Hillside World Academy
“Our son Jasper has been attending primary school at Hillside World Academy ( HWA) since January 2016. Winnie attends a different kindergarten. Our experience has been lovely so far. Every year, there are several celebrations for both Western and Chinese holidays and festivals. As it’s a small school, the kids have many opportunities to perform and showcase their skills. In the last year or so, efforts have been made to promote Chinese culture through co-curricular activities.
I continue to be impressed with the HWA kids’ fluency in the Chinese language. Through extensive effort, we have managed to raise our kids in a largely Mandarin environment in Singapore. Our four-year-old, for example, can recite the entire San Zi Jing (“The Three Character Classic”), a classic Chinese text. The main thing that we looked for in an international school was a strong Mandarin programme and environment, and HWA offered that. Many schools offer bilingual programmes, but often they lack that cultural element.
HWA is the only fully bilingual Mandarin-english international school in Singapore, and when I visited I heard Mandarin being spoken not only in classrooms, but in the playground and along the hallways. The school also has a relatively large proportion of native Chinese speakers. We also liked that it was a small school with a lovely community feel. The parents here are very like-minded – they’re all looking for the best Mandarin education and experience for their kids. I would recommend the school to any family that is seeking exposure and immersion in both Western and Chinese language and culture for their children.”
When I visited, I heard Mandarin being spoken not only in classrooms, but in the playground and along the hallways.