New international school opens temporary campus at Lorong Chuan

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 28 Aug 2009

Another international school has opened its doors in Singapore, hoping to fill an expected demand for foreign-style education system here and in the Asia Pacific.

According to Singapore-based education group Cognita, although earlier surveys had estimated the exodus of some 2,000 international students, improvements in Singapore’s economy have in fact led to an increase in expatriates moving into the country.

The company runs the new Stamford American International School, which opened its temporary campus at Lorong Chuan on Friday. It said some 32,000 students are studying in international schools here and the number is expected to double by 2014.

Kathleen Caoyonan, expatriate from Texas, USA, said: “With the younger kids, there are so few slots. I think people are starting to find a little bit more openings, but there is still a waiting list.”

Cognita has already committed S$250 million for the development of its new campus, which currently has over 80 students. The firm said demand is good, citing up to 70 enquiries on enrolment each week.

Brian Rogave, chief executive officer of Asia Cognita, said: “Every single enquiry we’ve had turned into enrolment. It’s a positive trend, we hope it continues.”

The current campus can take in up to 600 students. The permanent campus, to be located at Upper Serangoon, will offer some 2,500 places when it is ready by 2012.

Access to foreign schools is an important criterion for expatriates coming to work in Singapore, according to a study conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).

The study also found that more than three-quarters of respondents preferred attending international schools with home-country curriculum.

In August last year, the Singapore government had, for the first time, listed public buildings and vacant plots to be made available for more foreign schools.

Initial plans were for up to four schools to be built, but this was later scaled down to just one due to the economic downturn.

Cognita runs 50 schools worldwide, including the Australian International School here which has reported a waiting list of 114 for next year’s enrolment.

New campus coming up for UWC

Source : Straits Times – 18 Jun 2009

DEMAND for private education in top international schools remains strong despite the economic slump.

A few schools have waiting lists up to four years long, and a steady flow of inquiries about enrolment.

Yesterday, the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) broke the ground for its new Tampines campus, which will boost its enrolment from 3,000 now to a targeted 5,500 by 2015.

The campus will open in parts from next August, starting with the infant school, where the wait-list is longest. The rest of the campus will open in 2011.

Its head of college, Mr Julian Whiteley, said there is significant demand for places in the school. All classes now are full.

Similar situations exist at the Tanglin Trust School, the Australian International School Singapore and the Canadian International School.

Tanglin Trust has no vacancies at all, while the Australian school has none for its preschool. The Canadian school is also running close to capacity.

The Australian International School has about 160 children pre-enrolled until 2013 so they can secure places early, while the Tanglin Trust School has a wait-list which grows at a healthy rate each month.

The Canadian International School also has a list of close to 100 people who have pre-enrolled their children in the school for the coming years.

With its new Tampines campus, UWCSEA will join a list of international schools which have expanded their premises or announced plans to do so because of an urgent need for space.

The Australian School opened its extension for preschoolers and junior schoolers in July last year. Barely three months later, it announced plans to build a new 35-classroom wing for senior students by next April.

Another school, Global Indian International School, opened its third campus in Balestier last August.

Schools pointed to several reasons for the demand: more younger international students coming in, the rising appeal of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme offered by some schools, and the entry of many families into the Asia Pacific region.

Even if expatriates lose their jobs, the last thing they want to do is disrupt their children’s education, said Mr Whiteley.

The new 5.5ha UWCSEA campus, which has a 45-year lease, is being built at ‘extremely low’ cost, said Mr Charles Ormiston, a member of UWCSEA’s board of governors.

It missed the peak in the construction market because of the recession, and final costs will be about 15 per cent below initial estimates, he added.

At the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, the school announced it would offer scholarships every year for two Singaporean students from neighbourhood schools, starting from 2011.

Applications will begin in August next year for entry to the school year in August 2011, Mr Whiteley said. Each scholarship is worth about $60,000, depending on whether the student chooses to stay in the boarding school, and will be to complete the school’s two-year IB diploma programme.

Over the next four to five years, Mr Whiteley added, the school will employ close to 200 teachers from Singapore and elsewhere.

Mr S. Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education, said that the Government’s support of UWCSEA’s expansion – JTC Corporation is leasing the building to the school – underlines its commitment to provide world-class educational facilities for the international community here.

He added: ‘Even as we tackle the pressing economic issues of today, we are also building the infrastructure and capabilities needed to realise our vision of a global city. International schools are an essential part of that architecture.’

