Visit United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA)'s Featured School page

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How did you first hear about UWCSEA?

A close friend in San Francisco told us about United World College (UWC - a global movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future). She’s from Singapore, but actually attended UWC Red Cross Nordic several decades ago as part of the National Committee system. She had amazing things to say about UWC in general, and though we’d never heard of it, we were very intrigued. While we looked extensively into several schools in Singapore, UWCSEA ended up being the only school we applied to.

What factors played into your decision to send your child to UWCSEA?

We had decided to move abroad to broaden our kids’ horizons, and even within a city as international as Singapore, UWCSEA stood out as a school where they could get a truly international experience. We strongly appreciated a school that “selected for the mission”, as opposed to basing admissions decisions on the application timestamp or the country on the passport. To that point, we also felt extremely aligned with the UWC Mission—to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. We have a long line of educators in our family, many of whom taught at schools committed to nonviolence and peacemaking, and it was important for us to send our kids to a school that was similarly steeped in these values. Finally, our former school in the San Francisco Bay Area was the  number one ranked independent school in the United States, so whatever new school we chose, we wanted to make sure it had uncompromising levels of academic excellence. UWCSEA was a clear choice in this regard. 

Did you take a tour of UWCSEA before making your decision? What were your first impressions?

We made our plans to move to Singapore during the Covid-19 pandemic, so were unable to tour the school, but we watched all the Virtual Open Days recordings that were available on the UWCSEA website. The speakers all immediately stood out. We loved that the Primary School Principal, Mr O Maoileoin (called ‘Mr O’ by the students) talked about how activities aren’t referred to as “extracurricular” because they’re not extra, but an integral part of the curriculum; that the Middle School Principal saw the aim of the Learning Programme and holistic education to be for the students to “find their drive and passion in one, some, or all of these elements”; that Mr. O would spend a significant amount of time in an admissions event talking about “whose history do you teach?”—underlining UWCSEA’s concept-based learning rooted in big ideas.But our most salient impression of UWCSEA from the Virtual Open Days was the passion that the speakers exuded when talking about the school—both its day-to-day experience and its larger mission. It was meaningful that these were not merely administrators, but also teachers and parents within the school. Sure, the tour videos showed off UWCSEA’s impressive facilities, but we’ve always believed that facilities are the easiest things to dress-up. It’s the teachers and their enormous experience that breathe life into a school, and this was so obviously on display, even through the limitations of a screen.

How did your child/children adjust to UWCSEA? What was the settling in process like?

We had signed all three kids up for UWCSEA’s Holiday Activities Programme for one week before school formally started. This ended up being a great way for them (and us!) to become familiar and comfortable with their new, enormous campus. UWCSEA has more than 10x the number of students of their former school in the US, so it could have been a very daunting experience. Luckily, all three settled in wonderfully—if anything, the adjustment to Singapore and a new school was harder for the adults than for our kids!

Before school even started, members from the Parent Association had reached out to us and helped answer our questions, as well as connecting us to other families in our kids’ classes. We were even able to do a couple of playdates, so that two of our kids had friendly faces on the first day. Our youngest was starting K1, where everyone was new, so that was an even easier transition. For the older grades, it felt like UWCSEA made an extra effort to put multiple new students in a class together, so that no one was totally alone in their experience. More importantly, the teachers all did an incredible job of creating a warm, welcoming environment, while quickly setting structure and expectations, which is so helpful during times of change. We felt very grateful that all three kids quickly settled in, made friends, and joined activities—many of which they continue to do to this day. Within weeks, it felt like they’d been going to the school for years.

In your opinion, what are the three standout strengths of the College?

We have been so impressed with the Performing Arts programme at UWCSEA. There are countless ways to get involved in music—lessons and ensembles for every instrument imaginable, countless singing and dance groups, and what feels like a performance, sing-along or concert every few weeks. Moreover, there is a wonderful ethos of participation and inclusion. We love that in Primary School, every child is expected to participate in the Arts Festivals, avoiding a situation where the activities and skills feel concentrated among only the very best or those who’ve already invested a lot in this domain. The school makes the arts incredibly accessible, yet still manages to deliver exceptional products. Our kids had never done much in a performance capacity, nor expressed any previous interest, but UWCSEA has really ignited their passion. But even without a personal interest in this area, students can still feel a real sense of pride and community and identity around this. There is so much palpable energy from the Arts Festivals, UN Night, the Middle School production, etc.—so much of a culture that feels distinctly UWCSEA.

