Reflections 2016 by Tanglin Trust School

Reflections 2016

CONTENTS

Governance The Role of the Governing Body

hief Executive Officer C School Highlights & Key Information

Capital Development

Sports at TTS

Technology for Learning

Infant School

Junior School

Senior School

Examination Results

Graduate Destinations

Financial Overview

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

GOVERNANCE

The role of the Governors of Tanglin Trust School (Tanglin) is to guide 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 the individual Board members doing their utmost, within the guidelines of governorship, for 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 ninety-one years of tradition here in Singapore. The governing body breaks down its work to subcommittees to give due attention to: Education, Finance, Human Resources, Development and Building 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 standards 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

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Welcome to this edition of Reflections which looks back at the highlights of events and developments across the school since our last publication in February 2015. In compiling Reflections we always find that there are far too many headlines to report succinctly in a readable document. Therefore, we have picked out a selection of reports that we hope will give you a flavour of the direction and development of this dynamic school.

PEDAGOGY FOR A CHANGING WORLD

Relevance, Authenticity and Engagement I am very happy with the direction that the best schools in the world are moving (including Tanglin Trust School). Finally, the template for education which was founded in Victorian times (rows of desks, separate and facing the front where the font of all knowledge, ‘the teacher’, is standing) is beginning to disintegrate under the increasing demand for relevance, authenticity and engagement. Over the past year we have continued to review the relevance not only of our curriculum, but also the relevance of the holistic experience of school life. Historical education is no longer a matter of learning names, dates, wars and who won or lost. Instead, the motives behind and influencing factors of a range of world leaders are studied and compared, followed by projections of lessons learned to possible future scenarios. Wherever possible, areas of study relate to real life and include real life situations which can be researched in the world around the student. It was wise at the time for the Greeks to separate learning into subjects, but it is now time to move back towards the subjects being part of relevant and integrated study that provides learners with a range of research and analysis tools that will help them to provide complex solutions. The emergence of over-arching topics such as ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Migration’ provide excellent examples of a relevant curriculum. School trips and visits are no longer simply a pleasant day or more out and about. These activities are more and more specifically designed to support the core curriculum and to provide relevant challenging experiences to develop life skills. These skills are nurtured in the group setting where children learn from, and support, each other. The impact of these experiences should not be underestimated. Our school has developed a comprehensive Outdoor Education programme which continually provides such experiences for children of all ages.

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The question of authenticity has been raised following the ease of access to technology and the consequence of having multiple answers or interpretations. No longer can you purchase a full set of the Britannica Encyclopaedia and imagine that they contain all the answers. No longer can we assume that our view is the only view or even the right view. Without too much difficulty we are able to find out for instance, the opposing interpretations of a historic conflict such as the UK minersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; strike of 1984-85. This allows us to debate the pros and cons of each in a more balanced and authentic way. The challenge, of course, is to have the skills to allow you to research and distinguish between a view point or interpretation and the facts. Sourcing, research skills and referencing have never been so important. Probably the most significant and ongoing development in learning is in the emerging role of the learner. Students are far more engaged in and responsible for their learning than ever before. Increasingly, Tanglin students will be able to articulate not only their strengths and weaknesses in their subjects, but also comment on their progress and development in the areas of the Learner Profile. Understanding, being more engaged in, and taking more responsibility for their learning and growing is very important for effective learning and the development of these skills is one of our priorities.

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Senior Leadership Changes We were very sad to see Mr Neil Turrell retire in July 2015 after six very successful years of leading the Senior School. Mr Turrell laid the foundations and appointed staff to allow the Senior School to grow to a capacity of 1,400 students whilst continually improving standards. Mr Turrell left a legacy that will always be remembered and appreciated alongside his quite distinctive, professional and very positive persona. An international search process to replace Mr Turrell resulted in the appointment of Mr Allan Forbes (formally Head of Senior School at Harrow School, Bangkok). Mr Forbes is a very experienced headmaster not only in Asia but also the Middle East before that. We are delighted to have appointed such a quality candidate and I am certain that, along with the Senior Leadership Team of the Senior School, he will build strongly upon Mr Turrell’s foundations.

External Inspection I am delighted to report that the British Schools Overseas inspection team who visited the Junior School in January 2016 awarded them ‘Outstanding’. I have never seen such happy, animated and emotional inspectors as they regaled us with their supporting evidence and anecdotes. It is fair to say that the team was incredibly impressed by the quality of Teaching and Learning, by the passion, energy and enthusiasm of staff (teaching and support) and students. I have a great deal of pride in working with colleagues who do such a great job and who provide our students with such challenge and inspiration.

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Student Roll The opening of new schools in Singapore has relieved some of the pressure on our wait-lists. However, the overall student roll remains close to capacity at 2,775. The increased competition will ensure that we are never complacent and that we constantly look to provide good quality education that provides good value for money. We are making changes to our Nursery provision for the coming year in order to remain competitive with other Early Years providers. The Sixth Form College roll remains strong with 340 students in total, with the dual pathway (IB and A Level) attracting a number of students from other schools. There are no plans at present to increase the student roll beyond the limits we have almost reached.

The Gateway Building Project The imposing Gateway Building project is on target to be completed in August 2016 and it will provide many new resources as well as a very appropriate front to our campus. As this building is unveiled, the new playing field surface will be extended to allow for full size rugby or football matches and to provide a much larger area for all sports and play. The new floodlights will allow for games and training to take place early in the morning and in the evening. The new spaces in the Gateway will provide additional facilities for all three schools and a number of whole school services. See page 12 for the exciting details of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s included.

The Launch of the TTS Foundation Annual Fund In October 2015 the TTS Foundation first Annual Fund was launched. Over $75,000 was raised to support projects on the TTS Foundation wish list, from a total of 255 donors including both parents and staff. There is now a heightened awareness within the community about the work that the TTS Foundation is doing and the exceptional opportunities that it is enabling for our community. We received some very constructive feedback throughout the campaign which will, in particular, help to determine the project areas that we focus on going forward. We are indebted to Cecilia Handel (Director of Development) and her team for launching the Foundation alongside the many parent and staff advocates who voluntarily gave their time and energy to this campaign. Our students will benefit directly from their efforts.

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT 2015

IB Headlines Well done to the Class of 2015, our largest IB Diploma cohort to date, for their excellent results this year. We applaud their outstanding efforts and thank the teachers for their hard work and support. • Our largest cohort of 53 students took the IB Pathway, 96% successfully achieved the full diploma. • Just over a third (36%) of the cohort scored an outstanding 39 points or more. • 7 students (13%) scored 43 points or more. • Average UCAS points tariff per IB student: 538 points, the 2nd best in the 5 years of the diploma at Tanglin • An outstanding average in the May 2015 session of 37 points per student (the global average was 29.9). • One student also achieved a highly impressive 7 in Further Mathematics as an additional subject – the first time such a feat has been accomplished at Tanglin. To put it in perspective, only 149 students sat the exam globally last year.

A Level Headlines The A Level cohort of 105 students enjoyed a 99% pass rate. We are very proud of our students who achieved extremely well, both in terms of raw results and ‘value-added’ compared to UK expectations. • 45% of grades were at A* or A, 90% were in the range A* to C and 99% of all grades were A*-E. • 30% of students taking the EPQ achieved an A*, with almost two thirds of the A level cohort achieving an A or A*: we are increasingly finding that the EPQ is being valued by universities. • Average UCAS points tariff per A Level student: 436 We are delighted that 5 of our students from this cohort gained places at Oxbridge. Whilst it is important to recognise and celebrate these results, perhaps a more significant communication is the confirmation of students gaining entry to courses and universities they have targeted. The vast majority of students have secured places at their universities of first choice. It is also worth commending the class of 2015 for their exceptional commitment to both student leadership and service over the course of their two year programme. They left a permanent legacy, drawing local ancillary staff together with students through the TEFL English Language programme, working sustainably with disadvantaged students within the local Singapore sphere and further cementing our Community Link Programmes in Cambodia and the Lamdon School in Ladakh.