Meanwhile, Mrs Joanna Bennett, whose two children, aged five and seven, are studying in UWCSEA’s interim Ang Mo Kio campus, is looking forward to the completion of the school in Tampines.

Said the 41-year-old housewife who is married to a Briton: ‘When we first applied in 2007, there was a waiting list of more than 200 people.

“We were very fortunate – three months later we got an e-mail informing us about a new Tampines campus.

‘But I would still have waited if I had to, because I want the best education for my children.’

Int’l schools’ student numbers holding up

But they expect fewer students next year as expats lose jobs, return home

IF expatriates are leaving Singapore, they appear to be leaving their kids behind - at least, for now.

While expats are losing their jobs and being sent home amid leaner economic times - quite a few, at least, have been fired in the financial industry - international schools here appear to be unaffected.

Virtually all five schools that BT checked with recently reported no unusual change in their student population - or even coming enrolments.

‘There were some departures, there were also some arrivals (recently),’ said Singapore American School communications director Beth Gribbon. ‘But the numbers were the same as they were at the same time last year.’

She said that, so far, the fallout of the global financial crunch has no impact on the school, which has 3,800 students.

‘Our number of students is not dramatically different from before,’ she said.

The same goes for the Australian International School, Swiss School and the ISS International School Singapore.

‘Our repatriation rate has been around 10 per cent annually and so far, the numbers seem to indicate so,’ said Angelia Toh, director for admissions and marketing at ISS.

Only EtonHouse International, popular for pre-school classes, indicated that it lost some Korean students because of the shaky economic situation back in South Korea.

‘These students were in Singapore with their mothers, while their fathers remained in Korea to support their children’s education,’ said Ng Gim Choo, managing director of EtonHouse. ‘The reason cited for the family returning home was the uncertainty in the economic climate in Korea.’

While international schools seem largely unaffected by the current economic conditions, moving firms dealing with expats here reportedly are seeing an increase in demand for their services.

Several saw their businesses getting a boost in recent months. Geometra Worldwide Movers told The Sunday Times that they now anticipate at least 15 expats relocating monthly, up from two to three before September when the global financial crisis was sparked off.

Most of its clients are families heading back to the United States, while others are returning to Europe and Australia.

The number of expats moving back home is likely to rise next year - and this may finally have an impact on international schools.

‘The entire global economy has been affected by the economic downturn,’ Mrs Ng said. ‘Naturally, there is every likelihood that there will be some impact in the education sector as well. We anticipate the effects to be felt next year, though we do not anticipate a significant downturn.’

Expecting ‘a few more withdrawals’ from its school next year, EtonHouse plans to concentrate on consolidation rather expansion in 2009.

Added Ms Toh: ‘At the present moment, things seem to be in status quo with just a handful of our students repatriating. But we anticipate the effect will be more prominent next year.’

Even the Australian International School, which is pushing ahead with its expansion to build a new senior campus, conceded that its student numbers will be hit if the financial situation worsens.

Kim Douglas, the school’s director for marketing and enrolments, said that the Australian International School currently has 2,145 students, with another 320 joining in January. ‘There are around 180 leavers, which is normal for this time of the year,’ she said.

But for the Swiss School, things are still looking up. The number of students registered there for January 2009 ‘is still on the rise’, according to Callie Wong, the school’s administration manager.

Source : Business Times - 22 Dec 2008

Int’l schools’ student numbers holding up

Source : Business Times - 22 Dec 2008

But they expect fewer students next year as expats lose jobs, return home

IF expatriates are leaving Singapore, they appear to be leaving their kids behind - at least, for now.

While expats are losing their jobs and being sent home amid leaner economic times - quite a few, at least, have been fired in the financial industry - international schools here appear to be unaffected.

Virtually all five schools that BT checked with recently reported no unusual change in their student population - or even coming enrolments.

‘There were some departures, there were also some arrivals (recently),’ said Singapore American School communications director Beth Gribbon. ‘But the numbers were the same as they were at the same time last year.’

She said that, so far, the fallout of the global financial crunch has no impact on the school, which has 3,800 students.

‘Our number of students is not dramatically different from before,’ she said.

The same goes for the Australian International School, Swiss School and the ISS International School Singapore.

‘Our repatriation rate has been around 10 per cent annually and so far, the numbers seem to indicate so,’ said Angelia Toh, director for admissions and marketing at ISS.

Only EtonHouse International, popular for pre-school classes, indicated that it lost some Korean students because of the shaky economic situation back in South Korea.

