Which Singapore International Schools Have a Pre-school?

Singapore North

GEMS World Academy (Singapore)

• Age range: 2-3 years (Little GEMS), 4-5 years (Pre-K to KG2)
• Curriculum: Reggio Emilia, IB PYP
• Specialist subjects: PE, Mandarin, maths; music and the arts (from Pre-K)
• Teacher:student ratio: 2:14 (Little GEMS); 2:16 (Pre-K to KG1)
• Class size: 14-16
• Early years facilities: Learner swimming pool, playground, learner pod, library, play area
• Length of day: Half day (9am-12.30pm); full day (9am-3.30pm)
• 2020-21 tuition fees: $12,010-33,200
• Sibling discount: 10% off tuition fee for first and second siblings; 25% for third sibling
• Meal plans: Pre-ordered meals can be delivered to the classroom
• Dedicated entrance: Yes
• Location: Yishun

A day at Little GEMS starts with temperature checks for all children and continues with a programme of play-based learning in a Reggio Emilia-inspired environment. As children move up through Kindergarten, they follow the IB Primary Years Programme. In addition to offering flexible timings and a dedicated entrance, GEMS has small class sizes capped at 16 and modern early years’ facilities.

Click here to read our review of GEMS World Academy (Singapore)

Singapore American School (SAS)

• Age range: 3-5 years
• Curriculum: Reggio Emilia
• Specialist subjects: Kindermusik lessons, library, daily Chinese language classes, and daily perceptual motor skills development
• Class size: 16
• Early years facilities: Library of 2,500 books, playground with bike track, gym with climbing wall, learners swimming pool, ‘move and groove’ room
• Length of day: 8am-1.30pm
• 2020-21 tuition fees: $22,168- 30,351
• Meal plans: Students can bring their own snacks and lunches, or lunches can be ordered from the canteen
• Dedicated entrance: Yes
• Location: Woodlands

There are several advantages to sending your child to one of the largest American international schools in the world, which has nearly 4,000 students. SAS' youngest learners join the self-contained early learning centre, which uses a Reggio Emilia-inspired approach to learning. The curriculum includes daily Chinese language classes, literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, music, and daily perceptual motor skills development in the 'move and groove room'. To understand the true scale of this school, children often “take field trips throughout the wider campus”, exploring its impressive indoor and outdoor facilities.

Click here to read our review of Singapore American School (SAS).

Stamford American Early Learning Village

• Age range: 2 months to 6 years (Pre-Nursery to KG2)
• Curriculum: Infant Care Programme; Reggio Emilia
• Specialist lessons: Daily Mandarin or Spanish from 18 months, bilingual Mandarin/English from age 3, specialist Suzuki violin from age 3, and cello from KG2, SMART Steps and Perceptual Motor Programme. CCAs are available for students from Pre-K to KG2 and children from the age of 3 can sign up for 1:1 tuition in the Instrumental Music Programme
• Facilities: Learners swimming pool, library and inquiry centre, medical centre and parent cafe, and gym
• Length of day: Half and full day options, 3-5 days per week; 9am-12.10pm or 9am-3.30pm
• 2020-21 tuition fees: $15,866-37,594
• Sibling discount: 10% discount on tuition fee is available for a third child, and 20% discount for a fourth child
• Meal plans: Lunch included as part of school fees
• Dedicated entrance: Yes
• Location: Serangoon

From storytelling hills to sandpits, climbing facilities to miniature gardens, this dedicated early years campus is designed for the very youngest of learners. Starting in pre-nursery, the school offers daily Mandarin or Spanish lessons taught by native speaking specialists; from pre-kindergarten, parents can sign up for the Mandarin/English bilingual programme programme from the age of five. SAIS is also the only school in Singapore to offer the Suzuki Violin Programme from the age of 3, with the option to progress to cello from KG2.

Click here to read our review of SAIS Early Learning Village.

Australian International School Early Learning Village

• Age range: 2 months to 5 years
• Curriculum: Infant Care Programme; Reggio Emilia; IB PYP
• Specialist subjects: Mandarin, speech and drama, SmartSteps, music, STEAM
• Teacher:student ratio: 5:1 (Nursery); 7:1 (Early Years)
• Early years facilities: The Infant Care Pod, which is specifically designed for babies and toddlers, includes a sensory room and outdoor area. Reggio Emilia-inspired classrooms, outdoor play areas, swimming pool, sports hall, teaching kitchens and mini libraries, SmartSteps room, and parent cafe
• Length of day: Three, four and five half or full day options; full day is 8.30am-2.55pm
• 2020 tuition fees: $15,576-32,424
• Meal plans: Pre-ordered meals can be delivered to the classroom
• Dedicated entrance: Yes
• Location: Serangoon

This early years’ campus is child-friendly in every sense: classrooms are arranged in small clusters, a swimming pool is designed for wading and learning to swim, outdoor spaces encourage discovery and play, there are toddler-sized work benches in the teaching kitchens and science labs, and in every classroom children can venture through pint-sized doors to a dedicated outdoor learning space.

