Australian International School Singapore
| Australian International School Singapore | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
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Singapore Singapore , Singapore | |
| Coordinates | 1°20.740′N 103°51.630′E / 1.345667°N 103.860500°E |
| Information | |
| School type | Private International School |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Multi |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Coral Dixon |
| School district | Singapore |
| Principal | Andre Casson |
| Faculty | 200 academic; 72 teaching support; 50 admin (2012) |
| Enrolment | Over 50 nationalities, with 67% from Australia and New Zealand[1] |
| Average class size | 25 |
| Education system | IGCSE, IB, HSC |
| Classes offered | prep-12 |
| Language | English, Chinese, French and Indonesian |
| Campus | Urban |
| Campus size | 1000-1300m squared |
| Houses | Lachan (Devils), Dewert (Storm), Murray (Lions) and Fitzroy (Dragons) |
| Slogan | Globally focused, Distinctly Australian |
| Song | Reach for the stars` |
| Mascot | AIS Sharks |
| Nickname | AIS |
| Accreditation | IB, NSW Board of Studies, University of Cambridge IGCSE, Association of International Schools, EduTrust Singapore |
| Phone | +65 6883 5155 |
| Website | www.ais.com.sg |
The Australian International School (AIS), in Singapore is a co-educational international school in Singapore. The school is owned by Cognita. AIS is made up of two sub-schools; an Elementary School and a Secondary School. The Elementary School includes Preschool, Junior School (P-Y2) and Primary School (Y3-Y5), each of these has its own Head of School that reports in to an overall Head of Elementary. The Secondary School includes Year 6 to Year 12 and operates under the Head of Secondary School.
In 2007 the school adopted the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) and in 2009 the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) for Years 6 - 9.[2] The IB curriculum is taught in conjunction with New South Wales Board of Studies syllabuses. Final year students take the New South Wales Board of Studies Higher School Certificate examinations. From 2013 AIS will implement the IGCSE curriculum and examinations for Years 9 and 10.
History
The Australian International School opened on 3 February 1993 at its first campus on Mount Sophie, an area behind Plaza Singapura and the Cathay Building reconstruction. The School started under the leadership of Miss Coral Dickson with 32 students and 7 teachers, with no air-conditioning, uniform or facilities that are now taken for granted. By the end of 1993 there were over 200 students.
The School experienced rapid growth and by the end of July 1994, with numbers just over 500, the students moved to Emerald Hill, directly behind Orchard Road. Although the School was bigger and could accommodate more students it still did not have a full–sized gym, pool, theatre and other much needed facilities.
As the School continued to expand it was clear that space was running out at Emerald Hill and by the end of 1997, AIS had moved to Ulu Pandan, near Clementi, the site of the old Singapore American School, which had recently moved to a new site at Woodlands.
The School enjoyed just over 5 years at Ulu Pandan during which time it finally secured land to construct a purpose built school at Lorong Chuan, with first class facilities. In February 2002, Mr Peter Bond began as Principal of AIS. The School moved from Ulu Pandan to its final “home” at Lorong Chuan over the holidays in July 2003, with 1100 students enrolled. The school was officially opened by then Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, John Anderson and Singapore's then Acting Minister for Education, Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
In October 2007, the School was purchased by the Cognita Group of Schools and in July 2008, a Junior School and Preschool wing were built to house children from Preschool to Year 2 at a purpose-built facility. The campus is a bright, airy and semi-modern building with large pod spaces for group work. In 2011, a new Senior building was opened to accommodate Year 10, 11 and 12 students. This wing incorporates private study spaces, nearly 40 classrooms and a new Science, Art, Music and Technology area.
In January 2012, Dr Nick Miller took over as Principal of AIS, and the School moved to a new school structure with two sub-schools: Elementary School (Preschool, Junior School and Primary School) and Secondary School.
In March 2014, Dr Nick Miller announced his resignation as the Principal of AIS. At the end of 2014, Andre Casson took over as Principal of AIS.[3]
Currently there are roughly 2600 students enrolled and the School employs over 220 members of teaching staff.
Student body and teaching staff
Today the student body is made of over 50 different nationalities, with 66% coming from Australia and New Zealand. Very few Singaporean students attend the school as the Singaporean government's regulations prevent most of its citizens from attending international schools within the country. The average stay of a student is approximately 2-4 years and the average stay of a teacher is approximately 5-6 years.
Ownership
AIS is has been privately owned by Cognita since 2007. Cognita is a leading international independent schools group, committed to excellence in education. Founded in 2004, the Cognita family of schools now incorporates over 51 schools world-wide, with schools in the UK, Spain, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, covering the age range of 3 – 18 years.
References
- ^ "Information to New Staff for 2009". The Australian International School. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Official list (from the IBO) of schools in Singapore offering IB Programs
- ^ "Australian International School Appoints New Principal". www.ais.com.sg. Retrieved 2015-11-16.