Chatsworth Blog

As educators at Chatsworth International School, we constantly strive to create an engaging and productive learning environment that promotes student agency and responsibility within our holistic IB curriculum. One innovative approach to achieving this goal is by implementing a classroom economy system. By introducing a classroom economy, we can empower students to take ownership of their learning, enhance their decision-making skills, and foster a sense of responsibility and collaboration within the classroom.

As parents, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing the right curriculum or school for your child. In Singapore, international schools are mainly set up to cater to expatriate families and thanks to their diverse, globally-minded environments, they are well positioned to prepare students for life in our interconnected world.

The transition from primary into secondary school starts well before graduation from primary and those first days in August. As a community-focussed, K-13 school, Chatsworth International School regularly provides numerous opportunities for students throughout our year groups to interact and work collaboratively.

Imagine being able to step out of the traditional classroom setting and experience learning in a way that is both exciting and relevant. Community learning is all about connecting the dots between what students are learning in the classroom and the world around them. It's about taking the academic concepts and theories and applying them to real-life situations.

The inquiry

 As an IB school in Singapore we adopt an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning, with a heavy emphasis on play in the early years. An inquiry approach places emphasis on “…students finding their own information and constructing their own understandings,” (I.B., 2017, p.14).

As an educational institution, we often get asked by international students and their families about the differences between an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) and the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A-Level). Colloquially known as IBDP and A Levels respectively, both high school programmes are respected and recognised by universities globally – with some key differences.

Art With Heart is a project initiated by the student's desire to paint as a form of pleasure, fun, and therapy. The act of painting is kinesthetic and allows the children to express their feelings, create, and share their stories. Other important benefits of painting in the early years include the development of fine motor skills, gross motor skills, eye-hand coordination, visual perception, spatial attention, and the expression of emotions. Since the start of this new academic year, painting in class was always their favourite activity.

It’s no secret that our world is becoming increasingly globalised. As the world becomes more connected, it’s more crucial  than ever for young people to have a well-rounded education which encompasses important life skills. In fact, qualities such as emotional intelligence, adaptability, resilience and critical skills are amongst the most highly valued skills in the twenty-first century.

It is no secret that young children learn best through play. But in today's society, there is an increasing pressure on educators to adhere to strict curriculums and academic standards. As a result, less and less time is being devoted to free play in the classroom.

If just one person in a child’s life is consistently supportive, a child is much more likely to overcome difficult circumstances...

Just one person who is enthusiastic about the child...

Just one person who lights up when the child walks into the room…

In a world that is becoming ultra-connected, it is important to get a good education so that you can be knowledgeable about the world around you. Today, schools play a crucial role in equipping students with the right tools to succeed in the future – and in the same vein, parents are also on the lookout for a school that will provide them with the best learning opportunities.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought us many challenges over the past two years. From health woes, prolonged absences from school and the loneliness brought about by weeks of HBL, this new world order has given many of us new perspectives on some of the pre-COVID luxuries we took for granted. 

Take a peek into any school event at Chatsworth International School and you will see a sea of green, yellow and red. Adorned by students – and sometimes teachers and other staff, this myriad of colours signify the school house system. Established across primary, lower secondary and upper secondary levels, this arrangement is a unique and invaluable aspect of student life at Chatsworth.

Education is not always limited to studying from textbooks. Outside of school, the world is a classroom which holds an expanse of valuable lessons and life experiences. For students, a wholesome curriculum can help them become responsible and respectful individuals – and one of the best ways is through service learning.

In essence, service learning is deeply rooted in community building. For example, activities are centred around encouraging civic-centric engagement such as community outreach theatre and recycling programmes. 

Not long ago, art education was considered as a leisure activity – something to be enjoyed as a hobby or to while away time. Today, art has become an important part of our everyday lives. We see it in the clothes we wear, the dishes we tuck into, and the technology we use.

Over the course of my career teaching the visual arts I have come to be more judicious about telling students to “draw with your eyes, not with your hand”. One must be mindful of direct translation, especially in a non-native English speaking environment.  What I am trying to convey to students is to draw what they see, not what they think they see. In other words, to ‘draw’ with their eyes, not with their minds.

Because literature is a reflection of humanity, one of the questions teachers always ask themselves is, what lifelong learning do we want students to gain from the study of one text?

What does the future hold for us all? People who asked this question in the early 1900s certainly did not do too well with their predictions. Answers such as moving sidewalks, living in floating airships and tomatoes becoming square fell very wide of the mark. When we are asked to give our predictions of what the future holds for our children/students we are also likely to be as incorrect as the people of the early 1900s.

Tucked away amid lush nature and serenity, Chatsworth International School is a conducive place for students to learn, explore and grow. Close to the city centre, yet far away from the drab of the concrete jungle, it provides a nurturing environment for all.

For both students and parents in Singapore, the transition from primary to secondary school is a time of excitement and apprehension. As your child walks through the door on the first day of secondary school, they will encounter new surroundings, unfamiliar faces and possibly different curriculum and school subjects.

When we think of resilience, we think of situations where people have shown extraordinary bravery or can take on hardships. The fact of the matter is that resilience is commonplace – being able to accept failures or having the grit to try again. For children, the ability to bounce back from anything probably also means that they will grow up to be confident and successful adults.

Do you remember playing with your favourite childhood toy or teddy bear? 

The last two years have certainly proven that the landscape of work can very rapidly shift in ways that none of us, save a sci-fi author here and there, would have anticipated. Fortunately, conversations regarding the relevance of current student learning to their future needs have been a hot topic for the past couple decades already.

Chatsworth International School places importance on empowering our students to be inquisitive and responsible. We have adopted techniques into our curriculum and identity to give students the tools to become proficient problem-solvers starting from preschool education and later, in all aspects of their lives.

Digital technology has become an intrinsic part of society. At Chatsworth International School, our focus is creating a modern 21st-century classroom by integrating technology into the learning process in a balanced way.

In their flagship report, The State of the World's Children 2021, UNICEF indicates that the pandemic has affected children in ways we are yet to understand fully. For this reason, parents must take their children's mental health seriously, and in this article, we look at how you can help your children through these difficult times.

If you were to pass by the practice rooms of Chatsworth International School’s music department you might find - alongside traditional instruments such as pianos, guitars and drum kits - an increasing number of students working with music technology; magic boxes of keys, lights and sounds that are the de facto instruments of music creation in modern music. Electronic drum machines, beat pads, Midi Production Centres, DJ Mixers, Samplers, Effect boxes - these assorted technological instruments interact with student Macbooks and analogue instruments to help create modern, relevant music.