recently opened in Pandan Valley.

An inside look

Mandarin comes alive through lively storytelling from the school’s unique story-based curriculum. The curriculum includes rich moral and social values content, helping children learn and develop good habits, conduct and social responsibility from a young age. With lessons carried out in small groups, children are taught to appreciate Chinese culture and arts. Children enjoy weekly speech and drama lessons, as they’re immersed in a culturally-rich Chinese learning environment. K2 children have the opportunity to sit for the Youth Chinese Test, a version of the internationally recognised Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK). The preschool has also developed an advanced Chinese Mathematics curriculum to support children’s logical thinking, and help them to understand and use mathematics in their everyday life.

Hear from a parent

“We have seen an improvement in Jayden’s level of Chinese; he’s now able to recite Chinese poems.” – Kau Xuebao and Tiong Heng Liong

4 locations islandwide
6881 8818 | elfapreschools.com

Canadian International School

What’s on offer

Students at the Canadian international School can pick up Chinese, French, Spanish (from Grade 1 onwards) and Japanese (in Grades 11 and 12). The school also has a popular Chinese-English bilingual programme for Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6. Grade 1 and 2 students can look forward to a new bilingual French-English programme from August 2018. The curriculum is fully aligned to the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

An inside look

In the school’s bilingual programmes, there are two qualified teachers for each class – one English-speaking teacher and one either French- or Chinese-speaking teacher. Offering inquiry-based instruction, authentic materials such as songs, stories, websites and even tweets are used during classes, and students are engaged in hands-on activities like role-play, cooking and quizzes. Students also learn to appreciate other cultures by performing and celebrating in festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Hear from a parent

“We are very enthusiastic about CIS’s Chinese-English bilingual approach as students learn all the subjects in both languages through experiential learning. Mandarin is taught within its cultural context. Our daughter Ginevra (Grade 2) joined the program in Senior Kindergarten. She loves to learn at CIS!” – Francesca Benvenuti-Landi

Tanjong Katong Campus, 371 Tanjong Katong Road
Lakeside Campus, 7 Jurong West Street 41
cis.edu.sg

Hillside World Academy

What’s on offer

Hillside World Academy is a bilingual and bicultural school offering students a wholesome academic experience. Languages such as Chinese are deeply rooted and all subjects are delivered in English. Besides English and Chinese, the school offers French, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish to students from Grade 1 to 12 as extracurricular activities.

An inside look

Mandarin is used equally to English in the classroom, especially in the Primary Years Programme. The majority of Middle Years Programme (MYP) and IB Diploma Programme (DP) students progress to Higher Chinese. Classes are made interactive with activities comprising role-play, calligraphy, poetry recitals and more, and even overseas immersion trips to the likes of Huijia International School in Beijing. The highlight of the year is the overseas Creative Action and Services (CAS) trip where students undergo cultural immersion while offering help in a volunteer project.

Hear from a student

“Since I was young, I was interested in business marketing and trading, which require strong foundations in languages. My father is a businessman who speaks many languages fluently; he often tells me that ‘language is the power of connection’. I enjoy learning English and Chinese. It has enabled me to make friends with people from different countries. I feel much more prepared since starting at the school and cannot wait to join the business marketing or trading industry.” – Oh Injun (Grade 10)

11 Hillside Drive
6254 0200 | hwa.edu.sg

Find out more about living in Singapore!

How to choose an international school

International schools in Singapore: Huge Guide