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Wellbeing In drafting a succinct answer to the questions ‘What are we here for?’ and ‘What are we trying to do?’, we came up with: ‘To be the best school in the world with a dynamic learning community which nurtures and inspires every individual to be the best they can be.’ Wanting to be ‘the best school in the world’ isn’t arrogant, it’s aspirational and it guarantees that we will never become complacent. The words ‘nurture’ and ‘inspires’ describe the way teachers and support staff approach their work and bring about learning. A ‘dynamic learning community’ gives the impression that everyone is active and everyone (including teachers and support staff) is learning all the time. ‘Every individual’ emphasises that every child/adult matters. It speaks of respect and inclusivity. Finally, ‘to be the best they can be’ acknowledges that everyone is different and that we look for and recognise wherever their skills and aptitudes lie. It also indicates that ultimately, their achievements will be measured against themselves and their individual progress, which may be different from their peers. For all this to work, there has to be a whole child disposition which is prepared for and able to support growth, learning and happiness. We refer to this as the state of ‘wellbeing’. ‘Wellbeing is the state in which an individual has the psychological, social and physical resources to flourish and to meet life’s challenges.’ I would guess that all parents would want their children to live and grow in a state of wellbeing. Work has begun on how we at Tanglin can firmly place wellbeing at the heart of everything we do and how we can monitor levels of wellbeing and address them where necessary. Peter Derby-Crook Chief Executive Officer

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CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT - What’s new in the Gateway Building

Media Technology • A sound-proofed Foley studio and control room: students can design Foley sound effects, ADR (automated dialogue replacement) and compose film music. • A colour grading and visual effects studio: students colour correct and colour grade their films during postproduction. They can also create and add motion graphics and visual effects. • An IMac computer suite in the open areas on each floor where students can edit their photography and films. • A 40-seat screening room with auditorium style seating, surround sound and 3.5 metre cinema screen. • A pre-production Think Tank room where students can plan and discuss film ideas, brainstorming on glass panelled walls. • Two film studio spaces, each with a cyclorama wall (one green and one black) and ceiling mounted, studio lighting rigs. • A fully featured photography studio with a white cyclorama wall and studio lighting.

DIRECTOR OF LEARNING, EVENTS, COMMUNICATIONS, DEVELOPMENT,

WELLBEING THE ‘MOOT’

MEDIA TECHNOLOGY

ONE STOP (PTA, CHILDREN’S PLAY AREA)

CANTEEN

TTS PLATFORM

SECURITY, OPS WORKSHOP, FCC/BMS

TTS EXPRESS

GYMNASTICS

FAMILY CAFE, RETA

PERSPECTIVE FROM PORTSDOWN

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The Moot An impressive 500 seat auditorium with full length windows overlooking the new school field. This new hall will be fully equipped with state of the art audio visual equipment to enhance celebration assemblies, speaker presentations and small scale performances; including a camera system that will enable the recording and even live streaming of events. The theatre-style seating will be fully retractable ‘at the push of a button’, so that the full floor area can also be used for exhibitions or conferences.

, HR, FINANCE, PROCUREMENT, ADMISSIONS, GARDEN

BOARDROOM, SENIOR MANAGEMENT OFFICES

RECEPTION

OPERATIONS Infant Play Area

AIL

INFANTS

CANTEEN

MAILROOM, STORE (PTA, EBT, PROCUREMENT) ROAD Family Cafe

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SPORTS AT TTS

Sport and activities are an important part of school life at Tanglin (TTS). We remain committed to offering these opportunities through our Competitive Sports, CCA (Co-Curricular Activities) and SRC (Sports AND Recreation Clubs). All students are encouraged to participate and many have been selected for representative teams. Our ACSIS (Athletics Conference of Singapore International Schools), FOBISIA (The Federation of British International Schools in Asia) and SEASAC (South East Asia Student Activities Conference) teams continue to perform to high standards and represent the school with pride. TTS also selectS teams to attend various other high profile events such as Brisbane Touch, SCC 7’s Rugby and Feeding Frenzy Swimming, to name a few. This academic year TTS teamed up with the recently opened OCBC Arena at Sports Hub to run the first schools event at the venue, The Merlion Sprint Festival. The OCBC Aquatics Centre is home to Singapore’s National Swimmers and has hosted a range of world class events such as the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships and the 28th Southeast Asia Games. This unique opportunity offered swimmers from Singapore International Schools to record official times at a world class venue under a FINA approved event. The TTS Merlions were out in full force making up 125 of the 530 swimmers that competed on the day. The atmosphere in the stands was electrifying and many PB’s were broken in the pool. TTS is very excited to be hosting this event next academic year and in future years. The SRC’s at Tanglin help us to offer opportunities outside of the school day and one of our most successful partnerships is with Gym With Me (GWM). The club provides recreational and competitive gymnastics opportunities for large numbers of students at TTS. Through the gymnastics CCA programme there are 58 boys and girls in the Junior and Senior School regularly training in the recreational programme. GWM’s experienced coaches use these CCA sessions to identify those students who demonstrate potential to join their development squads, which

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currently have 22 boys and girls. The development squad are then able to progress into the competitive and intermediate squads that currently have 50 girls and 20 boys actively training up to and more than 3 times a week. There is a clear and identified pathway for Tanglin students to develop as gymnasts and compete under the Tanglin Titans name. Tanglin Titanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnasts are given the opportunity to represent the school at a range of local and international competitions such as FOBISIA and SEASAC as well as the local invitational competitions. By the end of the academic year Tanglin will see 99% of girls and 86% of boys in the competitive and intermediate squads representing the school. There are also further opportunities for gymnasts to train and compete under the club umbrella, GWM have over 300 gymnasts on their roll including recreational kindergym, juniorgym, seniorgym and freestyle gym.

Naomi Lewis Director of Sport & Activities Senior School Sport

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SPORTS AT TTS

It has been an action packed year for Senior School Sport as we have risen to the challenge of providing opportunities for all our students, regardless of ability or experience. The level of participation has exceeded all our expectations with a staggering 735 different Senior students competing in 92 teams across 14 different sports, up from 60 teams in 2014-15. This equates to 58% of all Senior School students which, when taking into account all their other endeavors, is a truly exceptional number for a school of this size. We have scheduled over 550 competitive fixtures (in addition to 27 tournaments), and although 92 of these fixtures fell victim to the haze in Season 1, it is still a phenomenal amount of sport. As is widely recognised, participating in competitive sport offers so many different benefits and it was always clear that if we were going to provide an inclusive model that enthused and motivated students it had to be based around competition. However, with our facilities and resources (and the number of hours in the day!) it was clear that we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide this within our current structure; this was exasperated by the loss of the Sports Complex at JHJ. So while the school is clearly making progress in improving our facilities, it was obvious that the model had to change first. Moving to one hour training sessions (from ninety minutes) has been the key on a number of levels. Most importantly it has allowed us to move to three sessions after school, which in turn has enabled us to bring 90% of training onto the school site, reducing our reliance on offsite venues. Not only does this allow us to reinvest the huge savings on facility and transport hire into coaching the greater number of teams, but it also allows us to better ensure the quality of sessions our students experience right here on our site. The fact that students and staff donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to spend hours each week on a bus means that time can also be used for something more worthwhile!

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Of course we were prepared for the questions about how this ‘reduction’ in training time would impact our SEASAC or other ‘A’ teams but in fact for many sports (football, rugby, touch) one hour on site was an increase in actual training time compared to travelling off site. This year so far has been the most successful SEASAC year to date, so as of yet there certainly appears to be no detrimental impact on our highest ability performers. One of the other challenges was to create a sense of belonging or collegiality in each Sports Club that would not only enthuse and inspire students but also help them retain the required commitment when the coursework, tests, fatigue and other things come knocking midway through the season. Whilst this continues to be a challenge, measures taken such as asking students to purchase and wear kit for training, teams A-E training at the same time and location, teachers acting as managers to the team, regular communication with students and parents have all helped. Creating the ethos of two-way communication between student and teachers is the next step to ensure the smooth running of teams and seasons. Making the change to a ‘Sport for All’ model has not been without its challenges and an incredible amount of work has gone on behind the scenes to make sure that the quality of the provision is at a level you would expect at TTS. We, as a Sports Department, have learnt a lot from this first year and with the final phase of the new playing field about to begin, and the preparation of our new site just a stones throw from Gate D, we are hopeful that next year will be even better still.