‘These students were in Singapore with their mothers, while their fathers remained in Korea to support their children’s education,’ said Ng Gim Choo, managing director of EtonHouse. ‘The reason cited for the family returning home was the uncertainty in the economic climate in Korea.’

While international schools seem largely unaffected by the current economic conditions, moving firms dealing with expats here reportedly are seeing an increase in demand for their services.

Several saw their businesses getting a boost in recent months. Geometra Worldwide Movers told The Sunday Times that they now anticipate at least 15 expats relocating monthly, up from two to three before September when the global financial crisis was sparked off.

Most of its clients are families heading back to the United States, while others are returning to Europe and Australia.

The number of expats moving back home is likely to rise next year - and this may finally have an impact on international schools.

‘The entire global economy has been affected by the economic downturn,’ Mrs Ng said. ‘Naturally, there is every likelihood that there will be some impact in the education sector as well. We anticipate the effects to be felt next year, though we do not anticipate a significant downturn.’

Expecting ‘a few more withdrawals’ from its school next year, EtonHouse plans to concentrate on consolidation rather expansion in 2009.

Added Ms Toh: ‘At the present moment, things seem to be in status quo with just a handful of our students repatriating. But we anticipate the effect will be more prominent next year.’

Even the Australian International School, which is pushing ahead with its expansion to build a new senior campus, conceded that its student numbers will be hit if the financial situation worsens.

Kim Douglas, the school’s director for marketing and enrolments, said that the Australian International School currently has 2,145 students, with another 320 joining in January. ‘There are around 180 leavers, which is normal for this time of the year,’ she said.

But for the Swiss School, things are still looking up. The number of students registered there for January 2009 ‘is still on the rise’, according to Callie Wong, the school’s administration manager.

Int’l school offering US-based curriculum to open at Upper Serangoon Rd

Source : Channel NewsAsia - 24 Nov 2008

A new international school offering a US-based curriculum will open its doors at the former Upper Serangoon Secondary School in September 2009.

Cognita, a leading education group from the United Kingdom, plans to set up the Stamford American International School at the vacant school building after the Singapore Economic Development Board and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) gave its proposal the nod.

The group, which owns and operates over 45 independent schools in the UK and Spain, was awarded the state land site in the first Request-for-Interest (RFI) exercise for foreign system schools.

A joint statement from the EDB and SLA said Cognita made the cut with its quality curriculum offerings and strong track record. The RFI was conducted in August and received strong response from operators.

The authorities said proposals were assessed based on a range of factors such as the quality of the project, ability to meet market demand and investment commitment, including the commitment to commence classes in academic year 2009.

Cognita is not new to Singapore. In 2007, it acquired the Australian International School of Singapore, pumping S$33 million into the school’s expansion plans.

The Stamford American International School is expected to take in its first batch of students in September 2009. With an initial capacity of 600 students, the school’s student population is expected to grow to 2,500 eventually.

In light of the gloomy economic outlook, SLA said it will work closely with Cognita to ensure that operation and redevelopment plans are on target. SLA also noted that the demand for state properties for international schools has not dipped despite the economic downturn.

Another round of RFI could be conducted next year. To date, 19 international schools are using state properties as campuses.

Cognita wins site to set up school

Source : Business Times - 25 Nov 2008

Group runs more than 45 schools in UK and Spain International education group Cognita has been awarded a state site at the former Upper Serangoon Secondary School, to set up an international school.

This is the first time that a Request-for-Interest (RFI) exercise has been conducted to award state land sites for foreign system schools (FSS).

Cognita plans to set up the Stamford American International School, offering a US-based curriculum. It expects its first intake next September, with an initial 600 students. This will eventually expand to 2,500 students, easing the tight supply of FSS places offering American-style education.

Based in the United Kingdom, Cognita owns and operates over 45 independent schools in the UK and Spain.

It acquired the Australian International School of Singapore last year, and recently set up its Asian Regional Headquarters in Singapore.

The RFI exercise, which started in mid-August, saw proposals being assessed based on a matrix of factors.

These include quality of project, ability to meet market demand and investment commitment such as the ability to begin classes in academic year 2009.

‘Singapore Land Authority (SLA) will work closely with Cognita to assist them to ensure that they can kickstart their operations and redevelopment plans quickly,’ said Teo Cher Hian, SLA’s director of Land Operations (Private).

Mr Teo added that despite the current economic climate, SLA still sees sustained demand for state properties for international schools. To date, 19 international schools are using state properties as campuses.

