TTS Reflections 2014 by Tanglin Trust School

Reflections February 2014

Contents 04/ Tanglin Circles Learning at Tanglin

06/ Governance

The Role of the Governing Body

08/ Chief Executive Officer

School Highlights & Key Information

10/ Director of Learning

Developments to Strengthen Learning

12/ Infant School

A 21st Century Curriculum

14/ Junior School

A Broad and Balanced Curriculum

18/ Senior School

Building on Strengths

22/ Financial Overview 26/ Examination Results 29/ Graduate Destinations 30/ Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Supporting the Tanglin Community

Tanglin Circles The four Curriculum Drivers underpin learning at Tanglin, so that our curriculum reflects the mission, aims and values of the school. Academic challenge and personal development have long been strengths of the British education system and both these aspects are very important at Tanglin. In keeping with our vision to create â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a community of lifelong learners who are able to contribute with confidence to our worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, we also focus on skills for learning rather than just specific knowledge and an awareness of community at both a local and global level. The Learner Profile attributes sum up our aspirations for Tanglin students as Reflective, Knowledgeable, Balanced, Caring, Open-minded, Principled, Risk-takers, Resilient Inquirers, Communicators and Thinkers. Young people with these qualities will truly be ready for life beyond 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 eighty-nine years of tradition here in Singapore.

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

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.

Did you know... “This school does not rest on its laurels.” British Schools Overseas Inspection 2014

6 6

Chief Executive Officer

Welcome to this edition of Reflections. It contains some of the highlights of school activity over the twelve months since our last edition in February 2013. Having listened to the comments and contributions of parents during last year, I have included a clearer and more detailed explanation of school finances which I hope you will find more helpful and informative. The Head of each school has been invited once again to share their school headlines with us. However, given the amount of space to report and the enormous number of developments and events that take place in each school, coverage is limited. I hope the overall impression taken from this document is of a vibrant and successful learning community that continues to strive to be even better. The End Of An Era It is with some sadness that I note the last contribution to Reflections by Geraldine Chandran as Head of Infant School. This is Geraldine’s thirty-first year at Tanglin having arrived in 1983 as a class teacher! More will be said about Geraldine’s enormous contribution to Tanglin towards the end of the school year. Suffice to say for the moment that her legacy will remain to influence and inspire us long after her departure. Following a very competitive recruitment process last year, Paula Craigie (existing Infant School Deputy), has been appointed as Geraldine’s successor from August 2014. Earlier in the year, I also announced the retirement of Neil Turrell in June 2015. Neil came to us five years ago having been Head of Maidstone Grammar School in the UK for seventeen years. He has steered the Senior School to maturity as it grows to a full cohort in Year 13 next year. Along the way there have been many developments and strategies (not least the introduction of a dual pathway in the Sixth Form College) culminating in the last two inspections awarding the school ‘Outstanding’. The challenging task of finding a replacement for Neil to start in August 2015 has begun and we are hoping to announce the appointment ofhis successor later in this school year.

External Inspection The British Schools Overseas (BSO), inspection was recently introduced by the UK government to recognise and support British schools overseas (of which there are a growing number). The standards and procedures of BSO are regulated by the UK government, and inspectors are registered UK inspectors who work in the UK and internationally. All three of our schools have been awarded ‘Outstanding’ in their last inspections. Schools with successful BSO inspections are recognised by the UK government and as such enjoy some benefits for our staff and for staff training. The inspection process for us not only provides a reliable and regular benchmark, but it also provides high level consultancy to feed in to our review and development plans. Strategic Planning Processes As parents, you may be wondering how the school identifies its development priorities and direction. Our key reference during this process is the school’s Mission Statement supported by our Aims and Values approved by the Board of Governors. We often reference these to guide our discussions and to ensure we don’t drift too far from our agreed purpose. The Management Team (MT), includes myself, the Heads of Schools, the Chief Finance Officer and the Directors of Learning, Development, Operations and Human Resources. Collectively, they bring to the table the views of the community, the latest educational thinking and their vast experience as we begin to review the Strategic Headlines. There are six areas of commitment that underpin all planned development: Tanglin’s Heritage • The School Community Standards • Teaching and Support Staff Communication • Sustainable Resources In addition, two areas are chosen for particular emphasis: Information Literacy • Mindfulness These Strategic Headlines are presented to the Board for approval. We then draft general commitments under each heading and each MT member takes those to their teams to develop their particular School Improvement Plans. The current Strategic Plan can be found on our new website. Tanglin Lease Renewal To keep you up to date, you may be aware that our existing site lease agreement runs until 2023. We are hoping to conclude our very positive negotiations with Singapore authorities shortly and will then be in a position to share exciting future development plans with the community.

Development Development at Tanglin is led by Cecilia Handel and her focus is on inward investment - both establishing and maintaining revenue streams over and above tuition fee income. The main activity in Development over the past seven years has been in managing the school’s Placement Rights. These rights can be purchased by corporates or individuals and are used to accelerate access in to the school, representing an additional revenue stream. A new initiative this year is designed to increase our advertising income. Revenue raised is intended to cover the cost of production of printed publications at school as well as to support sports and arts programmes where we are acting as the host. Development also works to pull together sponsorship opportunities for companies in Singapore and the region to enable projects to take place that exceed the school budget. The most recent initiative is the establishment of a Holiday Programme. Initially this will be a small project, but as it develops any surplus raised will be donated to the TTS Foundation and used to support Our World projects. TTS Foundation We are very fortunate at Tanglin to have access to funds to support enrichment activities and projects outside the regular curriculum. This fund is known in school as the Our World Fund. It does not come from the school’s operating budget, which is funded by tuition fees, but from a secondary income source from the sale of Placement Rights. Exciting initiatives have included supporting the establishment of the Sun Monitors in the Infant School, the High Commissioner Award (Junior Duke of Edinburgh Award) in the Junior School and both the Alumni Grants and the Deirdre Lew Service Awards in the Senior School. Since the establishment of the Our World Fund the number of requests for funding to support initiatives of this kind has increased. In June 2013 the school established the TTS Foundation through which the Our World Fund is now administered. This provides a vehicle for future fundraising activities. Mindfulness Our focus on Mindfulness reflects a growing acknowledgement that schools need to take more responsibility for the ability of children to deal with and get the most from life and all the good and bad that it throws at them. Mindfulness means learning to direct our attention to our experience as it unfolds moment by moment with openminded curiosity and acceptance (not stress or anxiety). Each of our three schools is researching best practice from around the world to help them develop appropriate Mindfulness programmes to support our students and the curriculum.