Dave Radcliffe Head of Senior Sport & PE

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TECHNOLOGY FOR LEARNING TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTING LEARNING

It’s not about the device Tanglin continues to embrace technology where it supports learning and 2015 has seen some important milestones in terms of student access to mobile devices right across the School. From August 2015, every student from Year 5 to Year 13 has been bringing their own mobile learning tool to school, every day. In addition to this, all classes in Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) now have their own set of 12 iPads in the classroom, giving the teacher more flexibility about when to use them and enabling children to store content they have created on a particular iPad that they share with just one other class member. As teachers and students become more and more familiar with these devices, their impact on learning becomes ever more evident; affecting everything in school from the layout and organisation of learning spaces to the nature of learning tasks. It’s not just about the hardware. The increasing sophistication of online collaborative spaces such as Google Classroom and associated applications have led to important changes in the way that teachers interact with students and classes of students interact with each other. It has become a mantra at Tanglin that ‘it’s not about the device’. In fact as Steve Morgan, Head of Technology for Learning (TfL) in the Senior School puts it “our goal is to get as close as possible to an environment where the mobile device is considered as invisible and unremarkable a tool as books, paper and pens.” The iPads and laptops are simply tools, but powerful tools which enable high quality learning to take place.

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Learning Spaces Mobile devices have led to much better integration of technology into learning. Students no longer need to move out to a ‘special’ location to access a computer or the internet; instead they can take the device to wherever it is needed so that it can be used alongside other resources, both inside and outside the classroom. In fact, teachers are using the term ‘classroom’ less and less and now often refer to ‘learning spaces’, which really means any space in school where a learner might be! Increasingly, teachers are looking for spaces outside of the classroom where small groups can work independently of the larger class and collaboratively with each other. Over the past year we have been able to create several new spaces to help with this; particularly in Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6. In these year groups, pods of desktops have been removed from the shared central areas, to create new breakout spaces with flexible furniture arrangements that can be adapted to suit the task. These new spaces are already being used to great effect, as illustrated by the recent ‘Disaster Day’ in Year 6, which was part of their ‘Savage Earth’ topic. The whole unit was transformed so that small groups of students could work independently on a wide variety of tasks related to the topic: instructions for activities and tips on how to record their learning were available on the students’ iPads which they carried around with them; some groups were in the role play area acting out a disaster response scenario, while others were using microscopes to analyse evidence; the ‘chill grill’ area was a quiet reflection area where children were updating their blogs; the new recording studio was being used for a live podcast, while children outside were recording a stop animation film. Head of Year 6, Mr O’Brien commented: “Every space became a learning space; the children had genuine ownership of their learning and there was a ‘flow’ between activities that we are really trying to develop in the upper Primary years.”

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Dynamic Libraries The age of technology is redefining the role of libraries in educational institutions and recent modifications to the Infant School and Senior School libraries have responded to this change. Physical books still play a very important part in our learning and Tanglin prides itself on its collection of fiction and nonfiction books that can be found in the traditional way, by looking on the bookshelf(!), as well as by using our online catalogue. However, the need for an extensive reference section has been lessened by the availability of vast quantities of up to date information from innumerable sources that are available online. At first, libraries responded to this by creating spaces for desktop computers alongside the bookshelves; these needed a large amount of space, in the same sort of quiet, ‘study zone’ environment. The growth of powerful, mobile devices has made access to online information truly ‘anytime, anywhere’ and has allowed us to create different kinds of spaces in the library. These are spaces where students can come together and discuss information, working collaboratively on projects in an authentic way. In October 2015, the Infant Library formally opened its ‘Creation Station’ where children can use modelling materials to try out ideas that they find in the library books so that the learning suddenly becomes 3 dimensional. The Senior School Library now has 3 distinct zones: ‘Interactive’, ‘Study’ and ‘Collaborative’, with the Collaborative Zone being supported by a ‘Maker-Space’ that again helps to bring the learning to life with traditional and state of the art modelling resources. These new spaces are already being put to good use and ensure that our libraries remain relevant and at the heart of learning at Tanglin.

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TECHNOLOGY FOR LEARNING

Technology allowing more effective feedback From our first large scale trial of personal mobile devices back in 2012, we saw straight away how the multimedia features of the device opened up new possibilities for the way that students record their learning. Photographs, videos and voice recordings are quick and easy to insert into documents, enriching the outcome and allowing students to use their preferred style in many situations. Now we are beginning to see these same features having a major impact on the way that teachers give feedback to students and parents. In the Infant School, the Interactive Learning Diary (ILD) is now in use across Nursery and Reception, replacing the physical Learning Journey books that used to be kept in the classroom. This allows photographs and videos of children, linked to the Early Years Learning Goals, to be shared with parents almost instantly - and enables parents to enter comments about home learning. Most importantly it builds up to be a wonderful summary of development in the Early Years. At the other end of the school, a core focus for the Senior Technology for Learning team has been the adoption of tools to speed up and deepen the learning conversation between students and teachers. According to John Hattieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent educational research, timely, personalised and specific feedback on student work, rather than numeric scores or letter grades, has the most powerful influence on learning and achievement. With apps like Showbie for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 and Google Classroom in Key Stage 4 and the Sixth Form, students are able to submit work to a digital location where the work is live and transparent and where an ongoing conversation can ensue about learning. Students are not having to wait for a particular timetabled lesson to hand in work and then wait for the next lesson, perhaps a week later, to get feedback. The learning journey is accelerated, allowing more time for personal interactions in class. The fact that this digital feedback can be audio or video in nature has meant that feedback can be deeper, as a teacher speaking for a minute is worth a page of written comments. It is also more personal and more personalised, allowing the teacher correcting your work to explain their thinking as if they were live in front of you.

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TECHNOLOGY FOR LEARNING

Lifelong learning for teachers Just as the technology is becoming ever more integrated into the learning, the focus of our professional development around technology has also evolved. Teachers have moved on from needing ‘basic training’ on how to use the devices, to being able to think about and learn how it supports the learning. Whilst our technology leaders across the school still offer regular training sessions on particular apps or techniques, there are just as many examples of teachers across year groups and departments planning together and supporting each other to integrate and embed the use of technology into the curriculum. In the Senior School, rather than having a technology ‘rep’ within each faculty, every Head of Department has been given the responsibility of working directly with the Technology for Learning team , first to identify areas that the department want to address and then to harness the appropriate technology to meet those needs. This has had two major benefits: The learning goal now always comes ahead of the choice of tool, as it should, and every teacher in a given subject area is subsequently involved in whatever technology solution that department decides to implement, so no teacher is left behind. In the Infant and Junior Schools, the Heads of Year have an increasingly important role to play and those in year groups that have been working with iPads for longer are guiding others, to ensure that knowledge is passed on. Fiona Westwell, Head of Year 1 commented to the Year 2 team: “The more I’ve used iPads, the more ideas for how to use them I’ve had!” Our teachers are certainly modelling the lifelong learning attributes that we encourage in our students. Tanglin is keen to learn from other schools and also to share our experiences with other professionals. In November 2016, during the FOBISIA Heads Conference, our Integrated Technology leaders and Technology for Learning team presented the story of the evolution of technology at Tanglin - with demonstrations and testimony from numerous students - to groups of Headteachers from across the region. In addition to this, many staff are sharing through social media. In the Senior School, an internal Google Plus community has been set up to enable sharing of teaching tips and this has already seen some excellent cross-faculty conversations being sparked that would perhaps not have happened otherwise in such a fast-paced school.

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3D technology - bringing ideas to life Models have always been a part of teaching and learning; there are many objects and systems that are hard to visualise from a two dimensional diagram on a page. We are really excited about the developments in 3D technology that are revolutionising the way that models can be created and explored. 3D printers in the Junior School were used to great effect last year during Year 5’s Singapore topic to create scale models of landmark buildings with a precision that would have been unthinkable in schools just a few years ago - from designs and measurements researched by the students. 3D TVs in the Junior School science lab and Senior School Science department have been used to bring an interactive model of the human body into the classroom which is much more powerful than a static, physical model. So far we have only scratched the surface of possibilities for both these technologies but we are already glimpsing a future where models of the world can be brought to life in front of the students - ready to be investigated and explored. It’s not about the device, or the technology, it’s about the learning. As we make sure that we keep abreast of developments in technology, this is our focus. As well as experimenting with the potential of 3D technology, there are teachers exploring the capabilities of Windows tablets and new software such as the OneNote Class Notebook; others are working on the potential of drones to take aerial pictures of the school to help children understand maps. In every case, the technology will only be adopted if there is a clear enhancement to the learning of our students.

