The CanadianInternational School was established in 1990 as a university preparatory day school and was named the Canadian Overseas College, but subsequently changed its name to the Canadian International School. In its first year, the school opened with a population of only six high school students and six staff members. Today, the Canadian International School has two campuses – the Lakeside campus in Singapore's west, and the Tanjong Katong campus in the east. Before these two campuses, the school operated a campus located at 5 Toh Tuck Rd. The Toh Tuck campus was closed in 2011 and all students were moved to the aforementioned Lakeside campus for the next school year. In June 2020, it was announced that China Maple Leaf Educational Systems Ltd had agreed to acquire CIS in a deal valued at S$680 million.
CIS curriculum and faculty
Canadian International School's curriculum is delivered within the International Baccalaureate framework. The CIS educational programme consists of five elements: Academics, Athletics and Activities, Service and Leadership, Outdoor Learning, and Arts and Creativity; students spend the majority of the school day in the Academic element.
Global Language Programme
CIS's academic programme is delivered in English and learning an additional language is a requirement of the curriculum. Daily language lessons start in junior kindergarten. Students whose first language is not English will be supported by an English language learner programme. A range of mother tongue and additional languages are available in the after-school activities programme. The additional language programme develops students' linguistic capabilities, providing them with the necessary skills to compete on the world stage. The language choices are:
Immersion programme in Chinese or English - Pre-Kindergarten
Daily Chinese or French acquisition classes - Junior Kindergarten to Grade 10
Additional Language Classes in Chinese, French or Spanish
STEAM
STEAM integrates the areas of science, technology, entrepreneurship, arts and mathematics. STEAM at CIS is taught across the entire school from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Outdoor Learning
Outdoor learning used to see students goes beyond the traditional classroom to learn. However current expansion plans have removed all outdoor learning environments and left the students with outdoor education in the bus bay. Primary students spend a week a year in a variety of real-world settings. Excursion week sees students in Grades 4 to 11 exploring countries such as Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China and Cambodia.
Faculty
The Canadian International School's faculty is one of the finest, with over 60% of staff holding advanced or double degrees.
Bilingual Programme Singapore
The school offers two bilingual programmes. The Chinese-English bilingual programme is provided at both Tanjong Katong and Jurong West campuses from kindergarten to grade 6, while the French-English programme is offered in grades 1 and 2 at Lakeside only. The programme is structured so that students attend alternate days of Chinese or French then English.
Campuses
Tanjong Katong Campus
The Tanjong Katong Campus was opened in September 2007 on the former site of the Tanjong Katong Girls' School. Block C of the Tanjong Katong campus is a Singapore Heritage listed site. Angela Henderson is the current principal of the campus.
Jurong West Campus
The Lakeside campus, set on 43,000 sq.m. of land, provides students with facilities that include classrooms connected to learning pods, academic facilities, sporting, outdoor and playground facilities, as well as a performing and fine arts centre, 500-seat theatre, Olympic-sized swimming pool, maker spaces and a two-storey library. It also features a 2,011-sqm outdoor learning play area meant for students aged three to six that includes sand and water areas to support play-based learning. Angela Hollington is the current kindergarten and primary school principal. Jeff Smith is the secondary school principal.