Information Literacy I am sure we have all as parents felt a degree of digital illiteracy at times as our children appear to have all the answers to technological challenges without having read any instructions! We continue with our whole school focus on Information Literacy for a second year, believing that there are key skills and aptitudes demanded by modern life and technology that must be learned. Fortunately, our children’s minds appear to be ‘wired’ in a way that supports the fast assimilation of technological processes and procedures. A number of parent workshops this year have attempted to bridge the gap between the ‘emerging’ and the ‘mature’ mind but I fear we will always lag behind! We will continue to promote the use of technology towards the point at which it enhances life and enables full and effective participation in learning. To this end, our iPad project has been very successful and we plan to develop this initiative further. Sport There has been considerable growth in the provision of sport over the past five years. Staffing and resources have been increased along with the introduction of qualified coaches and the extension of the SRC (Sports and Recreation Club) programme. We are now focusing on improving the quality of provision and opportunity whilst drawing sport closer to the heart of each school. The Director of Learning has illustrated the headlines of development later in this edition. The Arts The resurrection of the whole school concert One Voice last year marked the ever growing

profile of the Arts at Tanglin. To have students perform in the same concert from the Infant School through to the Senior School was very inspirational. The standard of performance from each school reflected the constant efforts being made to encourage children to participate in the Arts. Every year as I visit our art exhibitions I can’t imagine how the standard can be improved or be more impressive, and yet, our GCSE, A Level and IB pieces at the end of last year were simply stunning and the best I have seen. The passion and expertise of our Arts staff drives them and the students to use their skills and creativity to produce very high quality work that is reflected in scores awarded by outside examiners. New initiatives to introduce Infant Strings, Infant Ukuleles, Junior Strings and Brass (supported by a new Music Awards programme), have been very successful in encouraging students to pick up and learn new instruments. The quality of the productions from each school remains very high. The Infant and Junior shows never fail to impress not only in their quality but also in the confidence and ability of the students. School plays and productions often come close to professional standards with particular recognition for this going to our technical capabilities and staff in the Berrick Performance Hall. Pastoral Care A community the size of Tanglin’s demands comprehensive and effective pastoral care structures and programmes if we are to deliver against the Mission of the school which says ‘At Tanglin we strive to make every individual feel valued, happy and successful … Working together in a safe, caring and stimulating environment we set high expectations whilst offering strong support…’ This commitment demands constant attention to a whole range of strategies and programmes that cut across and through every area of our operation. From comprehensive risk assessments in Outdoor Education to the identification of individual needs and a differentiated curriculum in the classroom, our level of care and concern for the individual must be high. It’s not for us to judge how successful we are in this endeavour, it’s the children we need to ask. We do this via a number of avenues. The key barometer is provided by our Assessment of School Climate Surveys which provide the community with the opportunity to comment on levels of trust and ask if there is someone to go to if you have a problem. Generally, analysis of the feedback is very positive. But there is always something to learn which feeds back in to reviews of pastoral staffing and responsibilities. In addition, our recent inspections have commented on the positive mood and caring feel of the school. The most recent BSO inspection of the Senior

School awarded ‘Outstanding’ for student personal development… ‘The students develop a moral compass, behaviour is good and there are many opportunities to develop the individual’. They reported that the school ethos ‘enables children to thrive’, that ‘new children settle quickly’ and that necessary interventions were ‘rigorous’. The continuous review and development of pastoral care remains at the top of our agenda. However, it is gratifying to have some external confirmation that a key area of school operation such as this is considered to be of such a high standard. Academic Achievements The academic record of Tanglin remains high as you will see from our external examination results (I/GCSE, A Level and IB), later in this document. The results pave the way for students to attend appropriate and prestigious universities (also listed). The maintenance of our worldwide reputation for academic achievement remains a priority for us alongside our commitment to nurture good people who will be successful and happy whilst making a difference to the world we live in.

T90! In March 2015 Tanglin celebrates its 90th birthday! We will be celebrating throughout 2015 which takes in Terms 2 and 3 of our next school year and Term 1 of the following year. A number of special events have been planned to mark this very special anniversary (which happens to coincide with Singapore’s 50th celebrations). We will be hosting the FOBISIA Annual Conference, we will hold the whole school One Voice concert and Scottish Opera will be back with an anniversary themed programme. Also, watch out for the special 90th anniversary logo! Expatriate life can be very transient. It is comforting that a school such as ours can weather the storms of time (including our first Head being incarcerated during the war), and continue to preserve, thrive and grow. Ninety years on, we remain committed to being a ‘first class school catering for the expatriate community of Singapore’ as expressed by Anne Laugharne Griffith-Jones the founding Head in 1925! Peter Derby-Crook Chief Executive Officer

Director of Learning capability of the iPad to enhance traditional research and presentation tasks with video and audio commentary, allowing students to demonstrate their understanding in new and creative ways.

As Director of Learning I am privileged to work with colleagues from across the three schools on developments that have an impact across the 3-18 age range. Being located on the same campus, with many shared facilities, encourages good communication and co-operation between the schools. We pride ourselves on the strong transition arrangements between each Key Stage and we are able to look at major developments strategically, from the 3-18 perspective. Over the last year the school has continued to develop the use of technology to support learning and a key focus for the current academic year is the related topic of Information Literacy. Aside from the academic curriculum, our focus on personal development, using the language of the Learner Profile, has encouraged us to look critically at opportunities for students to grow outside of the classroom. Recent initiatives aimed at improving the range and quality of opportunities in instrumental music, competitive sports and CCAs (Co-Curricluar Activities) are beginning to bear fruit and these areas will continue to be reviewed and developed. Technology Supporting Learning In February 2013, the Technology Working Group (TWG) completed an evaluation of our iPad pilot project, in which school owned iPads were issued to all students in Year 6 and Year 7. Even though the iPads had only been in use for 6 months at that stage, the potential of these devices to enhance learning was so clear that the decision was taken to move from the pilot to a full scale ‘bring your own iPad’ programme for the 2013-14 school year. This currently involves students in Years 6 to 8 and will roll forward into Year 9 in 2014-15. Teachers are continuing to integrate the use of these personal devices into teaching and learning and the impact that they are having is hard to overemphasise. For example, apps such as ‘Explain Everything’ and ‘Aurasma’ capitalise on the multimedia

iPads from the original pilot are now available as class sets throughout the Infant and Junior Schools, so that younger students can also benefit from some of the excellent learning apps available. Some apps are specifically targeted at supporting a particular aspect of the curriculum such as phonics or mathematics; others can be used in a variety of ways to add an extra dimension to learning. For example, ‘Puppet Pals’ and ‘Book Creator’ are being used to encourage story telling in the Infant School, ‘Skitch’ and ‘Comic Life’ among others are being used to encourage creativity in the Junior School. The TWG is currently considering the best personal device to support learning in Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11), taking into account the experience of the iPad programme in Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9), the ‘bring your own device’ programme in the Sixth Form College, and the particular demands of the GCSE based curriculum. Instrumental Music We are very proud of our music curriculum at Tanglin and of all the opportunities that the students have to play in various ensembles as well as performing in concerts and productions. The One Voice concert in April 2013 was particularly impressive and was a great opportunity for Infants, Juniors and Seniors to perform on the same stage. In the last couple of years, we have been working to strengthen and build up our instrumental tuition programme and we now have well over 400 individual music lessons taking place every week in school. The Junior Music department has been supported by the TTS Foundation in offering all Year 5 students a chance to play a woodwind or brass instrument as part of the music curriculum. We have also worked with the TTS Foundation to be able to offer Music Awards for the first time this year to children who have shown particular potential in this area. The Awards aim to encourage students to develop their potential further, by entitling them to subsidised lessons. We had a very good response from the first round of awards and are excited by the potential impact this will have on the size and depth of the Senior School Orchestra as those talented Year 5 students progress through the school! Competitive Sports and CCAs Tanglin is keen to offer our students the widest possible choice of sporting and other activities through our Competitive Sports,

