EtonHouse Broadrick Review
EtonHouse Broadrick was the first school to be launched by the education group EtonHouse – and it has provided some strong foundations for what has become a hugely popular and successful brand of international education in Singapore.
Located in eastern Singapore, this small campus offers a KG to Year 6 education that follows the Reggio Emilia pre-school programme and the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). The school says that its holistic curriculum is aimed towards "honing learners to be inquirers, risk-takers, thinkers, communicators, open-minded, knowledgeable, reflective, caring, principled and balanced individuals, who engage actively in the community as responsible citizens.”
Now part of a family of 11 EtonHouse pre-schools and school in Singapore, the Broadrick campus has a reputation for its close-knit community, friendly and nurturing learning environment, and strong bilingual programme.
Students in Years 7 and above can move to EtonHouse's Orchard campus and the two schools work closely together to facilitate a smooth transition.
According to our Parent Survey, 50% of parents say that EtonHouse offers a better quality of education than in their home country; 50% partially agree that fees represent good value for money given the quality of the school offering; and 100% say that their child enjoys going to school somewhat.
Curriculum
Whilst the pre-school section of Broadrick, in common with other EtonHouse pre-schools in Singapore, offers the Reggio Emilia approach, the Primary School offers the International Baccalaureate ‘Primary Years Programme’ (IBPYP). This is designed for students between the ages of three to 11 years, and is an integrated, trans-disciplinary curriculum that focuses on the development of the whole child, encompassing social, physical, emotional, and cultural needs, in addition to the academic focus.
Children engage in six units of inquiry that cover the disciplines of English, Maths, Science, Social Studies, Arts, and Personal, Social, and Physical Education in a relevant context for young learners. These are considered essential, globally significant, and common to all human experience. They contribute to the common ground that unifies the curricula of all PYP schools worldwide.
The school was the first international primary school in Singapore to offer a dual-language programme in English and Mandarin, and it continues today to be one of the leading bilingual schools in the city. It also offers extensive second language programmes in Hindi and Japanese.
Families can choose between the Mainstream or Bilingual Immersion Programme from nursery through to primary. The fees for the bilingual immersion and the mainstream programmes are the same.
The English-Chinese bilingual programme here is a well-established programme that exposes students to a natural environment where both English and Chinese is used interchangeably between the teachers and the students, as well as amongst peers. Rather than Chinese being learnt in solitude, in a single setting, it is delivered through an immersive learning experience that follows a 50:50 model from Years 2 to 6. Teaching is delivered by two qualified teachers (one native Mandarin speaker and one native English speaker) in each classroom; they jointly plan and teach each lesson, “taking turns to deliver different parts of the class in their native tongues”.
As well as teaching how to speak, read, write and understand Mandarin, the programme “integrates culture into the curriculum to build an appreciation and love for the language”. Students also attend two daily 45-minute sessions – one for English and one for Mandarin – that focus on grammar, reading and writing skills.
The bilingual pathway is aligned with the IB’s Primary Years Programme, which means that students can easily transition from this bilingual programme into the English-only IB Programme offered at schools across Singapore. Students who move onto EtonHouse Orchard can take Mandarin as an IGCSE and IBDP subject.
Broadrick is now one of several schools offering a bilingual programme, but it definitely remains one of the smallest. Compared to much larger schools such as SAS and CIS, Broadrick is delivering its bilingual programme within a small community of 400 students where the close community feel can be felt in every corridor.
Broadrick also places a particular emphasis on its second language programme, which includes Chinese, Hindi, and Japanese. Students each take language classes for 45 minutes, four times a week. The school has won the top prize at the Crestar Chinese competition for international schools for two consecutive years – a testament to the strong Mandarin foundation it gives its students. All students work towards fluency in at least two Languages – English and one of Mandarin, Hindi, or Japanese. Spanish is also offered. Students are supported by a Japanese and a Hindi teacher, and nine Mandarin teachers including a Mandarin Art teacher who is also a professional Chinese Dance teacher.
The school also applies significant teaching resources to run its time-intensive daily language and cultural programmes designed to complement and support the units of inquiry each student is studying in their English-led lessons. The school claims a unique strength in its ability to customise the second language programmes to meet the individual needs of students in their second language learning.
The school describes information and communications technology (ICT) as “the new pen and paper of the 21st century”. Coding and programming are becoming the language of the future and students need to be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and capabilities to survive in an increasingly digitalised world. Children learn about ICT and the tools needed to use it through coding, programming, App development, animation, and 3D gaming.
Children are also educated on real-world issues, including cyber bullying and cyber security. Secondary students are provided with a laptop per student and a MAC lab is available for all students to use during ICT lessons. A “Bring your own device” programme applies to students of Years 5 and 6.
Class teachers and STEM (Science, Technology, English, and Maths) specialists are supported by a range of subject specialists, including two visual arts teachers, a music director, a performing arts teachers, two PE staff, a librarian (a qualified teacher), and an SEN Coordinator. Staff are predominantly Canadian, British, and Australian, with broad international experience. There is also a very strong contingent of Chinese speakers.
Sport and the arts
Sport is further nurtured during biweekly Interhouse Sports afternoons and a swimming programme, led by six qualified swimming coaches.
A diverse range of extra-curricular activities (ECAs), spanning a range of sporting, artistic, cultural, and recreational activities, are open to students from K1 onwards and are run each Monday to Thursday afternoon from 3.45pm – 4.30pm. School buses provide transport for children participating in ECAs.
School community
Aside from the focus on students, Broadrick prides itself on being an inclusive family-oriented school with a strong bond to the Parent School Association. With over 50 different nationalities among teachers, students, and parents, cultural festivals and celebrations are incorporated into lesson plan activities that involve the whole school. Parents are often involved, volunteering to share their unique customs.
In addition to an active Parent body, Broadrick also encourages students to participate in a broad range of activities designed to promote school spirit and leadership and to give them a voice in running the school through the Student Representative Council. Its members are student representatives, one boy and one girl from each class from Year 2 upwards, each elected to the council by their peers.
Once a week, the SRC meets to discuss school-wide issues that can range from general administrative problems to the planning of school activities, playground issues, and the need to help friendless children. As the bridge between students and the school, the SRC also raises any concerns faced by students and reports on problems before they develop into major issues.
Campus and facilities
EH Broadrick is housed in a traditional four-storey classroom block that accommodates a wide array of facilities including large, well-equipped classrooms, Promethean interactive whiteboards in all primary classrooms, a well-resourced library, computer laboratory (ICT), a Chinese Cultural classroom, a Multipurpose hall for dining and school performances, and Specialist teaching rooms for Art, Music, and Physical Education.
Additional sports facilities include an artificial turf court, a multi-purpose covered games court, and extensive grounds for recreation and sports.
Admission and fees
Like all schools in the EtonHouse group, Broadrick is a non-selective school. Annual tuition fees of $29,310- $30,608 are in the mid-range for Singapore, and offer one of the most affordable bilingual programmes in the city-state for expats.
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