John Ridley

Director of Learning

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INFANT SCHOOL Celebrations This has been the year of celebrations! T90 was a wonderful and inspiring series of events for the Infant School starting off with the Big Birthday launch in March. We have also celebrated 40 years of service by two of our outstanding Teaching and Learning Assistants, Kim Yau and Sandy Kang, both of which are remarkable achievements. It was magical for Sandy to be part of the unveiling of the Heritage Wall and also the whole school Tanglin Teas where both Kim and Sandy received standing ovations for their long service and commitment.

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Physical Development Physical development is one of the prime areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and it continues to be high on the agenda in our efforts to enhance the opportunities for our children. We started with the new swimming towel design, which no longer drags on the floor as the children walk over to the pool and we are introducing skorts for girls as an alternative uniform option. We have now launched the FUNdamental Motor Programme (FMP) equipment to support PE lessons. The benefits of FMP are that it is a skills based programme aiming at developing agility, balance, coordination and strength. These skills are instrumental not only in locomotion but also in learning. Developing physical skills in the Early Years is proven to support brain development and enhance bone health as well as muscular development. It also assists the non-physical benefits of social and cognitive skills development and emotional wellbeing. This physical development focus has been supported by the PTA who have provided funds for the Curran Hall Gym Frame. This means that not only do we have all weather access but also an opportunity for our youngest children to experience the wall bars without having to include the long trek over to the Junior School.

Learning Spaces Transforming learning spaces has been a key priority for us over the past year. We started with the Learning Hubs in Year 1 and 2 where we transformed the ICT Suites into smaller spaces with mobile devices, ideal for bespoke and personalised collaborative learning. The Zen Den, Cloud 9 and Little Orchard are perfect spots for learning and the children seem to think so too. The Chinese Room now has acoustic walls, a complimentary installation by Autex as a pilot project to the multipurpose halls in the new Gateway Building. The colours were selected to ensure calmness and feedback from He Lao Shi, our Head of Chinese, confirms that, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It is noticed that speech clarity has been improved during lessons, particularly, when those reserved children who are in the front row speak with soft voices, and the back row children are now able to hear their answers.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

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After 15 years, the art cupboard has had a face lift and has become an Art Studio as a result of our newly appointed inspirational Head of Infant Art & Design, Helen Sampson and Technical Art & Design Executive, Sakina Sanaa. The PTA have been busy supporting these transformations as well through resourcing the Creation Station. We wanted to ensure the Infant Library stays relevant and remains an integral part of the school community and to create a learning hub where innovation becomes ubiquitous, hence the Creation Station!

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INFANT SCHOOL

“It was fun. It was good to use different colours for the windows on the buildings. I like being an artist and using my imagination.” Reika,Y2 “It was exciting working with Karin Littlewood. I learnt about the colours of the forest and that there are berries in the forest.” Zara, Y2 “I felt interested in the artwork. We learnt how to draw plants. I’m excited to be in the Art Studio!” Adam, Y2 “I learnt how to make watery night leaf colours and nice dreamy colours. I learnt how to form different leaf shapes. It’s fun being in the Art Studio. I LOVE Art!” Sahvika, Y2

Welcoming Visitors to Our School We welcome a huge number of visitors to our school each year. Some of these are geared towards the children, some for the teachers, some for the parents and some just to host other professionals who wish to learn from our outstanding practitioners. This year we have welcomed UK curriculum consultant, Andy Mellor back to review our new Key Skills Curriculum document for Key Stage 1. We also worked with Ofsted inspector, HMI Inspector and author, Roy Blatchford on ‘Sparkling Classrooms’ and ‘The Restless School’. The children were lucky enough to work with storyteller Cassandra Wye, illustrator Korky Paul, Karin Littlewood, Anne Fienberg and Robert Swan. And in Term 1 alone we welcomed over 70 colleagues from Singapore Schools (Ednovation, PAP Kindergartens) over a series of days who were keen to observe our teachers, review the resources and pedagogy we use and discuss curriculum content and design. All in a year at Tanglin!

Paula Craigie Head of Infant School

“It was fun and exciting working with Karin Littlewood. I like drawing the Jungle and drawing is my favourite thing to do. I learnt we could do dark leaves and wishy washy watery ones.” Verity, Y2 “I remember when we saw “The Elves and the Shoemaker” in the infant library. They were lots of fun because we joined in to help wake up the Shoemaker. I loved when the elves crept into the library. It was so much fun!” Freya, Reception “Anna Fienberg was nice and lovely. She makes me want to be an author” Milla, Y2 “I enjoyed it when Anna Fienberg visited Year 2. She brought along some Tashi dragon books and shared them with us. I would love to be an author and travel the world just ike Anna” Adam, Y2 “I remember Korky Paul sharing a story with us in assembly. He painted a picture of Winnie the Witch. It made me feel really happy to see a real life illustrator!” Shayde, Y2

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Tony Little, former Headmaster of Eton College, believes that there are two fundamental truths about school life: 1. Young people learn at least as much outside the classroom as in it 2. Young people learn more from each other than they do from adults It is little surprise, therefore, that Junior School pupils have flourished over the last twelve months during Tanglin’s 90th anniversary year. The school’s bespoke curriculum offers a wealth of opportunities for pupils to learn outside the classroom. Within school, increasing specialist provision enables pupils to develop and apply their learning across a range of different contexts: from the drama studio to the sports field and from the robotics lab to the teaching kitchen. Inspiring visitors from Manchester United legends to Handlebard Theatre and Scottish Opera have also complemented the taught curriculum. Beyond school, our outdoor education programme takes pupils outside their comfort zone and opens their hearts and minds to the world around them. This is an essential element of learning at Tanglin. From camping overnight at Singapore Zoo to sleeping in an Iban longhouse in the Borneo rainforest, these memorable experiences promote personal and social development and provide genuine moments of awe and wonder. The school’s curriculum also provides a wealth of opportunities for pupils to learn from each other. The development of The Exchange, our new collaborative learning space in Year 6, is an exciting example of this. Collaboration is evident across the full range of subjects: from team building games in PE to filming and producing movies in ICT and from constructing a Formula 1 car to creating a sculpture of a giant alien. As Steve Howland, our school improvement adviser commented, this is so much more than working in a group. Observations clearly showed that teachers are very consciously promoting effective collaboration to develop specific aspects of personal development. Pupils are often assigned roles such as leader, presenter, recorder, quality controller and measurer with the clear expectation that they perform their role as a part of positive contribution to their team’s pursuit of a common goal. This prepares them exceptionally well for life beyond the Junior School. This was particularly evident during Junior School Enterprise Week. Inspired by expert visitors from Disney and Mega Zip, pupils worked in teams to plan, design and market their products and services. The result was a series of highly successful and enjoyable enterprise mornings with a total profit of $16,000 raised for local charities: Riding for the Disabled, Food from the Heart, Star Pals and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Pupils were motivated by this experience and parents appreciated the learning that took place as well.

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

“Just thought I’d share our son’s enthusiasm for his future. He came home today talking lots about how he has some great ideas about starting his own business, about his logo and the concept. His actual words were: ’Mum, I am no longer worried about my future, I know I can be an entrepreneur.’ For this, I just wanted to say thank you for raising his spirits and keeping him so motivated!” “Excellent result. It was really well organised and executed. We really enjoyed it and the energy was amazing. This was an excellent topic and I hope it continues next year. I believe the children have learnt a lot from this and now understand what it takes to earn money.” I find it interesting to reflect that apart from playing sports, my own education placed little emphasis on working with others. It was a culture that resulted in children sitting at their desks shielding their books from one another with their forearms. Not particularly effective preparation for life beyond school. While it is difficult and perhaps foolhardy to predict the future, it is widely agreed that the ability to learn and work effectively with others will be one of the most important skills that our pupils can have.

