SIS KoreaSingapore Intercultural Schools - Korea
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Slide Jaspal Sidhu "An increase of Korean students in SIS schools made me turn to look at South Korea closely. After a few visits, I realized the potential of our progressive SIS 21st century curriculum for Koreans, with special emphasis in teaching of English and Mandarin. I also saw the beauty of South Korea. Its shopping districts, beautiful scenery and hard-working people mesmerized me. Despite being a developed country, South Korea is not free from the challenges of an unpredictable world. The 2018 World Economic Forum Report says it is ranked 15 among 140 countries for competitiveness. Critical thinking and skills were also not ranked very high. I feel the timing is right for South Korea students be exposed to an "un-pressured" SIS way of teaching and learning, to get these wonderful and enthusiastic learners ready for the work force." Founder

SIS Gwangju  first started as an after-school learning centre. Gwangju is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is also the home of the famous Kia Tigers of the Korea Professional Baseball League (KBO). In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Gwangju World Cup Stadium was one of the venues used for the World Cup, and was where the South Korea national football team advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in its history, by defeating Spain.

SIS Gwangju has grown rapidly from a small learning centre to a centre with a very popular kindergarten as well as a robust primary and secondary program shaped especially for Korea from the SIS Program.

The aim of SIS Gwangju is to prepare local Korean students for the 21st century. 

The SIS Group of Schools is the region’s most renowned K-12 School group with international and private schools in different countries. It is in a strategic partnership with the International Finance Corporation, IFC (World Bank) to bring high end quality schools at affordable fees to countries across the world.

SIS Gwangju is a member of the SIS Group of Schools. The SIS Group of Schools is fast expanding into Indonesia, Myanmar, Korea, India and soon to China, Kazakhstan and Africa. We are a network of schools. Networks give greater access to resources and promotes creative ideas.  Students from SIS will work in projects with their peers in other schools from the SIS  Group of Schools. Teachers will also collaborate with their fellow educators from other schools in our network.  

This effective eco-system of collaboration was recognized and acknowledged by the Financial Times (FT) and the IFC, International Finance Corporation (World Bank) when we became the only K-12 school in the world to be awarded the global 2019 FT-IFC Transformational Business Award – Education in London.

Our schools are especially designed to stimulate creativity, enhance concentration and allow students and teachers to work in teams as well as collaborate to allow our School Programs to achieve their maximum impact.

The SIS  Group of Schools adopts 3 world-renowned curricula; the Singapore curriculum in the pre-school as well as the primary levels. The Singapore system is then complemented by the Cambridge curriculum at the secondary school levels. For our high schools (Junior College) we adopt the Cambridge A-levels and/or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP). 

Embedded in the curriculum is our PACE initiative which looks to develop 21st century skills; Perseverance, Analytical thinking, Collaboration/Communication  and Entrepreneurism.

SIS Gwangju has a very strong language program. The center’s primary school English program mirrors the SIS curriculum. Mandarin is also strongly featured in the centre.

Students are taken out of the class through our very popular and proprietary Learning Journeys program. Primary school students go on a learning journey at the end of each year. SIS Gwangju students have been to Shanghai, Singapore and New York thus far. We try to visit a different part of the world each year. The Centre collaborates with other parties to create an itinerary with the main focus being on educational experiences. For example the 2018 trip to New York & US East coast included the aviation museum, Smithsonian, MIT and Harvard.

All SIS  teachers are highly qualified and experienced.  They are part of the  diversity of cultures within the school, that we embrace. They are passionate about what they teach and have excellent subject knowledge.

For students who are still working towards the expectations of the subject, SIS has an Academic Support Program, where the subject teacher will give individual support and attention to the student outside of curriculum time. This allows them personalized attention.

Parents will always remain the main influence in a child’s learning experience and education. In SIS Schools, we encourage parents to provide feedback to us on our learner’s experiences and emotions in their learning journeys at home. We then work with parents to enhance and reinforce their learning to ensure our children are always having fun learning both in school and at home.