CCA and SRC programmes. Over 1,200 students from the Junior and Senior Schools participated in competitive sport this year, with equally impressive numbers participating in CCAs; almost every student in the Junior School accessed at least one CCA activity and over 70% of Senior students took advantage of the wide range of opportunities. The challenge we face is to offer this choice without compromising the quality of provision, and we are looking critically at the range of activities in each programme. A review of our commitments to competitive sports leagues, particularly for Senior School students, in 2012-13 saw us renewing our commitment to SEASAC (South East Asia Student Activity Conference), which provides a very high standard of competition from international schools across the region, to challenge our most talented students. A review of our SRC providers resulted in a tender exercise and new providers for Tennis and Gymnastics for the 2013-14 school year. The new coaches in these sports have already had a significant impact on the standard of our competitive teams in these developing sports. Our Golf programme has also grown considerably over the past year and now has over 60 students participating at various levels. A comprehensive review of the CCA programme for the Junior School has resulted in a better balance of enrichment, creative and sporting activities, enhanced greatly of course by the new teaching kitchen, sponsored by the PTA. A similar review exercise will be carried out for the Senior School CCA activities ready for 2014-15. Following the very constructive parent sport forums held in Term 2 last year, a concerted effort has been made to ensure clear communication about competitive sport and in particular the trials process. The new look sports pages on the TTS Portal have received excellent feedback. Behind the scenes, the Sports and Activities administration team have been training in the use of a new software package which will greatly support the sign-up process, registration, communication and team management across all the activities that we offer. John Ridley Director of Learning

Did you know... We are the only school outside Europe to offer OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations Board) examinations for GCSE Latin & Classical Civilisation.

Infant School notion that all children still need to be able to write clearly and legibly. So, at the beginning of this school year, after a period of feedback and research, we took the decision to change our handwriting programme and introduce a continuous cursive script. This has already proved successful in helping the children form their letters correctly and to write with a greater flow due to the continuous nature of the script. A series of workshops for staff and parents, conducted by our Key Stage Heads of English were very well-received.

This last year has certainly been a period of reflection for me as Head of the Infant School, as I ponder the changes and innovations that have taken place over the 31 years that I have had the privilege and pleasure of working at Tanglin. I have been sustained professionally by the almost palpable restlessness within the Infant community to strive to make our school the best we can for the children. It certainly has been an amazing journey for me and one I will cherish as I move on from Tanglin at the end of the summer term. This last year has been just as exciting! A 21st Century Curriculum The use of integrated digital technology to support the learning process has certainly been at the forefront of our curriculum development this last year and is currently one of our key drivers across all three schools. As we actively encourage the development of a more skills based curriculum, the range of mobile technologies being offered to the children as tools for learning is very exciting. Young children seem to respond quite intuitively to digital resources and enjoy the opportunity to discover their capabilities. Over the last couple of terms, our Head of Integrated Technologies has been team teaching with class teachers to support the use of iPads within lessons. This approach is proving very successful and we are beginning to see a greater integration of IT skills within a range of lessons, rather than it being viewed as a stand alone subject. As we nurture our young 21st century learners we recognise the need to help the children discern which tool is appropriate for the task and how to use them appropriately and safely. Having Robyn Treyvaud, a leading expert on digital safety, visit the school last term to work with children, teachers and parents certainly reaffirmed our commitment to empowering the children to know how to respond if faced with inappropriate programs, material or comments. Whilst a young child’s recording of their learning can now be done in a myriad of ways, Infant teachers hold strong to the

To enrich our curriculum, the expressive arts have featured strongly during the last year. We welcomed into school a range of authors, illustrators, artists, theatre practitioners and a puppeteer, who worked in a variety of ways with different year groups. These first-hand experiences offered the children an array of learning across a range of subjects. It was equally exciting to see over 100 Year 2 children being involved in the One Voice concert in June 2013, giving the children an opportunity to work alongside students from both the Junior and Senior Schools. The visit by Scottish Opera was also a real family affair for us in the Infant School, with children and parents in Year 1 and Year 2 taking part in one of the musical pieces. The children’s interest in music in all its forms has been actively encouraged by our Head of Music, Delphine Hastwell. Her vision for music in the Infant School is to make it as inclusive as possible and to expose the children to a variety of musical genres. A range of lunchtime music clubs are now running for Year 2 children, hopefully extending the opportunities to our Year 1 children in the near future, with ukulele, recorder and violin being taught by specialists and class teachers. The Infant Choir and String Band continue to grow. The Singing Playground, supported by the TTS Foundation, is currently being piloted, which will see the Junior students working with our Infant children at break times to teach them traditional and contemporary playground and action songs. We have also received some great support from Senior music students who, as part of their National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA), have been supporting the teachers with the lunchtime ukulele group. The school’s Outdoor Education programme continues to enhance the curriculum, often acting as a catalyst for future learning. Visits to Labrador Park, the Chinese Gardens, Jacob Ballas Garden, Bollywood Veggies, Ghim Moh Wet Market and West Coast Park, to name but a few, have provided the children with exciting starting points and learning opportunities.

How Big is ‘Our World’? A young child’s perception of their world is often limited to their experiences with family, friends and school. As educators and parents, we have a responsibility to help the children begin to understand and appreciate the world beyond their own. Fostering community links is an ongoing commitment to help achieve this goal. To this end, a range of events and activities have been held, both in school and offsite to bring the school and local communities together. Our children have hosted and been hosted in return by children from local schools, kindergartens and welfare homes. These visits have encouraged our children to be open-minded and helped them understand and appreciate the similarities and differences that exist culturally and socially within Singapore. Children’s Day, celebrated in Singapore on 5 October, was a perfect opportunity for us to host young visitors from Yu Hua Primary School, Jamiyah Kindergarten and a play date with Reception for children from Chen Su Lan Children’s Home. Termly mufti days help raise the children’s awareness that there are others less fortunate than themselves and the monies generated from the privilege of wearing their own clothes on the day is donated to agencies in Singapore and overseas, with Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS), The Book Bus Foundation and the Philippines Typhoon appeal being recent worthy recipients. Donations of dry goods for the Food from the Heart programme and dental hygiene packs for Caring for Cambodia (CFC) continue to be very generously supported by the parent community. In May 2013, eighteen Tanglin teachers and Teaching and Learning Assistants gave up their half term break to go to Cambodia to conduct teacher training programmes in CFC schools, carrying with them over 1,500 hygiene packs. Special environmental days and weeks have also featured prominently this year, with the children being encouraged to think green by challenging themselves and their families during Switch Off Fortnight and World Earth Hour. Very recently, personal health and well being has also been highlighted with our Healthy Hearts and Minds week, with the importance of a balanced diet, enough sleep and exercise being a focus. An exciting new development has been the introduction of our own version of the Tanglin House system into Key Stage 1. All Year 1 and 2 children have been placed in new Houses styled on the animals used in the Junior School but with names taken from the original version of Rudyard Kipling’s story The Jungle Book. The vision for the Infant House system is to allow closer cohesion between

