The front entrance of Red SchoolHouse Upper Thomson.
During our previous visits, Mrs Rachel Ding (founder of Red SchoolHouse) mentioned that Red SchoolHouse Upper Thomson is known as the ‘model centre’ which she set up in 2011 to consolidate the operations of all Red SchoolHouse centres in one place.
I’ve always wondered what being the ‘model centre’ meant so I decided to find out for myself — by making a trip down to Red SchoolHouse at Midview City, which is located at Sin Ming Lane within the Upper Thomson vicinity.
Kids in the Nursery class settling down to begin the day’s lessons.
As always, Rachel was there to welcome me with her signature warm smile. I arrived at the centre just as the day was about to begin for the kids, after being dropped off by their parents/caretakers.
What does it mean to be a ‘model centre’?
I was excited to explore the vast centre — Red SchoolHouse Upper Thomson is housed in a commercial building lot at Sin Ming Lane, taking up 4 levels of space, complete with a rooftop playground.
Kids having fun with hula hoops at the rooftop playground of Red SchoolHouse Upper Thomson.
According to Rachel, Red SchoolHouse Upper Thomson is known as the ‘model centre’ because the school functions as the headquarters for all Red SchoolHouse centres. In addition, the teaching staff at Red SchoolHouse Upper Thomson also play the role of mentors to student teachers from renowned institutions in Singapore such as Nanyang Institute of Management, SEEDS Institute and Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Thus, the centre acts as a model teaching centre for students who are currently pursuing their higher education in early childhood education. These student teachers will be given the opportunity to gain some hands-on teaching experience under the guidance of the teaching team at the centre.
Parent participation is strongly encouraged at Red SchoolHouse. Here, a student’s mother is seen facilitating an arts and crafts session with the Nursery 2 kids.
Currently, there are over 70 kids enrolled at Red SchoolHouse Upper Thomson, placed under the care of 20 teachers. The centre takes in an average of 2 student teachers per term, and exposes them to the SPICE curriculum.
Find out what goes on during lessons and play time at Red SchoolHouse Upper Thomson on the next page.
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