Related to this, the school excels in creating a sense of community. A few months into our first year at UWCSEA, there was a week when we were on campus three times in the span of three days—to attend our G5’s Arts Festival, to cheer and participate in our G2’s Day of Sport, and to volunteer with our K1’s classroom for the annual school-wide Food Festival. The Food Festival in particular was so memorable because everyone—students, teachers and parents alike—were dressed in clothes reflecting their cultural or national heritage, all carrying their own personal containers to ensure a sustainable and zero-waste event. There was so much excitement. So much vibrancy. I remembered thinking, what is an education—notably, not just a school—but an education for, if not rich experiences such as these? The books will have been read, the assignments will have been done, but these are the things that our kids will most remember about their time at UWCSEA. Incredibly, there are so many experiences like this throughout a single school year. There’s UN Night, the Community Fair, the Arts Festivals, Battle of the Bands, and more. We don’t take any of it for granted, because building a community is not easy and requires not just constant maintenance, but also a willingness and ability to adapt and change. And even just in the time that we’ve been at the school, we’ve witnessed many changes. But we feel so confident in the school’s ability to continue to excel at this, because of how top of mind the UWCSEA community is for the administration. On a more somber note, a family in our younger daughter’s class experienced an enormous tragedy this past year. Even though the tragedy was unrelated to the school, it was inspiring and heartwarming to see the entire school community—but particularly the incredible faculty who worked tirelessly on the efforts—pull together to help the children (all of us, really) process the grief, and honor the moment. It shone a light on what a community can mean and can do, during moments of both light and darkness.

Finally, we’ve been thoroughly impressed at how the school—as large as it is—truly tries to give students an experience that feels personally meaningful to them. This isn’t to say that everyone gets deeply personalised and specialised instruction. It’s more about giving the students opportunities to find and define themselves, however niche, however specific. This is largely through the eye-boggling array of activities available to them, and in particular, making it so accessible and welcoming to try something completely new—so that one can give, say, rugby a try, even in Middle School, and not feel intimidated that they’ll only be around people who’ve been doing it since they were four. Related to this—and just as important for creating a meaningful personal experience—is fostering connection, and we’re amazed at how the teachers and faculty seem to be able to do this with such an enormous student body. At the Community Fair, we marveled at how our then five-year old seemed to know almost everyone he saw, as he effortlessly navigated a sea of people on his way to a bouncy castle or slushy machine. We’ve seen the Principals greet by name almost every child they pass as they’re walking around the campus. We’ve noted the special care they put into ensuring that students have at least one close friend in their new class when they move from one grade to the next. I think it’s very possible for a parent to feel overwhelmed with all that’s going on within this dynamic and very busy community. But for the students themselves, it very much feels like there is the utmost attention paid to their individualised experience, in a truly holistic way.

How does the UWCSEA include parents in the community?

There are so many ways that the school includes parents, which fall primarily into two, non-mutually exclusive categories—things you can do for the school and things you can do with or at the school. In the Primary School, each class has “class parents” that help serve as a bridge between the teachers and the parents. There are also countless volunteer opportunities throughout the year—in the classroom, with the Parent Association at large, and even in a service capacity around Singapore.

There are regular social events such as dance lessons, mindfulness sessions and language classes, not to mention the numerous activities with cultural and national affinity groups, such as organising the school-wide celebration for Diwali or Hari Raya. There are also efforts to engage parents across language barriers, including having translators at key events.

The Primary School heavily involves parents in activities with their children, such as Sports Days and Infant School sing-alongs. In Middle School, much of this tapers off, but there are still so many ways parents can participate in the UWCSEA community—attending students’ concerts and productions, the Community Fair and more. There are also always talks and presentations by speakers from Singapore and abroad—the latest research in literacy instruction, how to improve executive function skills from a licensed Occupational Therapist, Singapore’s developing landscape from a renowned city planner, and more—not to mention the Town Halls and forums organised by the Principals, Head of School and Head of College. If anything, there are almost too many ways for parents in the community to be involved, and it can be a little FOMO-inducing for those whose schedules don’t allow for as much participation as they’d like.

How does UWCSEA keep you informed about your child’s progress?

There are multiple parent-teacher conferences throughout the year, both in-person and over video conferences. There are also several written reports produced (two per year for Primary School, three for Middle School), which delve into their progress and areas for improvement. At a higher level, there are also weekly newsletters for each class. Different grades handle this differently, but things are always standardised across a grade—in other words, all the G2 teachers will follow the same format. But most importantly, whenever we’ve wanted to discuss anything relating to our kids’ experience at UWCSEA, we’ve found the teachers and relevant Vice Principals or members of Learning Support to be extremely responsive, going out of their way to make time, and also coming prepared with background information and a good understanding of our kids as learners.

What is the number one thing you’d miss if you had to leave UWCSEA and its community?

The values system and sense of purpose that the school and its mission provide. In Primary School, there are five expectations that are meant to guide children’s behavior: we keep ourselves and each other safe; we are brave when faced with challenges; we respect ourselves, each other and the environment; we are kinder than necessary; and we have fun together. In our family, we’ve actually found ourselves referencing these expectations, such as saying, “were you really being kinder than necessary when you said that to your brother?” or, “I know this is a little scary, but we try to be brave in the face of challenges”. It seems simplistic and obvious, and yet, having this common framework, with supporting language to draw upon is extremely useful.