the year groups and aid the transition to the Junior School. It’s a Family Affair – PTA Involvement A key strength of the Tanglin community has to be our PTA. We are extremely fortunate to have a band of dedicated parents who work tirelessly in the best interest of the children and the school. We, in the Infant School, have certainly benefited from a range of PTA fundraising events, being the beneficiary of a generous donation to support the building of a new Early Years Foundation Stage playground. This wonderful resource will support the creative, imaginative and physical development of our young children for years to come. Our Parent Year Group (PYG) meetings continue to be a valuable forum for dialogue about school matters. Again, we appreciate the time given by our parent volunteers to bring to the table areas of parental concern and opinion, garnered from across the year groups. Having different perspectives helps us reflect on our principles and practice and enhances the important school–home partnerships that are so important to us. Supporting ‘Restless’ Improvement In order to keep current with educational thinking, curriculum design and development, a variety of stimulating professional training for faculty and faculty support staff has taken place over the last year, ranging from Senior Leaders attending an iPad summit, to external trainers working with staff on the Creative Curriculum, Mathematics, IT and Cyber Safety. Opportunities have also been provided for colleagues to come together within FOBISIA (Federation of British International Schools In Asia), for job alike workshops to share good practice and ideas. This training provides staff with a platform for professional dialogue and enables us to constantly reflect on best practice, avoid complacency and give the children the best possible learning experiences. We have had another great year in the Infant School and, although I will be enjoying retirement next year, I have every confidence that our restlessness to be the best we can will continue under the new and exciting leadership of Paula Craigie and the rest of the Infant School team, because we are Tanglin! Geraldine Chandran Head of Infant School

Junior School CEO of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS), visited school to open the Sky Quad on the Junior School roof, creating an additional teaching space for PE lessons and CCAs. Over the summer holidays, work was completed on the Junior School Arts Studio, creating a new space for dance lessons and CCAs as well as providing a breakout space for music lessons.

“I enjoy learning the trombone because it is completely different to anything that I have tried before.” Jordan Whalland, Y6.1 Jordan’s first experience of playing the trombone was in a Year 5 music lesson as part of the wind and brass programme introduced in Term 3 of the 2012/2013 academic year. She showed a keen interest in the instrument and enjoyed the opportunity to take this forward through individual lessons. A total of 21 children have started learning a wind or brass instrument having been inspired in their music lesson. This initiative exemplifies the Junior School’s commitment to excellence and enjoyment through developing a bespoke curriculum that engages, motivates and challenges children in their learning. Given this aspiration, the last twelve months have featured a wide range of memorable experiences and it is a pleasure to reflect upon the many highlights. A Broad and Balanced Curriculum The Junior School is committed to providing a broad and balanced curriculum and it has been highly rewarding to be able to create new opportunities for children’s learning: from introducing the Year 3 residential visit to Singapore Zoo to welcoming inspirational visitors such as Matt Dickenson, mountaineer and film maker, and Mark Ormrod, the Royal Marine who lost his right arm and both his legs serving in Afghanistan. Led by Clair Harrington-Wilcox, our dedicated team of curriculum leaders can take great satisfaction in the key findings of the BSO Inspection: “The curriculum is outstanding in all respects, providing exceptional breadth and balance, which enables pupils to excel academically and personally. They engage fully in the school’s extended range of learning activities and develop excellent attitudes to learning through adoption of the Learner Profiles and engagement with the Our World curriculum.” The school has been able to further enhance children’s learning through the development of specialist facilities. In Term 3 of the 2012/2013 academic year David Hanson,

With the generous support of the PTA, the school has also been able to develop the new training kitchen and Junior School Science laboratory. Opened by Gary Clarke, Executive Chef of Jamie’s Italian Singapore, the training kitchen has enabled a much wider range of cooking to take place within the curriculum and also facilitated the introduction of the highly popular Junior MasterChef CCA. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Jonno Johnstone, Food Services Manager, for being the driving force behind these developments, which have made such a positive impact on school life. Similarly, the opening of the Junior School Science laboratory has enabled a much wider range of investigative science across all four year groups. The new lab featured prominently during the highly successful Tanglin Juniors in Motion Week, in which children participated in a range of hands-on activities. Speaking and listening continue to feature prominently within the English Curriculum. After the success of the English Speaking Board assessments in Year 3, we are delighted to extend this opportunity across the school. The introduction of Speak Up, the House public speaking competition, was also a great success with participants demonstrating an impressive array of oratorical skills and a real passion for their chosen subjects. Within the ICT curriculum, there has been an increased focus on computing so that children are as confident creating technology as they are using it. Nevertheless, technology continues to enrich and enhance learning across the wider curriculum, particularly in Year 6 with the 1:1 iPad strategy. In addition to the immediate impact on teaching and learning, these experiences are preparing children to succeed in the digital age. A key element of this process is the whole school focus on information literacy, teaching children to be discerning in how they access and use the wealth of information and technology at their fingertips. This is important because while the digital age creates many opportunities it also presents a range of challenges. The school has a clear framework for acceptable and responsible use of technology and continues to develop this in line with best practice from around the world. With this in mind, we particularly valued input from digital citizenship expert,

Robyn Treyvaud, who visited the school in October. We also valued the ongoing dialogue between home and school through the Technology Working Party and I would like to thank all of the parents who contributed to this group. The school gains much from its partnership with parents and I would like to recognise all of those parents who have served our community during the last twelve months. From the PTA to the PYG and from the Homework Working Party to Class Reps, you have made a positive impact! Outstanding Personal Development Underpinning the development of the curriculum are the Learner Profile qualities and the whole school commitment to Our World. We want our children to develop personal qualities that enable them to take life’s ups and downs in their stride. We want our children to value the importance of family, friendship and community. We want our children to have a clear understanding of their place in the world so that they are able to make a difference through leadership and service. These aspirations are evident across all aspects of school life and I would like to recognise Rachael Day, Assistant Head Teacher, and Robert Dunstan, Acting Assistant Head Teacher, for leading in this area. Once again, House Days have provided some of the most memorable moments of the year. Words cannot do justice to the inspirational atmosphere in assembly when the House team led by Andy Martin, Head of Houses 2012-2013, triumphantly cycled into the Berrick Sports Hall to the resounding cheers of the children completing their journey from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore in 17 hours. The sponsored ride made a striking impact in different ways. First and foremost, the event raised our awareness of Beyond Social Services, an important local charity that makes a significant difference to the lives of families who face real challenges. Just as importantly, it also demonstrated to the children that, when you are willing to push yourself, it is possible to achieve the extraordinary – especially when you collaborate with others. We were delighted to welcome some of the children supported by Beyond Social Services to join us in the House Day activities. I was immensely proud of our House Captains, Sports Captains and Charity Reps who hosted their younger peers with such warmth. We are pleased to have developed the High Commissioner Award, which now features three levels: Bronze (Year 4), Silver (Year 5) and Gold (Year 6). I am very proud of the way in which participants have embraced community service. From Gifts to the Heart to Caring for Cambodia, children have demonstrated that they are able to