Exceptionally High Standards Our bespoke curriculum is underpinned by exceptionally high standards with an ongoing upward trend, reflecting the quality of teaching and learning across the school. The Junior School is now able to benchmark itself directly against a sample of UK independent schools and the comparisons are highly favorable. This February a team of three UK inspectors visited the Junior School to observe teaching and learning, interview children, parents, teachers and governors and evaluate up to three years’ worth of evidence ranging from children’s books to assessment data and Kirkland Rowell survey results to PYG minutes. On the final day of the inspection, the team received a quality assurance visit from another senior inspector to confirm the accuracy of the judgements and ensure the rigour of the process in line with UK Department for Education requirements. The full report is available on the TTS website. As the BSO Inspection Framework is based on the Independent Schools Inspection (ISI) Framework, parents will be able to make a direct comparison between Tanglin and the UK independent sector. We welcome the inspection process, which provides an external validation of the quality of education your children are receiving here at Tanglin. In addition to ensuring accountability to our community, the inspection process is the equivalent of high level consultancy supporting and informing the future development of the Junior School for your children. The inspection team recognised that the Junior School leadership team has a clear grasp of the areas for development and endorsed the school’s plans for improvement. We are firmly committed to the principle that getting better never stops. Indeed, this commitment to raising the bar is a defining feature of Tanglin’s 90 year heritage: a tradition of innovation underpinned by high standards. Examples of this ethos can be found in all areas school life: from the introduction of exciting new texts such as How to Train Your Dragon into the Year 3 English curriculum to the development of new after school activities such as ballet and jazz in the Junior School Arts Studio; from the introduction of 3D TV in the Junior School Science Laboratory to the development of automated check-in and check-out in the Junior School library.

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Pastoral Care and the Impact Hour The impact of the new behaviour and welfare monitoring system has individualised the pastoral care of each child and contributes to the exceptionally high standards of behaviour in and around school. However, a key development this year has been the introduction of the Impact Hour, a bespoke approach to delivering an enhanced Tanglin version of PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education). The Impact Hour incorporates five strands through which Junior School children will enhance their wellbeing: 1. CONNECT - Connect with people around you and stay safe. Invest time in developing relationships at home, school and in the local community. Use safe environments when making new connections. 2. HEALTH - Be active and eat well. Exercising makes you feel good. Discover a physical activity that you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness. Pay attention to what you eat to help keep your body healthy. 3. REFLECT - Be mindful. Take notice of the world around you and your own feelings. Be curious and reflective. 4. LEARN - Keep learning. Try new things. Take opportunities to learn new skills and take on new responsibilities. Set yourself challenges that you will enjoy achieving. 5. GIVE - Be helpful and kind to others. Thank people who help you. Smile. Volunteer your time in a service activity. Highlights from this year include the creation of our Flag Face display celebrating the cultural diversity of our community and our successful partnership with Standard Chartered Bank raising money for Seeing is Believing, a charity supporting the provision of restorative eye care around the world. Sometimes overlooked by parents, PSHCE is becoming more important than ever. Many of the pupils currently studying in the Junior School will live into the 22nd century. They will face a range of issues from the increasing prevalence of mental illness to significant climate change, not to mention the day to day challenges of sustaining positive relationships and achieving wellbeing in a fast paced, high tech world. We are committed to ensuring that our pupils lead balanced lives and are able to contribute with confidence to our world. We are proud that inspectors have endorsed the direction we have taken with this significant area of the curriculum.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL Sporting Success Sport is tremendously important to the Junior School community and we remain committed to providing three hours of PE within the curriculum each week. The inspection team highlighted both the breadth and depth of PE provision, commenting on the quality of specialist PE teaching. We believe in the value of competitive sport and House sports competitions are celebrated events in the Junior School calendar. Over the past twelve months, each and every child has represented his/her House at Sports Day (athletics), the House Swimming Gala and, of course, the Murphy Cup (football) with Harimau emerging victorious after several years of Beruang dominance. The matches were hotly contested and, as always, team spirit and sportsmanship featured strongly. Year 6 pupils also represented their House in basketball and netball. Responding to feedback from parents and pupils, we are delighted to be extending House basketball and House netball to Year 5 in order to increase opportunities for competitive sport. We recognise from the Kirkland Rowell survey and PYG forum that parents and pupils would like more opportunities for interschool sport as well. We are committed to responding to this feedback and next year we will enter A, B and C teams in every ACSIS (Athletic Conference of Singapore International Schools) football and netball tournament to increase opportunities further. Next year, increased PE staffing and, the development of the central playing field and conversion of the Griffiths Jones Hall into a multi purpose sports hall will enhance provision further. It is worth celebrating that there are already more Junior School pupils representing Tanglin than ever before. Our Junior competitive teams have continued to impress and achieve success across a wide range of sports, both in the ACSIS leagues and overseas tournaments. Once again, athletics proved to be a strong point for TTS after finishing in silver medal position in ACSIS Athletics and as champions at the FOBISIA Games in Bangkok, whilst securing a second place finish for the junior boys Cross Country team and third for the girls. Our footballers also excelled with both the boys and girls U11 teams making the finals at the Phuket Football Tournament (which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to thunderstorms) and enjoying more success at the FOBISIA games picking up two boys championships and a girls second place. We are particularly proud of the development of girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; football over the past couple of years and this resulted recently in the best ACSIS results to date where our U10 girls A team and U11 girls B team were crowned champions and the U11 A team finished in second place. Swimming and athletics boast the largest competitive squads in Junior competitive sport and both have continued to go from strength to strength resulting in many Junior School children succeeding in a wide range of events both as individuals and as part of a team. Most recently the Tanglin Titans Gymnastics team notched up an outstanding set of results by finishing with four team golds and three team silvers at the FOBISIA Gymnastics competition hosted by Patana School in Bangkok. Our Junior Merlion boys swim team were awarded a close second place at the ACSIS championships narrowly missing out on gold behind UWC East. Well done to everyone who has represented team Tanglin over the last twelve months and congratulations to those pupils who broke school records. Increased opportunities to come.

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

JUNIOR SCHOOL Excellence in the Arts Led by our exceptional team of specialists, the arts continue to flourish in the Junior School. Indeed, the quality of provision was highlighted as a significant strength of the school by the inspection team in February. Responding to feedback from parents and pupils, we have increased opportunities for specialist art with Mr Hinckley and Mr Hussein becoming fully dedicated to the Junior School. This has enabled the school to develop sculpture across the curriculum for all children and increase the number of art CCAs. The increase in staffing has been complemented by the refurbishment of the art room. Another development was the opening of The Den, an exciting new role play and drama area in Year 3 enhancing links between English and Drama within the curriculum and providing a space that fires pupils’ imagination and creativity. A wide range of performances have delighted audiences across the year, with pupils embracing the opportunity to take centre stage and shine in the spotlight. In Term 3 of 2014/2015, Year 5 brought the drama of Ancient Greece to our stage with their performances of Theseus and the Minotaur and Perseus and Medusa. The positive impact of ESB was clear to see as pupils spoke their lines with clarity and confidence. Year 3’s performances also highlighted the strong links between drama and literature in the curriculum, bringing some of Roald Dahl’s best loved stories to life in the Junior School drama studio. In Term 1 of 2015/2016, Year 6’s production of Mulan was a real highlight. Responding to feedback from parents and pupils, we were able to increase opportunities for all children by having two casts. We look forward to Year 4’s music concert later this year, which will provide a showcase for our music curriculum. Opportunities abound with Year 3 children learning the ukulele, Year 4 pupils learning the violin or the cello and Year 5 pupils learning a wind or brass instrument. Congratulations to all pupils who received a TTS Foundation Music Award to continue their study of a wind or brass instrument in 1:1 lessons outside of music classes. Responding to feedback from parents and pupils, we are delighted to be able to extend the Music Awards to include the violin and cello. We are delighted that so many pupils are taking their music to a higher level and contributing to our ensembles programme. Music brings something very special to our school and we would like to recognise the many, many pupils who performed in the following events: FOBISIA Performing Arts Festival, One Voice Concert, Junior Musicians in Concert, the Junior School Ensembles Concert and Scottish Opera’s Magic Flute.

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Continuous Professional Development The quality professional development opportunities at Tanglin have a profound impact on improving outcomes for our children. Progressive leadership pathways are led by the Institute of Education and our key leaders are then able to implement their research into best practice. Investment into innovative teaching and learning practices ranging from: languages to technology, music to mathematics and science to pupil wellbeing ensures that our practitioners are highly skilled and remain at the cutting edge of educational development. Working in partnership with Chris Quigleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curriculum consultancy has been part of a very successful relationship over the last five years and has been instrumental in developing engaging yet challenging learning experiences. Staff continuously model the philosophy that we are all lifelong learners with a passion and a relentless pursuit to provide the very best education. This is my final Reflection after eight years as Head of Junior School. It has been a privilege and a pleasure serving the Tanglin community. I will leave with many fond memories and would like to offer my sincere thanks to the community for the all the support and encouragement that I have received during my headship. The celebrated educationist Michael Fullan argues: Judge the quality of a Headteacher by the leadership he/she develops in others. I am extremely proud of the team in place to lead the Junior School forward. They are dedicated professionals with a passion for education and an unwavering commitment to serving the Tanglin community. I am particularly pleased that our Deputy Head, Clair Harrington Wilcox, was appointed against a highly competitive field to succeed me as Head of Junior School. Clair is an inspirational leader and educationist. So while there have been many highlights in 2015/2016, I have every confidence that there will be even more in the years to come.