Our growth plans for Korea include working with progressive partners who subscribe to our vision and mission. We will work with promoters looking to establish world class learning centers as the one in Gwangju as well as purpose built schools. We will also partner with existing schools who wish to internationalize their curriculum.

A partnership with SGS includes the following benefits;

  • All SIS schools enjoy established links built over the years with key educational institutions in Singapore and overseas, to gain access to cutting edge development
  • The SIS  Group of Schools enjoy the benefits of a strategic relationship with the IFC, International Finance Corporation (World Bank) which provides free technical assistance by international education and system experts from Washington 
  • The SIS  success story is regularly highlighted in domestic and international conferences including those organized by the IFC (World Bank), adding to the reputation of the partner School 
  • SIS’  sound recruitment and training philosophy ensures only the best are hired 
  • Good governance and tested SIS systems ensure confidence, effective results and admiration from stakeholders as well as international organizations 
  • The focus on high academic performance in SIS  throughout the child’s learning journey is balanced with active participation in Sports, Creative Arts and in Community Services 
  • Feedback channels across all SIS schools ensure essential voices of our stakeholders are heard
  • SIS adopts a “Live” curriculum approach that is regularly reviewed and updated, and internationally benchmarked.  It is continuously appraised and reviewed to promote well rounded students, strong in the academics, sports and performing arts
  • The SIS Group is an international network of schools which brings a true meaning to the word “international” for students, parents and teachers as opposed to a school flaunting the word “international” amidst a very local environment
  • SIS teachers are passionate and experienced 
  • SIS  offers a distinct brand name which comes with a promise and an expectation of a quality education
  • A partnership with SIS includes a host of advisory services that starts at the conceptual phase of establishing a quality School which ensures all round cost savings 
  • SIS utilizes tested and proven marketing and communication techniques to increase enrolment and involvement of all stakeholders
  • The SIS  network helps in sourcing and training of quality teachers and experienced school leaders
  • Supervision and management of all SIS  schools is by a high calibre passionate, diverse and experienced team from the Support Office
  • SIS  employs IT systems that allow effective monitoring and tracking of school operations as well as helping students select their subjects and colleges 
  • The SIS budgeting and strategic planning processes make operations very focused and cost-effective
  • Effective professional development programs for SIS  schools is carried out only after a clearly defined SIS  “Needs-analysis” exercise by the Support Office, and all subsequent training is conducted by experts within the SIS network as well as international educationists and consultants  
  • The SIS school-based examinations/assessments organized by the SIS Council of Principals (Head Teachers) ensure high standards are maintained across all SIS schools, and analysis of the results ensure timely intervention takes place at class-levels 
  • All SIS schools are international benchmarked either through the respected Cambridge’s CAIE (CIPP, IGCSE, A levels), local examination boards, or International Baccalaureate
  • The SIS network of schools across different geographies provides teacher and student exchange opportunities and active collaborative opportunities, ensuring the sharing of best practices
  • The SIS  Program is a student-centered, project-based learning journey where inter-disciplinary projects are regularly carried out with SIS Schools outside the home country giving students a real international experience
  • Every SIS employee has a detailed job description with clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are regularly reviewed and appraised to ensure an overall effective team is in place working towards a common goal
  • Effective feedback SIS systems allow our partners a pulse on their investments and non-financial objectives
  • The proximity, and established links to Singapore (ranked the number one education system in the world by PISA) allows all SIS  schools to benefit from the billions of dollars spent by the Singapore government on research and development in the education sector in the face of an unpredictable 21st century
  • Computer technology, green ideas/concepts and community out-reach programs are central to the SIS curriculum which sets the foundations of the millennial student
  • The SIS initiative termed PACE (Perseverance, Analytical Thinking, Collaboration/Communication and Entrepreneurism) is actively imbibed in the curriculum to ensure students are ready to face the challenges of the 21st century
  • A partnership with SIS guarantees long term stable financial returns as well as socio-economic benefits especially relevant to real estate developers, local and provincial governments, fund managers as well as other organizations

SIS Korea