Did you know... All the children in Year 3 learn the ukulele,Year 4 learn the violin or cello, Year 5 learn a wind or brass instrument, Year 6 take part in a whole school musical and there are four different choirs in the Junior School. 15

Junior School contribute with confidence to our world. I am similarly proud of the different ways in which children have demonstrated leadership and service within the Tanglin community. For example, our Class Reps have contributed to the recruitment of new staff by providing feedback on video interviews by prospective candidates, while our ICT Reps have led peer mentoring sessions in the Junior School and cyber safety assemblies in the Infant School. Mindfulness is another whole school focus that we will be developing in the new academic year. There is a significant difference between being connected and being present, whether it’s in class, on the playground or at the dinner table. We believe that it is important for children to develop this self-awareness and we are planning to integrate mindfulness within our personal development programme. Celebrating Achievement Junior School children have flourished this year and there have been numerous highlights to celebrate. From the FOBISIA short story competition to the Historian of the Year Award, it has been highly rewarding to witness children excel across so many areas of school life. The first cohort of Junior School children received the UK Arts Award and the Junior School was very proud to host the world’s first ISTA festival for primary school children. On the stage, Year 6 took us through the looking glass with their fabulous performance of Alice in Wonderland Junior. Year 4’s auspicious production, Walking on the Chinese Wall, not only celebrated the richness of Chinese culture but showcased the breadth and quality of our music curriculum. Children in Year 3 and Year 5 performed in a more intimate setting with each child taking centre stage for his or her moment in the spotlight. Events such as the FOBISIA Primary Performing Arts festival, Junior Young Musicians in Concert and Junior School Ensembles Concert challenge our high achievers but there are opportunities for all. Musicians perform at every assembly and our ensembles have entertained the community at a wide range of events over the course of the year. Lunchtime recitals and open mic sessions on the outdoor stage continue to prove highly popular as well. Having introduced the wind and brass programme to the Year 5 curriculum in the 2012/2013 academic year, this year has seen the addition of cello to the Year 4 curriculum for those children who already play the violin, which is learnt by the rest of the year group. All Junior School children play competitive sport, representing their house on the running

track, in the swimming pool and on the football field. Unfortunately, our sports days were disrupted by the haze last summer but in true Tanglin fashion the PE department and House Team developed a successful indoor programme culminating in a fiercely contested, if somewhat humorous, tug-of-war between children and teachers. Needless to say, the outcome was a resounding victory for the children! In the swimming pool, it was Beruang House that dominated, winning the Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 galas to claim the overall title. Several long-standing Junior School records were set including a superb swim by Singa’s Year 3 boys relay team who broke a record set in 1999. The Murphy Cup has quickly become the highlight of the sporting calendar and once again the football was scintillating. While Singa House won the Year 4 and Year 6 titles and Harimau House won the Year 3 title, it was Beruang House that emerged triumphant for the second year in a row. As usual, ‘Team Tanglin’ enjoyed considerable success in competitive sports fixtures in Singapore and across the region, with standout performances at the FOBISIA Games and FOBISIA Gymnastics tournaments in Bangkok, the Phuket football tournament and the ACSIS (Athletics Conference of Singapore International Schools), league in Singapore. Over 200 children have represented the school so far this year. Academic Excellence Our focus on developing a bespoke curriculum has had a profound impact on children’s academic achievement. Standards in Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Science continue to rise and the Year 6 results for the 2013/2014 academic year were the highest

ever. Moreover, children across the Junior School are making more progress than ever before. How do these standards compare with UK independent sector? The BSO Inspection report recognised that: “Pupils’ attainment in the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science is very high and compares very favourably with standards reached by pupils in British maintained and independent schools.” Given our emphasis on curriculum breadth, it was equally pleasing that the report also commented that: “Rapid progress in other subjects such as Art, Music and Physical Education is promoted by outstanding teacher subject knowledge especially when enthusiasm is communicated effectively and subject technicalities are then rapidly absorbed.” In addition to our outstanding inspection result, the Junior School was reaccredited as a member of the Independent Association of Prep Schools. We strongly believe in benchmarking ourselves against the best and continue to build links with the UK independent sector. During his visit in April 2013, IAPS Chief Executive David Hanson endorsed standards in the Junior School and worked with the Junior School Leadership Team on raising the bar even higher. This commitment to excellence is underpinned by the dedication of the teachers and support staff led by our four Heads of Year and the Heads of Department. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their contribution to such a successful year. David Ingram Head of Junior School

Senior School

Tanglin is such a busy school that any attempt to provide a comprehensive account of the year’s activities would require something like a book! Set out below are some of the events and thoughts of the year to give you a flavour of what we have been up to in the recent past. Most recently, we have had the pleasure of a joint BSO/ISQM (International Schools Quality Mark) inspection; a week long exercise in which inspectors from England looked at every aspect of our operation. Traditionally, each of the three schools is inspected during a three-year cycle by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) in order to ensure both accountability and best practice. The BSO inspection uses a similar framework to Ofsted but takes account of our international setting, as does the ISQM. While we await the final report from the inspectors, and will publish it to the community as soon as it is available, we already know, following feedback from the inspectors, that our procedures, standards and outcomes will result in the highest awards in each category. That is, Outstanding in the BSO and Gold in the ISQM. We are, of course, delighted and look forward to the detail of the report which will help us in framing the school development plan for the next period. Comments made by the inspection team while they were here included: “A hive of learning that was both inspirational and exceptional,” and ”everything stems from the excellent relationships between staff and students.” Last term, we formally introduced the concepts of ‘curiosity, humility and community’ to students in the Senior School as themes that, after much reflection and discussion, we felt embodied the now well-developed ethos of the Senior School. There are many opportunities for students to develop a sense and genuine understanding of these values throughout their time in the Senior School. Pastoral care continues to be a strength of the school. In recent months, our Year 12

pastoral prefects have been getting to know the younger students of the Senior School community. The Tuesday morning tutor period has become a hive of activity, with the Year 12 prefects taking control. Within the sessions, the prefects share their knowledge and experience to help students prepare for upcoming examinations or develop confidence through the effective use of circle time. The prefects are thoroughly enjoying this opportunity to showcase their leadership skills, whilst empathising with the needs of the younger students. In turn, younger students get to understand more about life in the Senior School, while developing positive relationships with the Sixth Formers. With the tutor group in good hands, tutors are meeting with individual students to spend some one to one time exploring individual aspirations, plans or concerns. This, we hope, will take us further along our journey of ensuring that every child is known well at Tanglin and receives particular support and guidance at key points throughout their school career. We are always interested in finding new ways to engage our student leadership team in worthwhile initiatives that will not only benefit their own personal development but also have a positive impact on the student body they represent. We were, therefore, delighted to invite our student leaders to participate in Digital Literacy Week in October last year, led by Robyn Treyvaud, founder of CyberSafe Kids (Australia). Eighteen students from the We Are Your Voice (WAYV) and Head teams spent the day off-timetable working with Robyn to develop