Australian school to expand again

Source : Straits Times - 28 Oct 2008

It plans new wing for senior students, following expansion of junior school campus

Barely three months after the Australian International School opened an extension for its preschoolers, it is making plans to expand again, with a new wing to house senior students.

The $33 million project at its Lorong Chuan campus will create space to take in another 600 senior students when it is ready by April 2010.

And while the previous expansion focused on the preschool and junior school, the Australian school is planning to expand its secondary school cohort because expatriates are now staying longer in Singapore, it said.

A bus bay, open-air carpark and canteen will be torn down by the end of the year to make way for a two-storey building with up to 35 classrooms and specialist science teaching laboratories as well as open study areas.

Principal Peter Bond said he was not perturbed by the current economic crisis and was thinking long term when he decided to go ahead with the new wing. ‘It would be foolish to delay just because things might soften in the short term, when in the long term we know that the Singapore Government’s policies on expansion of population and growth of business need international schools,’ he said.

While the demand for places over the last five years has grown steeply, Mr Bond said he expected it to slow down or even plateau over the next 12 months.

‘But I’m optimistic that it will pick up eventually. Businesses go through cycles,’ he said.

The new wing will add at least 50 places to each level in the secondary school, enabling the school to take up to 200 children per level from Year 7 to Year 12.

The school, which has already reached full capacity for most of its junior section, decided to increase places for older students as expatriate parents are tending towards longer stays here, he said.

‘The average stay has gone up from an average of 21/2 years to about four years. People have a longer term view on what it means to work offshore now, plus there are good educational choices for high levels available in Singapore,’ Mr Bond said.

The school, which now has about 2,150 students, will see another 200 joiners come January. It expects to reach its capacity of 3,000 in the next five years.

Though demand for places at international schools has been increasing, the recent economic slowdown has caused some other schools to rein in their expansion plans.

The Government recently released new land parcels for up to four schools to be opened next year but some now prefer to wait it out.

One of them is the Global Indian International School, which opened its third campus in Balestier this year.

Chairman Atul Temurnikar said: ‘Sooner or later, Singapore will feel the impact of the global crisis. We want to take a cautious approach since we have vacancies in our campuses, before expanding again.’

One World International: 4th foreign school opens

Source : Straits Times - 2 Oct 2008

SINGAPORE’S latest international school One World International was officially open on Thursday.

The school conducts early childhood and primary classes, has a capacity of 450 pupils and will take in secondary level pupils by next year. — ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG

The school, at Upper Changi Road East, conducts early childhood and primary classes. It has a capacity of 450 pupils and will take in secondary level pupils by next year.

It is the 44th foreign-system school to open here.

Three pupils have enrolled in the school since it opened its doors in early Sept. Another 16 will start classes by end of the year.

Principal Noel Hurley said response from prospective parents has been positive and he is confident of filling up 100 to 150 places by early next year.

The school gets six to seven enquiries every day, he added.

Started by Mumbai-based businessman Nishant Garodia, the school is housed on the premises of the former Siglap-Changi Community Centre.

Mr Nishant said converting the centre into the school instead of building from scratch allowed construction to be completed in just 12 weeks. About $2 million was spent to retrofit the campus to provide facilities such as 16 air-conditioned classrooms, a multi-purpose hall and a library.

Six-year-old pupil Tara Eshwar, who arrived from New Zealand three weeks ago, said, ‘I like the school very much. We get to sing songs and play games. I am happy that I will be making many new friends.’

The school was declared open by Economic Development Board International Director Liang Ting Wee on Thursday.

One World International School: International school opens in the east

Source : Straits Times - 12 Sep 2008

Ex-community centre retrofitted for $2m has places for 450 pupils aged three to 11

PARENTS disappointed by the delay in the opening of United World College’s Tampines campus will draw some cheer from this: Another international school is opening in the east.

Called the One World International School, it opened last week with places for 450 pupils aged three to 11. Secondary- level students join the school next year.

Its campus - at 696, Upper Changi Road East - used to be the premises of the former Siglap-Changi Community Centre.

On Monday, the United World College said that its upcoming campus in the east would not be ready by 2010 because the construction boom had made it difficult for it to find suitable contractors.

One World International School has become the 44th foreign-system school to open here, and the first to occupy a former community centre.

The school, started by Mumbai-based businessman Nishant Garodia, will be headed by Mr Noel Hurley, who was for seven years the principal of the Australian International School’s primary section before he moved over in June.