At a higher level, we love the fact that service is just a built-in part of their school experience. As much as our family believes in UWCSEA’s mission, and as easy as it would be for us to find service opportunities around Singapore and beyond, it’s that much easier when it’s already woven into the fabric of our kids’ daily lives. They have endless opportunities for enrichment and for activities that celebrate exceptionalism. But we can’t understate the benefit that helping others—and seeing themselves as but one small part of a larger global context—provides in terms of imbuing our kids with a real sense of purpose. And we feel that this will only become more felt and important as they grow older.

What would you say to other families who might be considering UWCSEA and haven’t made a decision yet?

To think about... what is it you really want from a school? UWCSEA is a school that believes in holistic education—which encompasses service, social emotional education and outdoor education—and it absolutely “walks the walk”. Real school hours are devoted to this, and your kids will be steeped in this experience. Are you excited by this, or is it merely something you feel like you must put up with in order to get the “best” academics? Are there things that are really important to you—language immersion or maybe even just a geographically/logistically more convenient school—that you feel like you’re sacrificing for the UWCSEA brand? No school is perfect and there are only so many hours in a day. Being required to do a service activity in Middle School takes up time that could be spent on a sport or something else that is meaningful to you and your family. Maybe there are more hours spent on practicing for the G5 Arts Festival than you would like, vs. extra time to work on math. These are all very legitimate trade-offs. Another thing to consider is that UWCSEA is very large. While the teachers and administration work tirelessly to make the environment supportive for every kind of learner, it’s definitely the case that some students may prefer a smaller school and campus.

Our family has been incredibly happy at UWCSEA and each of our kids is thriving in their own way, but every family is different, and one great benefit of Singapore seems to be its abundance of fantastic schools to choose from.

What extra-curricular activities or out of school programmes does the school offer that your children or family have taken part in?

Our kids have taken full advantage of the multitude of activities that the school offers. Our youngest has tried his hand in a range of things he would never have done otherwise—rock climbing, hip hop dancing, even bug exploration. Our middle child took karate for the first time as part of the Community Activities Programme, and has done it weekly on Saturdays for the last three years—she’s hoping to make black belt this year. She’s also starting her fourth year of netball—a sport she’d never even heard of before. She also loves to tinker and has spent a lot of time in the Ideas Hub—UWCSEA Dover’s makerspace—as well as participating in UWCSEA’s FIRST Lego League. Our oldest child has been playing basketball since she started at UWCSEA—both on the school team and for a year on the weekend Phoenix Club team. She also got her Open Water Scuba certification through classes at the school.

Our daughters have also developed a passion for dramatic arts thanks to the numerous creative and performance drama activities they’ve done at the school. They are now both enrolled in more formal performance arts classes off-site, but continue to take part in UWCSEA’s Instrumental Teaching Programme (ITP). They both take weekly voice lessons at the school, and since arriving at UWCSEA, one has learned drums, while the other has started guitar.

But what’s most defined their time at UWCSEA have been the Service activities. Each grade in the Primary School has a dedicated Global Concern (student-led group that supports an NGO through advocacy and action) that it supports, and our middle child has participated in the relevant service for each of her terms at UWCSEA. In G4, she and her father were able to go on a week-long service trip to Bali to support children with the Widhya Asih Foundation. Our oldest serves on the Middle School Global Concerns Executive Committee, and hopes to attend the G8 service trip to Cambodia later this school year. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share about the UWCSEA experience?

We have been truly impressed by the faculty and administration. In particular, we’ve loved the authentic and accessible ways they communicate. Each week, the Head of School and Principals each write a blog or letter, and while the content is frequently administrative in nature, they do not shy away from tackling more difficult or thorny issues, such as their views on private tuition (or tutoring, as we’d call it in the US), on how to build character, on AI and the role of technology, etc. The content is thought-provoking, yet thoughtful. The authors are willing to be opinionated, but always grounded in humility and curiosity. There is always room for nuance, for introspection, for more empathy. This same experience is true at the in-person forums that the Principals and Head of School host, and in every opportunity we’ve had to hear the Head of College speak, as well as in his various written messages to the community. This is something “for us”, so to speak. It affects our UWCSEA experience as parents—our kids don’t directly experience this. And yet, we’ve been in the corporate world long enough and been a part of enough disparate organisations to know that the style and values of those at the top permeate an organisation. In small, possibly unknowable ways, every member of an organisation comes to embody the culture of its leaders. We couldn’t be more happy to know that these are the ones for our kids—and ourselves—at UWCSEA.

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Read interview with Principal, Pauline Markey: Getting to know the Principal at UWC South East Asia for new families

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Webinars and campus tours between 2 September – 3 October

Register for our open days to learn more about our programmes, meet the teachers and see student life.

Watch Virtual Tours of the two campuses

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Visit United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA)'s Featured School page

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