their own awareness of digital citizenship. They then shared their experiences and understanding, with a view to presenting their findings and recommendations to both parents and fellow students about the challenges and opportunities of ‘growing up digital’. The notion of the lasting digital tattoo and the video ‘We are all Daniel Cui’ struck a chord with everyone. Robyn had nothing but praise for the way our students set about their tasks, commenting on their terrific collaborative skills as well as the way they went about researching, sharing and developing resources for their presentation to parents. Their sustained level of focus and enthusiasm for this important topic was impressive. The group gave two presentations to parents and also shared their reflections with their respective year groups in follow up assemblies and PSHCE sessions. The Growing up Digital Workshop was a great way for students and parents to share and discuss our thoughts on the ever-changing world of social media and digital devices. We learnt lots from Robyn and I think that running the workshop with parents was a great way to test our risk-taking skills and gave us a chance to work as a team. Hopefully, we extended the knowledge of the parents as well as our own!” Maddy Wright, Year 9 Lead Girl Throughout the process, our student leaders demonstrated remarkable maturity and insight and left us feeling confident that, while it might seem instinctive as parents and educators to block, ban, clamp down and be afraid of internet use, the best defence for

Did you know... Over 380 of our Senior School students enter the American Scholastic Mathematical Association contests each month, and out of more than 200 participating schools globally, Tanglin is one of very few British international schools.

Senior School students against the big wide world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; digital or otherwise â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is simply to equip them with a strong set of values both at home and school, and to have honest conversations with them. Next steps for us to further improve our pastoral support include reviewing how we are helping students and teachers to acquire the skill sets they need to be safe, effective and ethical users of digital media; and to be able to filter the torrent of information, messages and knowledge available on the internet. A school commitment to life-long learning and professional development ensures the positive growth of professional, open-minded and principled individuals, which in turn impacts on their practice and that of the school, and ultimately the learning experience of the students in our care. We continue to support teachers and staff with a comprehensive system of review and development which facilitates reflection and evaluation of current practice so that professional objectives for improvement can be set. Other forms of professional development within the Senior School include action

research, sharing best practice, lesson observations, external courses, in-service training and exam/course training offered in the UK and internationally. In addition, an extensive programme of leadership training occurs annually where numerous teachers across the school receive advanced leadership training appropriate to their roles and aspirations. A programme of Further Learning also exists whereby staff members and teachers may apply for support towards certifications, or Masters/Doctorate level pursuits. In the interests of establishing Tanglin as a centre of learning within the region, we hosted, in August, our fifth regional IB Teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Conference, where approximately 400 teachers from around the Asia-Pacific region took part in pedagogical workshops over three days. This provided an opportunity for our teachers to receive high quality subject or inquiry-based learning, and further established Tanglin as a leading centre for professional development in the region. 2014 has been another busy year in terms of technology for learning in the Senior School. After a successful pilot last year involving just

Year 7, both Years 7 and 8 are now bringing their own iPads to school. Numerous steps have been taken to ensure the continued success of this initiative. In order to meet the needs of the larger group of teachers involved, the number of staff representing Technology for Learning across the faculties has grown from five to eight, with the mission of exploring, modeling, demonstrating and encouraging effective use of these devices. The result has been continued growth in teacher confidence, with specific apps, tools and projects now being embedded in curriculum plans across many subject areas. Apple TVs have been fitted in classrooms so now students can project their work instantly to share with the teacher and the rest of the class. The biggest impact of students having instant access to a table computer is unquestionably that all kinds of student-led, personalised learning, research, creativity and productivity are immediately possible, with the result that students are able to be more independent and more collaborative. iPads will continue up into Year 9 and we are now considering the available options for the best mobile device to support learning in Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) so that those students can benefit from the same access and opportunities. A bold development has been the launch of an online hub to both support and showcase the working life of a busy Senior School. Using the simple but powerful Firefly platform, and starting with House and Pastoral areas, it currently serves a number of dynamic purposes. Other curriculum areas will come online as the year progresses. Firefly is increasingly going to be a platform for the student voice. Students from the Head Team are running a blog through which they can inform and engage students on a wide range of aspects of school life. I am looking to lead from the front, embedding my Twitter feed in which I aim to provide the whole community with a window on moments in Senior School life that may otherwise go unnoticed. Year 7 and 8 students are starting to record their learning journey at Tanglin, using their own blog sections within Firefly. They are reflecting on (and providing evidence for) all their academic, sporting, musical, artistic and dramatic experiences and achievements, in a format that they can take with them when they leave. By tagging their posts with the Tanglin Learner Profile attributes, they are learning about themselves with every step. While we have no new buildings this year, much of the school has been painted which

gives it a fresh feel. We have, though, made a number of additions and modifications to our facilities. We have refitted canteens, have a new bakery, a new teaching kitchen and a seating area poolside. The generosity of the PTA has also allowed us to construct a shaded area outside the Health Centre. New benches have also arrived to provide additional seating for our students. 2013 saw the culmination of two years’ work on Tanglin’s community links scholarship programme, supported by the TTS Foundation, when two students from Lamdon School arrived in Singapore in August. Both Stanzin Lzaod and Stanzin Zangmo had been selected from ten students interviewed in Ladakh by myself, Craig Davis, Assistant Head Teacher, and Lamdon School Founding Governor and monk, Lama Paldan. Following a first academic term pursuing the IB Diploma in Year 12, both girls are settled and beginning their outreach work by addressing assemblies and working with Year 5 Junior School students in their Creativity Action Service (CAS) global outreach group. We were able to further cement the community link between the two institutions when we hosted Principal Eshey Tundup and Lama Paldan on a visit to Tanglin in January. Both senior members of the Lamdon Association in Ladakh were returning through Singapore following a pilgrimage to Borobudur in Indonesia. Principal Tundup and Lama Paldan addressed a special assembly of over 500 Year 10, 12 and 13 students, and also met with a group of parents, organised by the PTA, and the Community Links Committee. The assembly also provided both Stanzin Lzaod and Stanzin Zangmo with their first formal opportunity to introduce themselves to the wider Tanglin community. In the afternoon the girls, accompanied by Principal Tundup and Lama Paldan, led an information session and Q&A with a group of CAS students, many of whom will be travelling to Ladakh and Lamdon for their forthcoming Travel and Adventure expedition in June. To wrap up what was a wonderful but busy day for the visitors, some philosophy students from the Sixth Form took the opportunity to question Lama Paldan, one of the foremost Tibetan Buddhist scholars in the world, on the Ladakhi understanding of life, soul and death. It was an excellent and enriching day for all and certainly strengthened the community link between both schools. One other noteworthy event that represented Tanglin’s philanthropic response to natural disaster came with the Philippine Disaster Appeal. The whole school pulled together to raise money and awareness at very short