The school will offer the Cambridge International Primary Programme, the model used by many international schools, Mr Hurley said.

Only two pupils aged four and five have been enrolled so far, but Mr Hurley expects the places to fill up quickly over the next few months.

He said: ‘More expats will move in at the end of the year, so we expect more students by early next year.’

The school’s six teachers and four support staff have been busy getting the place ready.

About $2 million has been spent retrofitting the campus. The shell of the community centre has been kept, but its interior - formerly a mix of very large or very small rooms - has been revamped to produce a different configuration.

The community centre’s former squash courts are now airy classrooms with high ceilings; four storerooms have been combined into a big music room, while a pantry is now an art room. All rooms have new windows, carpets and a fresh coat of paint.

All in, the school has 16 air-conditioned classrooms, and its library has a shaded outdoor reading area.

School fees are $20,328 a year at the primary-school level, and $17,652 a year for nursery or kindergarten level.

The new school is opening at a time when demand for places is increasing. The Government recently released new land parcels for up to four schools.

The Singapore Land Authority said that since last year, three former community centres have been converted into office or other uses. It has opened up more than 40 state properties for educational uses since April last year.

Mr Hurley said of his school: ‘We want to ensure this will be a quality school with an emphasis on parent-teacher relationships. No matter how fancy the building or how many computers you have, the key to success is the relationship with parents, staff and children. We will focus on that.’

Abu Dhabi bank putting 1b dirhams in property unit

Source : Business Times - 11 Sep 2008

Its Burooj Properties plans aggressive expansion in Africa, Europe and Asia

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank plans an aggressive real estate expansion outside its home base into Africa, Europe and Asia by putting one billion dirhams (S$390 million) into its Burooj Properties unit. The bank also aims to float a majority of Burooj shares in 2010 as cash profit at the division, which excludes revaluation of assets, should at least triple in 2008 from 2007, Burooj managing director Adel Al Zarouni said.

‘All these markets look attractive and stable for investments to be done where the fundamentals are good with strong demand,’ Mr Al Zarouni said.

He also said that ADIB would add 500 million dirhams to the unit’s capital base, after injecting 500 million dirhams last month, to capture big growth opportunities in the Middle East. Burooj is also on track to float the company by staging an initial public offering (IPO) in 2010. ‘This is our plan and we could probably float 50 to 60 per cent of the company through the IPO to raise capital,’ Mr Al Zarouni said.

He projects cash profits to grow at least three-fold by the end of this year.

‘Our cash profits (excluding revaluation of assets), which was 110 million dirhams at end-2007, will grow to between 300 million and 400 million dirhams by end-2008. These expectations are based on sales and the company’s performance up to now,’ he said.

Burooj is setting up branches in Egypt, Algeria and Syria, and will examine commercial and residential property development.

‘We are closing a number of deals to develop property in Cairo valued at between three billion and four billion dirhams,’ he said. ‘In Algeria, there is a shortage in all segments - luxury, middle-class and low-income housing. So the potential is huge.’

Burooj started up in early 2006 with a capital of 500 million dirhams and has focused on property development in the United Arab Emirates.

It is developing projects worth 25 billion dirhams.

‘We are operating in dynamic markets and our portfolio will keep increasing steadily at least until 2015 as we take on new projects in the country, the region and outside,’ Mr Al Zarouni said.

Burooj is in talks with potential partners in Romania and India to speed its drive abroad.

As part of a new strategy, Burooj plans to set up two wholly owned companies before the end of this year to complement its property business.

‘We are setting up two subsidiaries, one a facility and property management company and the other a Sharia-compliant hospitality management company. These will complement our offering to the public,’ Mr Al Zarouni said. — Reuters

James Cook University opens US$3.5m campus at Upper Thomson

Source : Channel NewsAisa - 4 Sep 2008

Australia’s James Cook University opened its US$3.5 million campus at Upper Thompson on Thursday.

It has plans to double its student enrolment in Singapore to more than 2,500 students by the end of next year.

When James Cook University first opened in Singapore in 2003, it had 50 students. Now, it has 1,200, of whom about 60 per cent are foreign.

This stands as a stark contrast to the University of New South Wales, which pulled out in May 2007, citing poor demand from the region.

Lt Gen John Grey, chancellor, James Cook University, said: “We’ve grown because we did it slowly. We started at the Spring Building and we worked very slowly to build our base up, and understand Singapore and work with government officials.”

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia at the opening ceremony, Mr Anthony Byrne, Parliamentary Secretary to the Australian Cabinet, said the university would build bridges between both countries.