David Ingram Head of Junior School

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SENIOR SCHOOL

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a somewhat daunting prospect joining Tanglin Trust School as Head of Senior School with its reputation of strong academic results at (I)GCSE, IB and A Level supported by impressive summary statistics that leap out from the website; the exceptional team of dedicated and experienced teachers who enthuse, inspire support and challenge; the strong pastoral support systems which ensure the wellbeing of every individual child as well as the sports, arts, service and outdoor education opportunities, all of which come together to secure Tanglinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation as an outstanding school. This has been recently confirmed by the BSO (British Schools Overseas) Inspection team who judged the Senior School as outstanding in all eight categories in January 2014. I set out in Term 1 to experience as many of these outstanding qualities from a first hand perspective. I met with each member of the faculty staff (143 strong) to ensure I knew not just names and subjects taught, but could start to identify individual strengths and impressive wider contributions to the school. I also took every opportunity to meet with and talk to parents through curriculum evenings, parent teacher consultations and making good use of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and Parent Year Group (PYG) connections. Through assemblies, walking the school and attending as many school events as time would allow, I also introduced myself to the student body. I came away with several clear messages from my first term: Tanglin students are immensely proud of their school, teachers are incredibly dedicated and passionate and parents want only the best for their children. However, I seemed to come up against the same question time and time again:

What are we about in the Senior School and where are we heading next? I found myself becoming more and more reflective about what I had seen in my first term at Tanglin and started to extract my own gems from my observations, conversations and the masses of data from the student, parent and teacher surveys. The most time-consuming task was, without doubt, making sense of the survey feedback. I found myself categorising the data into six main headings: Pastoral Teaching and Learning Curriculum The wider Tanglin experience Communication Buildings and facilities Teachers concluded positively that they felt well supported in their roles and held a strong belief that they were able to take risks and discuss their

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

professional development openly with their peers and line managers whilst also concluding that positive student/teacher relationships are a strong feature of the Senior School. Areas for development included developing further the breadth and balance of the curriculum whilst developing more defined skills for life. The students concluded that a good range of subjects exists in the Senior School and that leadership opportunities are made available to them. The vast majority said they were ’happy’ at school. However, the student body were less enthusiastic about the canteen queues, uniform and the timings of the school day. Parents were complimentary about their child knowing who to speak to if they have a problem and also commented on the positive relationships between the teachers and the students in the Senior School. Parents felt their children understood what they were learning and why and academic results met high expectations. However, parents raised some concerns of the Senior School buildings, the identity of the House System, the cost of school expeditions and communications as the main areas for development. The survey feedback allowed me to write the following statement about the Senior School. I have highlighted words and key phrases all of which came from the feedback in the surveys. It makes impressive reading, gives a sense of real ownership but there is still some work to be done in reaching where we aspire to be: Tanglin Trust School has over 90 years of experience and a long standing tradition in delivering a high quality learning and growing experience. It is a not-for-profit organisation and a registered charity. All fees and charges are used to run and improve the school. The Senior School (11 – 18 years) opened with its first intake of Year 7 students in August 1996 and is now a well established school with 1,280 students and approximately 60 nationalities. External, international examinations are taken following a two year course of I/GCSEs which start at 14 years with both A Level and International Baccalaureate Diploma pathways available at 16 years. Tanglin graduates typically progress to universities of their choice which are among the best in the world. We are a British School with an international perspective which means we follow a British structure of strong pastoral support and guidance, high

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SENIOR SCHOOL academic standards and an emphasis on developing the whole child by offering a range of enrichment opportunities and specialisms. Tanglin Senior School is committed to a well-rounded and grounded education. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum providing a wide range of subjects and disciplines. As well as traditional subjects, the curriculum also includes service learning, outdoor education opportunities and a wide range of Co-Curricular activities that stimulate and broaden student experience. We firmly believe young people are just as likely to learn outside of the classroom as in it. We also include inquiry based units to encourage the development of research skills, independent thinking and collaboration which traverse subject boundaries. We firmly believe young people can learn from each other as well as from adults. We are a centre for inspirational, dedicated and resourceful teachers, managers and leaders who are progressive in their outlook and who stimulate wonder, creativity and imagination. We look to the latest educational research into pedagogy and we embrace developments in technology when they can be used effectively to enhance learning. We are committed to the continued professional development of our staff at all stages and levels of their career. We aim to develop skills as well as impart knowledge as we realise the importance of students remaining open-minded, versatile, resilient and ready for the challenges of continuing study. We want Tanglin students to be useful and successful in life beyond school and university who can participate with enthusiasm and will contribute with confidence to the lives of others, society and the world, always taking responsibility and always showing integrity. It is our aim to allow our students to grow, flourish and become confident individuals who appreciate their own worth and that of others. We aim to be inclusive but we are mindful that we want our students to thrive and flourish and we do not want to set our students up to fail. We continue to explore and extend the opportunities and courses available to give our students every opportunity to achieve success through their selected pathway and to become suitably prepared for life. We are a happy school that values and cares for staff and students alike. We strive for well-being for all in a school that is often very busy but always prepared to be flexible and considerate to the needs of individuals. Emphasis is placed on a healthy work/life balance and the importance of chill out time and break out spaces. Our culture thrives on positive relationships between all members of our community and offering support when it is needed or asked for. We aim to listen carefully and inform effectively. We do this through a range of communication platforms as well as by implementing procedures that allow students, parents and staff to voice their views and concerns. An open door policy is not always easy to adhere to in Tanglin but visitors are always welcomed and inquiries responded to. We are resourceful and creative in our approach to time and space to ensure both teachers and students have the tools to collaborate and develop into lifelong learners. Our collective view is that buildings, facilities and resources must be safe, facilitate and stimulate learning.

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We are not a complacent school. Indeed, senior leaders, middle managers, teachers and support staff are always looking for ways to be innovative, improve and move forward. Everyone is encouraged to take risks, have a go and feel comfortable aiming high and sometimes failing in a supportive, optimistic and solution focused environment. As I start to run the risk of reflecting too much, please allow me conclude with the six strategic goals and that will become the focus of the Senior School Development and Improvement Plan for the next five years. 1. To be an even more caring, supportive, challenging and responsive environment in which students and staff are motivated and guided to achieve their best 2. To explore every opportunity to ensure exceptional teaching and learning practice is recruited, identified, celebrated, enhanced and shared within and beyond the School 3. To insist that every student’s learning experience is world class and relevant in all year groups and sections of the Senior School 4. To provide a broad range of enrichment, specialist, service and challenge opportunities which develop Learner Profile skills and attributes 5. To ensure that the community have access to high quality, relevant and concise communications and information 6. To invest in and develop state of the art buildings, facilities and resources that enable the highest possible level of student achievement, in a safe, secure and stimulating environment I am in no doubt that we can all, like the students feel proud of the Senior School and our BSO ‘outstanding’ in all categories status. However, whilst outstanding is a great place to be, our aim is to be a ‘Stand Out’ School and there is still work to do. I look forward to your support throughout what will be an exciting journey.

Allan Forbes Head of Senior School

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EXAMINATION RESULTS – I/GCSE

2015 I/GCSE Examination Results for (Class of 2017)

I/GCSE Results Table

Year

No. of Candidates

I/GCSE examination results for Class of 2016 (2014) – 100% of Tanglin students achieving 5 A* to C

100%

No. of Subjects

90% 80%

2013

173

70%

UK National Average 72.6% of students achieving 5 A* to C

60% 50%

2014

176

40%

20%

173

10%

2015 I/GCSE Examination Results

2012

No. of

2013

2014

2015

No. Of Grades

candidates

% A*/A

% A*-B

% A*-C

Art & Design

—

38%

76%

100%

Art & Design - Graphics

—

45%

100%

Biology

—

92%

100%

Business Studies

—

56%

81%

97%

Chemistry

—

84%

99%

100%

Chinese

—

79%

91%

100%

Classical Greek

—

100%

Computer Studies

—

95%

100%

Drama & Theatre Studies

—

100%

Economics

—

77%

94%

100%

English Language

173

—

53%

92%

99%

English Literature

173

—

72%

98%

100%

Film Studies

—

85%

100%

French

—

63%

84%

97%

Geography

—

86%

100%

German

—

57%

81%

100%

History

—

47%

74%

92%

ICT

—

57%

93%

100% 100%

Latin

of all grades achieved were A* or A

91%

of all grades achieved were A* to B

35%

of all grades achieved were A*

students achieved A* or A in all their GCSE subjects.