notice and this response was often led by Senior School student leaders wanting to galvanise the school community to act and make a difference. The money raised was a commendable effort by the community. In October, several students from Years 11 to 13 made the ascent to Everest Base Camp. ‘Incredible India’ for the entire Year 9 cohort was, once again, extremely well received. With the inclusion of yoga on the beach and an introduction to the concept of Mindfulness, this programme encompassed the best elements of the Tanglin Learner Profile attributes. Another pleasing aspect of Outdoor Education was the NYAA Bronze take up which reached a record breaking figure of over 100 students. Finally, the launch of the Ladakh IMPACT Programme, enabling Year 13 students to train with Singaporean medics, businesswomen, NGO reps and financial analysts who form part of the Global Clinic operation, facilitated these students taking part in real diagnostic medical, dental and vision camps whilst in Ladakh. Watching Year 13 students working with dentists from Dundee and Croatia, ophthalmologists from Singapore and heart specialists from Nepal to treat young novice monks in the temples of the Himalaya was inspiring. Academic results remain excellent and are improving year on year. At I/GCSE, 87% of all grades achieved were A* to B and 31% of all grades achieved were A*. 99% of students

achieved five or more passes at A* to C and five students achieved 10 A* grades or more. Our most recent A Level cohort of 96 students had a 100% pass rate with 88% of their grades in the range A* to C, with 56% of our students taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) achieving A* or A. We are increasingly finding that the EPQ is valued by universities as a measure of advanced study skills. Our third IB cohort of 44 students achieved an outstanding overall average points score of 37 (compared with the global average of 29.8), a record high for our students and a point score which would place Tanglin in a top position in UK IB School league table. Approximately one third of the cohort scored 40 points or more and six students scored 43 to 45 points. While it is important to recognise and celebrate these results, perhaps more significant is that the vast majority of students secured places at their universities and colleges of first or second choice including LSE, Imperial, Kings, Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Durham, Bristol, Edinburgh and UCL. We were delighted that all nine students who were offered conditional places at Oxbridge were successful. Neil Turrell Head of Senior School

Financial Overview Tanglin Trust School Ltd is a company limited by guarantee and is registered as a charity under the Charities Act. All key financial decisions including the establishment of the 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 2012-13 school year were in line with the expectations of the Board’s approved budget. This outcome was achieved as a result of sustained student enrolment as well as the management’s continuous focus on cost management. Average enrolment and new student admission numbers were as predicted, standing at just over 2,700 and 600 students respectively. Total school fee revenue (including Building Funds and Placement Rights) comprised 97% of total revenue, with other miscellaneous revenue making up

the remaining 3% of total revenue. Revenue composition for 2012-13 remained consistent with 2011-12. In its continuous efforts to provide outstanding education services, Tanglin employs a total of 550 staff members; 292 support and management staff and 258 faculty staff. Staff salaries and benefits remained the single largest category of expenses, representing 77% of total costs. Depreciation made up the next largest category at 11% of total costs while expenditure for Teaching Resources, Campus Operations, Technology and Administration made up the remaining 12%. Overall, the cost composition for all categories of expenses in 2012-13 remained fairly consistent with 2011-12.

75%

Tuition fees

11% Building Fund

2012–13 Expenses S$76,049,688 77%

Salaries & Benefits

11%

Depreciation

Enrolment Fees

Placement Rights

Net Surplus in Operating and Building Funds is added to the school’s reserve and is primarily for developing and maintaining the school’s premises, to fund lease renewal 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.

With a view to providing quality facilities to support education services as well as to maintain the campus as it continues to age, general refurbishment and additional

2012–13 Revenue S$87,341,583

resources totaling S$2m were spent in 2012-13. These works included the Green Wall at the Senior School, a new ramp from the car park at Gate C and footpath from the Berrick building to Gate C, the addition of a new teaching kitchen and bakery, a new Halal canteen and eating area in the Senior School, upgrades to the Junior Canteen and bag compartments for Junior students, among others. A building project to provide a vehicle exit road that will allow through-traffic has also begun and should be completed in 2013-14. We are very grateful to the PTA for helping us to fast-track projects such as the new teaching kitchen and the Infant Playground.

Others

Teaching Resources

Campus Operations

Technology & Admin

Did you know... Tanglinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Green Wall covers an area of 84 square metres and is constructed from 16 specially designed planters.

Financial Overview The Relationship between School Income, Operating Budget and Reserve 2012/2013 Total

Annual Operating Budget (1)

Building Funds (BF) (2)

Placement Rights (3)

S$ m

Tuition Fees

Building Fund

Placement Rights

Income (School fees)

Less Operating Costs

9 8

(76)

(11)

(6)

Transfer from building fund (Approx. 70% of BF, to cover the cost of depreciation – on capital items only)

(6)

(Equal to Deficit) Statutory Accounts Reserve for the year (4)

(1) T he 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.

– 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

Historically, the budget has been managed very successfully and an annual surplus of 0.5% or less of the revenue has accrued, with the exception of 2010/11 where student enrolment numbers were higher than expected or budgeted.

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.

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.

The Building Fund requirements are modelled on a rolling 15 year basis. Currently, a new site development plan is being drafted that will significantly enhance resources.

(2) The Building Fund The Building Fund has two purposes: 24

(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.

– surplus/deficit on the Building Fund in that year

Portsdown site that will be required as part of this renewal.

We are fortunate that a small amount of Placement Right income is diverted annually to support the Tanglin Trust Foundation Limited which manages the Our World Fund. This is used to support enrichment projects within the school.

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.

We are close to finalising an extension to our land lease for fifteen years after the existing lease expires in 2023. The Reserve will form only part of any future major capital development requirements, possibly alongside a loan agreement.

(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

The Reserves are currently accumulating and in 2012/13 stood at SGD$78 m (2011/12: SGD$67m). The accumulation of reserves take into consideration a contingency of one academic terms expenses, the anticipated cost of renewal of the Portsdown Road lease with Jurong Town Council (JTC) and the significant cost of redeveloping the

Examination Results – IGCSE 2013 I/GCSE Examination Results for (Class of 2015) Subject