James Cook currently offers 15 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. It will be launching a Master of International Tourism & Hospitality Management programme later this year.

The James Cook University is just one of several Australian universities which have been expanding their presence here in Singapore. Others include the Curtin University of Technology, Murdoch University and the University of Adelaide.

With more foreign students arriving and more polytechnic students aspiring to go to university, foreign universities have been integral to meeting student demand.

Currently, some 16,000 students attend courses offered by Australian institutions in Singapore. This number is expected to grow as Singapore fulfils its vision of being a global school house.

It’s musical chairs for international schools

Source : Straits Times - 16 Jun 2008

WHEN the Canadian International School announced that it had secured a site in Jurong to house students from three of its campuses, a silent cheer went up from some other international schools.

They immediately began strategising expansion plans, including the possibility of taking over those campuses at Toh Tuck, Bukit Tinggi Road and Kampong Bahru.

This ongoing game of musical chairs has been played among international schools in recent years.

Since the spike in the expatriate population in Singapore from 798,000 in 2005 to 875,500 in 2006, popular international schools have been running at full capacity and watching waiting lists lengthen as they seek ways to expand.

‘When you’re bursting at the seams, you want to quickly find another campus so that you can clear the waiting list and give the students a place to study,’ said one principal.

Many of the campuses occupy leased sites belonging to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) or to private owners.

The Canadian school’s Bukit Tinggi campus, with about 500 students, received at least three enquiries in the past year from other expatriate schools and private firms wanting to start schools.

The same went for its Toh Tuck campus, which has 900 students and is leased from the SLA.

While the campus may only be vacant from 2010, others see no harm in putting their bid down for it.

‘It’s important to be watchful for opportunities and get your name into the game quickly. Location is of course paramount, you don’t want to have your campuses all over the place,’ said Mr Glenn Odland, principal of the Canadian school, whose newest campus opened in Tanjong Katong last year.

A tad too late in making enquiries was its neighbour at Bukit Tinggi Road, the German European School.

It would have been the perfect solution for the 30-year-old school, which was looking for a second campus to house its primary level children, said principal Gunter Boos, with a tinge of regret.

With a total enrolment of 1,075, it is over the capacity of 800 that its lush, green campus off Bukit Timah was built to take.

It has also had to keep 65, mostly primary-level pupils, on its waiting list for the past six months.

It may have found a solution though, in a disused school campus at Jalan Jurong Kechil, a 10-minute drive away, and will move its primary school - both German and English sections - there next month.

Its secondary and kindergarten sections will remain at the current site, which will allow them room to expand.

With a total capacity of 600 at the new school, there will be some space for growth when the current 450 pupils start lessons there.

This interim solution will remove its waiting list for the next three years but the principal is still on the lookout for a site nearer the existing campus.

Another growing international school, the United World College, has already announced plans for a second campus in Tampines to accommodate 2,500 students in 2010. Others are thinking up innovative ways to create more room in their existing schools.

It has been almost two years now that the German European School has been running over capacity, so it has borrowed six classrooms, an auditorium and carpark lots from another neighbour, the Institution of Engineers.

Given its modest cafeteria, the students’ lunch breaks are staggered into three slots to make sure that everyone has a seat for meals.

At the Canadian school, timetables are designed to ensure that classrooms are rarely empty. Teachers and students move around for lessons to make the best use of any free classroom.

Personal computers have been replaced by laptops which are put on trolleys for use in any classroom. This has proved so successful that there are now six ‘mobile computer labs’.

The French School, Lycee Francais de Singapour, on the other hand, has already increased its enrolment by 60 per cent over the last four years to its current 1,390 students.

To create 26 additional classrooms, it will demolish and rebuild its kindergarten block. The new block will allow the school to take in 2,000 students in 2011.

In the interim, the kindergarten and part of the primary school will move to temporary premises.

Not many schools are like the Tanglin Trust School at Portsdown Road or the Australian International School at Lorong Chuan, both of which have enough space to expand on site.

The Tanglin Trust, with an enrolment of 2,250, wants to expand its senior school, with the total intake expected to hit just below 3,000 in the next five years.

The school has just built an additional floor onto its existing senior school to house eight new classrooms and is adding another building to house more senior school facilities that will be ready next year.

The Australian school, meanwhile, is furnishing its new $45 million junior school campus, built next to its existing campus in Lorong Chuan.

It will welcome about 800 pupils in July.