—

88%

100%

Mathematics A

178

—

60%

88%

98%

Music

—

69%

100%

Physical Education

—

50%

75%

92%

I/GCSE UK Grading

USA Grading

Physics

—

93%

99%

100%

A*/A

A+/A

Psychology

—

71%

88%

95%

A-/B+

Religious Studies

—

93%

100%

Science (Double)

150

—

47%

81%

98%

Science AQA (Core)

—

14%

50%

86%

Science AQA (Additional)

—

27%

82%

Spanish

—

78%

97%

100%

TOTAL

1657

587

527

384

132

—

TOTAL %

100%

35%

32%

23%

67%

90%

98%

Subject

No. of candidates A*

% A*-E

—

100%

Additional Mathematics

67%

0% 2011

Subject

173

students took I/GCSE examinations in 28 subjects

30%

2015

I/GCSE Summary for 2015 (Class of 2017)

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Equivalency Table

B/B-

C+/C

C-/D+

F/G

EXAMINATION RESULTS – A LEVELS

2015 A Level Examination Results Year

No. of Candidates

% of A*/A grades achieved by Tanglin Students

Average UCAS Point Score

TTS Average 40%

2013

TTS Average 50%

2014

TTS Average 47%

2015

A Level Results Table

UK Average 26.0%

2013

2015

414

% of A*-B grades achieved by Tanglin Students

2014

446

TTS Average 74%

2013

TTS Average 74%

2014

TTS Average 73%

2015

UK Average 52.4%

2015

% of A*-C grades achieved by Tanglin Students 2015

105

TTS Average 88%

430

TTS Average 93% TTS Average 91% UK Average 78.7%

2013 2014 2015 2015

A Level Summary for 2015

99%

pass rate of A Level students

47%

of grades were at A* or A, while 91% were in the A* to C range

430

average UCAS points tariff per A Level student

2015 A Level Examination Results

Subject

No. of candidates

No. of Grades

% A*/A

% A*-C

% A*-E

Art & Design

—

33%

100%

Biology

—

81%

97%

100%

Business Studies

—

11%

95%

100%

Chemistry

—

33%

93%

100%

Chinese

—

75%

100%

Classics

—

17%

67%

100%

Computing

—

100%

Drama & Theatre Studies

—

43%

100%

Economics

—

82%

100%

English Literature

—

41%

90%

100%

Film Studies

—

50%

100%

French

—

50%

67%

100%

Further Mathematics

—

83%

100%

Geography

—

27%

100%

Government & Politics

—

58%

92%

100%

History

—

35%

90%

100%

ICT

—

71%

100%

Mathematics

50%

81%

96%

Physical Education

—

45%

82%

100%

Physics

—

50%

95%

100%

Psychology

—

37%

96%

100%

Spanish TOTAL TOTAL %

—

33%

83%

100%

376

125

—

13%

33%

26%

19%

47%

91%

99%

Extended Project Qualification TOTAL TOTAL %

31%

of students taking the EPQ achieved an A*: we are increasingly finding that the EPQ is being valued by universities

65%

of students taking the EPQ achieved an A*/A

A Level students were successful gaining entrance to Universities of Oxford and Cambridge

Equivalency Table A Level UK Grading

USA Grading

A*/A

A+/A

A-/B+

B/B-

C+/C

101

—

100%

C-/D+

—

31%

34%

20%

11%

—

100%

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

EXAMINATION RESULTS – IB DIPLOMA

IB Results Table

2015 IB Examination Results Year

No. of Candidates

Tanglin % Passed Diploma

World % Passed Diploma

2013

100

78.5

2014

100

80 (approx.)

2015

80 (approx.)

2015 IB Examination Results

Subject

TTS Average 37.0

2013

TTS Average 38.1 TTS Average 37.0

2015

World Average 29.9

No. of Candidates

2014

2013-2015

IB Diploma Summary for 2015

98%

pass rate for all of our students who completed a regulation IB Diploma

No. Of Grades

546

English A1 Lang & Lit HL

—

English A1 Lang & Lit SL

—

English A1 Lit HL

—

English A1 Lit SL

—

French B HL

—

French B SL

—

German B HL

—

German B SL

—

Chinese - Mandarin AB SL

—

Chinese - Mandarin B SL

—

Spanish AB SL

—

Spanish B SL

—

Spanish B HL

—

Economics HL

—

Economics SL

—

Env. and Soc. SL

—

Geography HL

—

History - Europe/Me HL

—

History - Europe/Me SL

—

Philosophy HL

—

Philosophy SL

—

Psychology HL

—

Psychology SL

—

Business & Man. HL

—

Business & Man. SL

—

Biology HL

—

Biology SL

—

Chemistry HL

—

Chemistry SL

—

Physics HL

—

Physics SL

—

Maths Studies SL

—

Maths HL

Further Maths HL

—

Maths SL

—

Film HL

—

Film SL

—

Music HL

—

Theatre HL

—

Theatre SL

—

IB Grading

Visual Arts A HL

—

319

123

A+

A/A-

B+/B/B-

TOTAL

Tanglin Students Average Diploma Score (out of 45)

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

average UCAS points tariff per IB student

40%

of our students achieved 39 points or more

7 3

scored 43 or more

students were successful gaining entrance to Universities of Oxford and Cambridge

students were successful gaining entrance to Ivy League

student achieved the maximum 45 points (joining an exclusive club of just 160 students from more than 142,000 global entries)

Equivalency Table USA Grading

C+/C

C-/D+

D/D-

GRADUATE DESTINATIONS

THE FOLLOWING GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF THE MANY UNIVERSITIES TANGLIN GRADUATES HAVE ATTENDED OR RECEIVED OFFERS FROM IN THE LAST THREE YEARS.

UK Universities University of Aberdeen Academy of Contemporary Music Arts University Bournemouth University of Bath Bath Spa University University of Birmingham Brighton University University of Bristol British School of Osteopathy University of Cambridge Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff University Coventry University University of Dundee Durham University University of East Anglia (UEA) University of Edinburgh Essex University University of Exeter Falmouth University University of Glasgow Glasgow School of Art University of Gloucestershire Goldsmiths, University of London Heriot-Watt University University of Hertfordshire University of Hull Hult International Business School, London Imperial College London Keele University University of Kent King’s College London Kingston University Lancaster University University of Leeds University of Leicester University of Liverpool Liverpool John Moores University London Metropolitan University London School of Economics and Political Science Loughborough University University of Manchester Manchester Metropolitan University Newcastle University University of Northampton Northumbria University Nottingham Trent University University of Nottingham University of Oxford Oxford Brookes University Plymouth University University of Portsmouth Queen Mary, University of London University of Reading Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Veterinary College, University of London Sheffield Hallam University

University of Sheffield SOAS, University of London University of Southampton University of St Andrews St George’s, University of London St Mary’s University, Twickenham University of Stirling University of Strathclyde University of Surrey University of Sussex Swansea University University College London University of the Arts, London (UAL) University for the Creative Arts, London (UCA) University of Wales, Trinity St David University West of England, Bristol University of Warwick University of Westminster University of Winchester Writtle College University of York USA Academy of Art University Boston University Claremont McKenna College Columbia University Connecticut College Florida International University George Washington University Georgetown University Georgia Tech New York Film Academy New York University Northeastern University Northwestern University Occidental College Pomona University Texas A & M University Tufts University University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Santa Cruz University of Miami University of Pennslyvannia University of Virginia Wellesley College Westminster College Williams College

Canada Columbia College, McGill University McMaster University Nippissing University University of British Columbia University of Calgary University of Toronto Western University, Ontario York University Asia Heriot Watt University, Dubai Campus Hong Kong University KAIST, South Korea La Salle College of the Arts National University of Singapore Waseda University Yonsei University, South Korea Europe Erasmus University, The Netherlands IE University Madrid, Spain Maastricht University Rotterdam School of Management, The Netherlands Toulouse Business School, France Trinity, Dublin University of Rome, Italy Utrecht University, The Netherlands Australia & New Zealand Lincoln University University of Melbourne Monash University National Institute of Dramatic Art University of Auckland University of Sydney