While many pre-schools will end the day around lunchtime, the AIS Early Learning Village gives young learners the opportunity to take part in a broad programme of co-curricular activities (CCAs) until 4.30pm; classes include ballet, soccer, tennis, creative drama, circus skills, basketball, swimming, gymnastics and mini maestros.

Click here to read our review of AIS Early Learning Village.

Brighton College (Singapore)

Opening August 2020

• Age range: 18 months to five years (Pre-nursery to reception)
• Curriculum: UK’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
• Specialist lessons: PE, swimming, music and art
• Facilities: Reggio Emilia-inspired classrooms, outdoor play areas, swimming pool, sports hall, teaching kitchens and mini libraries, and parent cafe
• Length of day: Three, four and five-day options, plus five half days
• 2020-21 tuition fees: $14,100 - 34,050
• Sibling discount: 5% for 2nd child; 10% for 3rd child; 10% for 4th child
• Dedicated entrance: Yes
• Location: Serangoon

Brighton College’s pre-prep (pre-nursery to Year 1) will be spread across a dedicated floor of the Early Learning Village (ELV) currently shared between the Australian International School (AIS) and Stamford American International School (SAIS). A huge benefit of this location is that Brighton College can – and will – share the facilities in The Village including an indoor swimming pool and sports hall.

As well as promising to deliver a strong UK early years education, the school will offer a dual language Mandarin programme from pre-nursery through to Year 1, where native Mandarin-speaking teaching assistants will work alongside the classroom teacher to teach the curriculum in two languages. 

Click here to read our review of Brighton College (Singapore).

Sir Manasseh Meyer International School

• Age range: 18 months to 4 years
• Curriculum: Reggio Emilia
• Specialist subjects: Gymboree PE lesson, Jewish education
• Early years facilities: Sensory gym
• Length of day: Five full days, 8am-3.40pm
• 2020-21 tuition fees: $14,850-22,070
• Sibling discount: 15% discount for siblings (2nd child onwards)
• Meal plans: Breakfast and a hot kosher lunch are prepared on campus and included in the school fees
• Dedicated entrance: No
• Location: Yishun

Located in the far north, Singapore’s only Jewish international school enrols just 500 students at its new $40m campus. From pre-school upwards, teaching is deeply rooted in the values and ethics of Judaism and includes Jewish Studies and Modern Hebrew. There’s a low teacher to student ratio, a close-knit school community, and some of the lowest annual tuition fees in Singapore.

Click here to read our review of Sir Manasseh Meyer International School.

International French School (IFS)

• Age range: 2-5 years, (N1 to K2)
• Curriculum: French
• Specialist lessons: French, English and Mandarin
• Facilities: Gym, library, playgrounds, canteen, sleeping dormitories
• Length of day: 8:35am-11:45 (Tour Petite for two-year-olds); full day
• 2020-21 tuition fees: $10,505 - 18,650
• Sibling discount: 5% for the 3rd child, 10% for the 4th child, and 15% from the 5th child onwards
• Meal plans: Yes
• Dedicated entrance: Yes
• Location: Hougang

International French School (IFS) enrols students as young as two into IFS Maternelle. There are two pathways, which continue throughout this bilingual European school. The IFS Maternelle Main Stream is best suited for children who are learning both French and English; shared between two teachers, individual topics are taught in both languages.
For children who are already becoming fluent in both French and English, IFS offers the Maternelle Anglais+ stream in grades Moyenne Section (K1) and Grand Section (K2); this stream is taught both in French and in English on a parity basis.

As well as having a low teacher to student ratio (1:15), IFS Maternelle also provides a dedicated bilingual (French – English) library and teacher-librarian. Students have access to sports facilities on the main school campus, including a 25m swimming pool, drama and amphitheatre.

Click here to read our review of International French School.

GIIS SMART Campus

• Age range: 2.5 years (Nursery) to 5 years (Kindergarten 2)
• Curriculum: Global Montessori Plus Programme – combines Montessori methods, Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences, Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS) from UK and other early years frameworks
• Specialist subjects: Environmental awareness, music and movement, practical life and sensorial exercises
• Teacher-student ratio: 1:12
• Class size: 24
• Early years facilities: Indoor play area equipped with age-appropriate toys, outdoor play area equipped with mist area, sand pit and water play, child-friendly classrooms with reading corner and built-in restrooms, dedicated play area
• Length of day: 9am -12.15pm
• 2020-21 tuition fees: $15,150 
• Sibling discount: 25% sibling discount on tuition fee for the younger sibling of an existing GIIS student
• Dedicated entrance: Yes
• Location: Punggol 

GIIS SMART Campus is the only Indian international school in Singapore that offers an all-through education from nursery through to college level on one campus. The pre-school curriculum follows the Global Montessori Plus Programme, which "encourages learning through free play, spirit of inquiry, social intelligence, sensitivity towards environment and mastery in reading, writing and mathematical skills". Children then have the option of joining the CBSE or IB Primary Years Programme from Grade 1 at the same campus.

Click here to read our reviews of GIIS SMART Campus and GIIS East Coast.

Next: Which international schools offer a pre-school education in Singapore Central?