No. Of Exams Taken

No. Of Grades A*

A*– A %

A*– B %

A*– C %

Art & Design

—

Biology

—

Business Studies

—

Chemistry

—

100

Chinese

—

Classical Civilisation

—

Computing

—

100

Dance

—

100

Drama & Theatre Studies

—

English Language

173

—

English Literature

173

—

100

Film Studies

—

French

—

Geography

—

German

—

History

—

ICT

—

Japanese

—

100

Latin

—

100

Mathematics

174

—

Music

—

100

Physical Education

—

Physics

—

100

Psychology

—

100

Religious Studies

—

100

Science Double Award

152

—

Spanish

—

TOTAL

—

531

550

370

145

—

TOTAL %

—

173

87%

65%

32%

students took I/GCSE examinations in 26 subjects

of all grades achieved were A* or A

of all grades achieved were A* to B

of all grades achieved were A*

students achieved 10 A* grades or more

Examination Results – A Levels 2013 A Level Examination Results Subject

No. of Exams Taken

No. Of Grades A*

A*– B %

A*– C %

A*– E %

Applied ICT

—

100

Art & Design

—

100

Biology

—

100

Business Studies

—

100

Chemistry

—

100

Classical Civilisation

—

100

Computing

—

100

Drama & Theatre Studies

—

100

Economics

—

100

English Literature

—

100

Film Studies

—

100

French

—

100

Further Mathematics

—

100

Geography

—

100

Government & Politics

—

100

History

—

100

Mathematics

—

100

Music Technology

—

100

Philosophy

—

100

Physical Education

—

100

Physics

—

100

Psychology

—

Spanish

—

100

TOTAL

—

TOTAL %

—

3.4

1.6

100

100%

414

45%

56%

pass rate of A Level students

of grades were at A* or A, while 95% were in the A* to C range

average UCAS points tariff per A Level student

students were successful in gaining entrance to Universities of Oxford & Cambridge

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

Examination Results – IB Diploma 2013 IB Examination Results Subject

No. of Exams Taken

No. Of Grades

7–3%

English A1 Lang & Lit HL

–

100

English A1 Lang & Lit SL

–

100

English A1 Lit HL

–

100

English A1 Lit SL

–

100

French B HL

–

100

French B SL

–

100

German B HL

–

100

German B SL

–

100

Malay AB SL

–

100

Mandarin AB SL

–

100

Mandarin B SL

–

100

Spanish AB HL

–

100

Spanish B HL

–

100

Spanish B SL

–

100

Economics HL

–

100

Economics SL

–

100

Env & Soc SL

–

100

Geography HL

–

100

Hist Europe/Me HL

–

100

Philosophy HL

–

100

Psychology HL

–

100

Psychology SL

–

100

Bus & Man HL

–

100

Bus & Man SL

–

100

Biology HL

–

100

Biology SL

–

100

Chemistry HL

–

100

Chemistry SL

–

100

Physics HL

–

100

Physics SL

–

100

Maths Studies SL

–

100

Mathematics HL

100

Mathematics SL

100

Film HL

–

100

Film SL

–

100

Theatre HL

–

100

Visual Arts Option A HL

–

100

Visual Arts Option A SL

–

100

TOTAL

—

100%

521

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

average UCAS points tariff per IB student

points, a school record breaking IB score average

scored 43–45 points

Graduate Destinations The following gives an overview of the many universities Tanglin graduates have attended in the last five years. United Kingdom (297) Acad of Contemporary Music Guilford (2) Ayr College Bath Spa University (2) Bournemouth School of Art British School of Osteopathy Cardiff University (8) Central St Martins School of Art Chelsea School of Art Durham University (13) Eastern Institute of Technology Edinburgh College of Art Glasgow School of Art Goldsmiths, University of London (2) Heriot-Watt University Imperial College London (9) Keele University, Staffordshire (3) King’s College London (7) Kingston University (2) Lancaster University (2) Leeds Metropolitan University (3) Liverpool John Moores University (2) London Metropolitan University (2) London School of Economics (LSE) (3) Loughborough University (6) Manchester Metropolitan University Middlesex University, London Motherwell College Newcastle University (4) Northumbria University (9) Nottingham Trent University Oxford Brookes University (10) Queen Mary, University of London (4) Royal Veterinary College School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) (2) School of Pharmacy, University of London Sheffield Hallam University St George’s, University of London Swansea University University College London (UCL) (5) University of Aberdeen (3) University of Abertay Dundee University of Bath (8) University of Birmingham (4) University of Bristol (12) University of Cambridge (12) University of Central Lancashire (2) University of East Anglia, Norwich (6) University of Edinburgh (8) University of Exeter (7) University of Glasgow (3) University of Greenwich University of Hertfordshire University of Hull University of Kent (5) University of Leeds (13) University of Leicester University of Lincoln University of Liverpool (3)

University of Manchester (16) University of Nottingham (9) University of Oxford (8) University of Plymouth University of Portsmouth (2) University of Reading University of Sheffield (4) University of Southampton (5) University of St Andrews University of Strathclyde, Glasgow University of Surrey, Guildford (4) University of Sussex (7) University of the West of England (5) University of Wales (2) University of Warwick, Coventry (11) University of Westminster, London (2) University of York (7) United States of America (14) American University Boston University (2) Georgia Tech Stanford University UCLA (2) William’s College (2) Connecticut College Florida International University Northeastern University Tufts University Wellesley College Australia (14) Deakin University Melbourne University (2) University of Sydney (7) University of New South Wales (2) University of Western Australia Macquarie University Canada (8) Columbia College McGill University University of British Columbia (5) University of Calgary Other (12) De La Salle University, Philippines Singapore Institute of Management Sorbonne, Paris Trinity College Dublin, Ireland University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ Wellington University, NZ Hong Kong University IE University, Spain LaSalle School of Arts, Singapore Rotterdam School of Mgt, NL University of Rome Waseda University, Japan

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

After meeting a large number of parents through the PTA events there is one thing I have found that links us all together and that is our expectations for our children. We all want the best for them and we all want the school to deliver that. I feel privileged to be part of a committee that can make a difference to the experience of our children at Tanglin by encouraging collaboration between parents and teachers and raising funds to enhance the facilities available. We all have commitments and life is very busy in Singapore but without the valuable support from the parents and staff within the community we would not be able to organise the events that take place and the funds that are raised. Often the only time you are aware of us is when we are asking you to volunteer or buy tickets for an event. It’s worth it though, every year there are significant projects that are put in place through your support. Some new ones that have happened over the last year include; • the newly completed Infant playground, • the teaching kitchen which has been an enormous success for all age groups • the recent addition of the Junior science lab during the Christmas holidays • the well equipped fitness centre which has led to a successful new gym programme

All of these projects were fast tracked as a result of PTA funding. This was only possible because of your support. The PTA would like to thank you for supporting the events we have put on so far this academic year and we hope to see you at the Quiz night coming up in March and the hugely popular Summer Fete in May. Please have a quick look at the PTA section of In Touch for information on our events. As a parent, you have a direct influence on the experience both you and your children will have at Tanglin. We have an informal meeting once a month in the PTA office which anyone can attend. If you have time, please come and see what we are up to. You may or may not have anything to add but if you want to make things happen, if you want to be part of an organisation that can make a difference then this is the place to be. We look forward to meeting you. Caroline Bittar PTA President

Did you know... The Senior School was recently awarded ‘Outstanding’ in the recent BSO inspection. In the inspections of 2013 and 2012, the Junior and Infant Schools were also awarded ‘Outstanding’ illustrating the consistency of high standards, achievement and learning across the whole school. 31

Tanglin Trust School 95 Portsdown Road Singapore 139299 t: +65 6778 0771 | f: +65 6777 5862 | w: www.tts.edu.sg