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

Tanglin Trust School Ltd is a company limited by guarantee and is registered as a charity under the Charities Act. The school is governed by a Board of Governors that serves without remuneration. All key financial decisions including establishment of annual budget and schedule of fees are reviewed and approved by the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors also ensures that an annual audit is conducted. The audited financial results for the 2014-15 school year compare favourably to the Board approved budget. This outcome was achieved as a result of sustained student enrolment and continuous cost containment efforts. Ongoing enrolment management practices resulted in average student enrolment and new student admission standing at over 2,750 and 600 students respectively. Total school fee revenue (including Building Funds and Placement Rights) comprised 96% of total revenue, with other miscellaneous revenue making up the remaining 4% of total revenue. Revenue composition for 2014-15 remained fairly consistent with 2013-14. It is notable that Tanglin fees are comparable to the majority of similar schools in Singapore:

School

Infant

Junior

Senior

Year Group

Tanglin Trust School $’000

4 Schools’ Average $’000

TTS vs 4 Schools’ Average %

Nursery

24.6

21.2

16%

Reception

30.1

29.9

0.6%

Year 1

30.6

32.9

(7%)

Year 2

30.6

32.9

(7%)

Year 3

32.2

33.0

(2%)

Year 4

32.2

33.0

(2%)

Year 5

32.2

33.0

(2%)

Year 6

32.2

33.0

(2%)

Year 7

37.2

37.4

(0.5%)

Year 8

37.2

37.4

(0.5%)

Year 9

37.2

37.4

(0.5%)

Year 10

38.9

38.1

Year 11

38.9

38.6

0.8%

Year 12

40.9

39.0

Year 13

40.9

39.0

• School fees include tuition fees and building fund and is inclusive of GST • Fees of 4 comparable schools in Singapore are used for the above analysis

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

Building Fund, 11%

Depreciation, 10%

Enrolment Fees, 2%

Teaching Resources, 5%

Placement Rights, 1%

Campus Operations, 4%

Others, 4%

Technology & Admin 4%

Tuition Fees, 82%

Salaries & Benefits, 77%

FY14/15 Revenue $92,218,919

FY14/15 Expenses $84,546,541

In its continuous efforts to provide outstanding education services, Tanglin employs close to 600 staff members, out of which faculty staff make up 260. Staff salaries and benefits remained the single largest category of expenses, representing 77% of total 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%. Overall, the cost composition for all categories of expenses in 2014-15 remained consistent with 2013-14. Significant capital expenditure in 2014-15 included the completion of temporary bus bay behind the Berrick Building, the resurfacing of Astroturf into one area as well as a new Infant playground and an access control system for the Infant and Junior Schools, among others. These expenditures totaling $6m were spent to provide quality facilities to support education services as well as to maintain the campus as it continues to age. Net Surplus in Operating and Building Funds are added to schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reserve and are primarily for new buildings, developing and maintaining the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premises as well as to finance the school in the event of unexpected future decline in enrolment. Revenue from Placement Rights has also contributed a significant amount to the reserves.

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

The Relationship between School Income, Operating Budget and Reserve 2014/2015 Total

Annual Operating Budget (1)

S$ m

Tuition Fees

Building Fund

Building Funds (BF) (2) Placement Rights (3)

S$ m

Income (School fees)

Placement Rights

Less Operating Costs

1 80

(84)

(4)

Transfer from building fund (Approx. 60% of BF, to cover the cost of depreciation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on capital items only)

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

Deficit

Statutory Accounts Reserve for the year (4)

(7)

(Equal to Deficit)

(1) THE ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET The Annual Operating Budget (AOB) from Tuition Fees is planned to make no surplus. It reflects, at the time of planning, the estimated cost of running the school for the coming year. Historically, the budget has been managed very successfully and an annual surplus has accrued in 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 where student enrolment numbers were higher than expected or budgeted as well as successful cost containment efforts. Therefore, until a transfer from the Building Fund is made to the AOB, it stands at a deficit. A transfer at the level of depreciation of capital items is made to the AOB each year bringing it to a balanced budget with no or minimal surplus.

(2) THE BUILDING FUND The Building Fund has two purposes: – to fund the cash-flow required to pay for new buildings or upgrades, as well as lease renewals – to pay for the annual costs of maintaining the land and buildings for the school The rationale for the Building Fund fees is to ensure that parents pay a smooth annual fee, irrespective of the stage of the building or lease cycle the school is in, and that the Building Fund over a cycle is in neither surplus or deficit. The Building Fund requirements are modelled on a rolling 15 year basis. A draft Master Plan has been developed and rolled out accordingly.

(3) PLACEMENT RIGHTS Tanglin Trust School’s programme of Placement Rights is designed to offer accelerated access to a small percentage of places in exchange for a significant contribution to the school. Two forms of Placement Rights are available, Guaranteed Placement Rights which offer a guaranteed place at school priced as SGD$165,000 exclusive of GST and Standard

Placement Rights which places a nominee in a higher priority on the relevant waitlist, these are priced at SGD$85,000 exclusive of GST. In both instances a child needs to meet the school’s entry criteria. The Placement Right scheme is of particular benefit to individuals or companies seeking to relocate to Singapore at short notice by enabling access to Tanglin Trust School. From the school’s perspective Placement Right income represents a significant income stream which forms part of the school’s reserves and will be used to secure the school’s future both by contributing to the cost of the lease renewal and the associated building projects. We are fortunate that a small amount of Placement Right income is diverted annually to support the TTS Foundation which manages the Our World Fund. This is used to support enrichment projects within the school.

(4) RESERVES The annual contribution to the Reserve held by the school in a given year constitutes: – surplus/deficit on the Operating / Management Accounts in that year – accumulation of Placement Rights revenue in that year – surplus/deficit on the Building Fund in that year The Statutory Surplus each year is materially made up of Placement Rights and Building Fund, neither of which are considered operational in nature and are hence carried into the Reserve. The reserves are currently accumulating and in 2014/15 stood at SGD$93m. The accumulation of reserves takes into consideration a contingency of one academic term’s expenses as well as the significant cost of redeveloping our Portsdown Road site, which is a requirement of the recently finalised extension to our land lease. The new lease term takes the school up to 2038 on the current site. The Reserve will form only part of future major capital development requirements, alongside a loan agreement.

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA)

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

2014-15 in Perspective The PTA at Tanglin represents a long tradition of volunteerism, working to better school life for students, teachers and parents alike. We provide a valuable link between parents and the school, establishing good relationships with open lines of communication. Each year we run events such as our Quiz Nights, Christmas Fair, Summer Fair, and in 2015 our commemorative T90 Roaring Twenties Ball, offering an environment for both parents and children alike to socialise. In some cases our events also offer the opportunity to raise funds. Monies raised are used to maintain an operating budget and ultimately to fast-track projects selected by the PTA from a catalogue of preferences submitted by each school. These projects are typically a number of years down the line, but the PTA’s funding ensures that our children benefit immediately from this investment each year. Integral to our ethos is the concept of giving back to the community, and increasingly this means supporting parents who are launching their own ventures. We offer both physical and digital platforms for parents to showcase their businesses, and exposure to these is welcomed by the community too. With a total of $115,000 raised in 2015, some of the projects the PTA supported last year include: • • • • •

The Creation Station in the Infant School Gymnasium Equipment in the Infant School An Upgrade of the Junior School Playground The Technical Drawing Suite in the Senior School The Visiting Authors Programme

In addition we run a Parent Year Group forum to exchange ideas between parents, teachers and the school leadership teams. Through these forums we ensure that all queries and comments from parents are given due consideration and responses are then shared with the community through the TTS Portal. The PTA feels that a strong support structure for parents and families who are new to the school and even to Singapore is a necessary offering in a modern expatriate community. To that end we run informative welcome events each term, and in 2015 launched the academic year with a school-wide sausage sizzle for new families. When the lights are on our doors are open to all at the school, so whether you’re seeking information, assistance, or even just some respite from the heat, you’re always welcome to join us for a cup of coffee and a chat!

Michelle Young PTA President

REFLECTIONS TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL

Tanglin Trust School 95 Portsdown Road Singapore 139299 t: +65 6778 0771

f: +65 6777 5862

w: www.tts.edu.sg