OWIS Suntec Campus Review
One World International School opened its third campus in August 2021 – an Early Childhood to Grade 6 school with three key strengths. Affordability (annual fees are less than $25,000); Location (the campus is in the Suntec Convention Centre in the CBD of Singapore); and Curriculum (it is an IB PYP Candidate School).
Located in the Suntec Convention Centre, the OWIS Suntec campus is currently open for Early Childhood through to Grade 5, and it will roll out Grades 6-8 in subsequent years. As an IB PYP Candidate School, teaching in Early Childhood and Primary grades follows a play-based and inquiry-led curriculum based on the IB Primary Years Programme.
This is the latest addition to the growing OWIS family of schools in Singapore, which includes the well-established Nanyang campus in Jurong. OWIS Punggol Digital Campus, a new all-through school in the North-East of Singapore, known as the ‘digital district’, will open in 2023 (pending CPE approval).
OWIS is owned by the Global Schools Foundation (GSF), which is headquartered in Singapore. GSF manages the all-through GIIS SMART Campus, also located in the Punggol District, which is Singapore's largest SMART school for students aged three through to 18 years.
In line with other schools in the OWIS group, there is a 30% nationality cap for students from any one nationality. The school has a diverse cohort of students (its 30% cap on nationalities maintains this) which is championed through annual events and classroom activities.
The Head of School is Mark Renie, who was the founding head of this campus and now leads both OWIS campuses. He was previously Head of Primary and Early Years at Ascot International School in Bangkok. Mr Renie has a BA in Sociology and Labour Studies from York University, a PGCE from Sunderland University, and an MEd in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Development from the University of Toronto.
Commenting on the opening of OWIS Suntec, Mr Renie said:
"Our education philosophy believes in the mindful use of technology, underpinned by values of kindness, and aims to provide holistic education to students to encourage them to be open-minded, global learners."
OWIS has previously opened schools in ‘out of town’ locations undergoing major redevelopment – and subsequently attracting a very international community of students. OWIS Nanyang, which opened in January 2018 in the up-and-coming western Jurong district, offers the IB Primary Years Programme, IGCSEs, and the IB Diploma Programme to more than 60 different nationalities. To ensure all nationalities are equally represented across the school, this campus has a 30% nationality cap policy.
Curriculum
OWIS Suntec is an IB Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) Candidate School and currently offers inquiry-based teaching for Early Childhood 1-3 and Primary Grades 1 to 5.
Mandarin is taught to all students from EC1 to Grade 5 and involves verbal communication, literacy, and Chinese culture, with the goal of enabling all students to master Mandarin and to attain a substantial understanding of significant components of Chinese culture and cultural aspects of the Chinese language.
Beyond the classroom
As a result of its central location, OWIS Suntec is able to partner with specialist providers to offer a range of co-curricular activities, including art, music, sports, dance and drama.
There's also a strong focus on the individual and kindness as part of OWIS' approach to student wellbeing. From service projects to students sitting on a Kindness Council, the school teaches positive values across all age groups.
Campus and facilities
OWIS Suntec's campus is spread across 20,000 sq ft on Level 3 of the Suntec Centre, a vast mixed-use development with a mall, an exhibition and conference centre, and office tower blocks. Facilities include classrooms, arts and music rooms, a library and a multi-purpose hall for indoor sports and events.
Its business district location does mean the campus lacks outdoor space and parents say the biggest drawback to Suntec is its lack of open space/sports pitches. However, the school does use the nearby Sky Garden daily for breaks and learning activities, and indoor classrooms are spacious.
Admission and fees
With total annual fees of $18,860-25,000, the school falls into the ‘affordable’ schools’ sector – and offers parents a low-cost option for studying the IB (it is an IB Primary Years Programme Candidate School), and in central Singapore. Its fees also include two sets of school uniforms.
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