United World College of South East Asia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United World College of South East Asia |
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| Location | |
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Dover: 1207 Dover Road
Singapore 139654 East: 1 Tampines Street 73 Singapore 528704 Singapore
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| Information | |
| Type |
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| Established | 1971 |
| College President | Nick Alchin |
| Teaching staff | 578 |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrolment | 5,561 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 10.7:1 |
| Education system | UWCSEA designed curriculum, IGCSE, IB Diploma |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Colour(s) | White, Light blue, teal, and blue |
| Mascot | Phoenix (Dover campus) Dragon (East campus) |
| Accreditation |
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| Affiliation |
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| Website | https://www.uwcsea.edu.sg/ |
The United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is a special international school in Singapore. It is part of the United World College (UWC) group, which has 18 schools around the world.
UWCSEA teaches students from Kindergarten all the way to Grade 12. Their learning program has five main parts: school subjects, fun activities, outdoor adventures, learning about yourself and others, and helping the community.
Students in Grades 9 and 10 work towards the IGCSE. In Grades 11 and 12, they study for the IB Diploma.
The school has two campuses. The Dover Campus has about 3,000 students. The East Campus in Tampines has about 2,500 students. Most students take part in the service program. This means they help out in the school, in Singapore, and even in other countries.
UWCSEA is a bit different from many other UWC schools. Most UWC schools are just for older students (around 16-19) who live at the school and are often on scholarships. UWCSEA welcomes students from age four. Most students here are children of families who have moved to Singapore from other countries.
There are over 300 students who live at the school (boarders) from 76 different countries. More than 100 students in Grades 8-12 get scholarships to help them attend. Because of Singapore's rules, very few local citizens can go to international schools. This means UWCSEA has the smallest number of local students among all UWC schools. The teachers come from 30 different countries, and the students come from 114 different countries!
Contents
School History
The land where the Dover Campus is now used to be home to St John's School. This school was for families of British military staff. When the British military left in 1971, the land was used to create a new private school.
The Singapore International School officially opened in 1971. Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, opened it. The school joined the United World College movement in 1975. That's when it changed its name to the United World College of South East Asia.
At first, UWCSEA Dover was only for older students. Now, it has a primary section for children as young as four. Today, over 3,000 students attend the Dover Campus.
UWCSEA's East Campus opened on September 1, 2008. It started in a temporary location in Ang Mo Kio. The youngest students (Infant School) moved to their permanent home in Tampines in 2010. The older grades followed later. In 2021, both campuses together had 5,609 students from 100 different countries.
The Dover campus has some buildings made with bricks from an old factory called Alexandra Brick Works. This was discovered in 2013 when an old building was being taken down. Hundreds of bricks stamped with "Alexandra" were found!
Campuses and Learning
The UWCSEA Dover Campus is at 1207 Dover Road, Singapore 139654. It's close to Dover MRT station. It's also near Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Dover Court International School.
The UWCSEA East Campus is at 1 Tampines Street 73, Singapore 528704. The closest train station is Tampines MRT station.
Both campuses have Wi-Fi everywhere. They also have a special help desk for students' computer questions. All classrooms have interactive whiteboards. Younger students use iPads and MacBooks provided by the school. Students in Grades 6-12 bring their own laptops.
What Students Learn
Students from Kindergarten 1 to Grade 8 follow a special curriculum designed by UWCSEA.
In Grades 9 and 10, students at the Dover campus study for the IGCSE program. At the East campus, students can choose between the IGCSE program or other courses designed by UWCSEA.
Students in Grades 11 and 12 work towards the IB Diploma.
Fun Activities
UWCSEA offers many after-school activities starting from Grade 2. Some activities for younger students (K1-G1) might have a fee.
The after-school program includes:
- Sports: athletics, badminton, basketball, climbing, cricket, cross country, football, gymnastics, hockey, netball, rugby, sailing, softball, swimming, tennis, touch, and ultimate frisbee.
- Arts: music, drama, and visual art.
- Other Clubs: leadership groups, and special interest clubs like the Radical Math Club.
The Model UN program at UWC East is the biggest in Southeast Asia. They host two big conferences each year. Students from all over the world come to take part. Other cool programs include SEASAC, which is an annual sports competition for high school students in Southeast Asia, and the Student Council.
Outdoor Adventures
The outdoor education program helps students from Grade 1 to Grade 12. It helps them become more independent, work better in teams, and be more resilient.
Every year, students from Grade 1 to Grade 10 go on a required trip. In Grade 11, students design their own 'Project Week'. Small groups of students choose a destination and plan their own adventure.
Learning About Yourself and Others
The personal and social education program helps students learn and grow. It also helps them develop social skills. Students explore how they connect with their learning, friends, family, technology, and the world around them.
This program covers important topics like:
- How to feel good about yourself (individual well-being).
- How to have good relationships and be part of a community (interpersonal well-being).
- How to understand and help with big world issues (global well-being).
Helping the Community
Students in all grades take part in service projects. There are three main types of service:
- College Service: Helping within the school. This includes things like peer support, being ambassadors, mentoring younger students, coaching sports, and helping with green campus projects.
- Local Service: Helping in the Singapore community. Students work with groups like the elderly, sick people, people with learning or physical disabilities, and disadvantaged children.
- Global Service: Helping communities outside Singapore. This includes:
- Global Concerns: A program run by students. They work with small organizations in other countries. Students, parents, and staff help these projects and visit them to see how they work.
- Initiative for Peace: This program was started by UWCSEA students and teachers in 2001. It helps students promote peace and understanding in places that have had conflicts, like Timor Leste.
School Foundation
The UWCSEA Foundation is the part of the college that raises money. It was started in 2008. By 2015, it had raised over $12 million. This money has helped with scholarships, training for teachers, new ways of teaching, and programs for the environment.
Famous Alumni
Over 25,000 people have graduated from UWCSEA! They are now all over the world.
Some well-known alumni include:
- Wan Hisham (born 1956) – A Malaysian politician.
- Kenneth Jeyaretnam (born 1959) – A Singaporean politician.
- Robert Milton (born 1960) – Former chairman of Air Canada.
- Philip Jeyaretnam (born 1964) – A Singaporean writer and lawyer.
- Eric Khoo (born 1965) – A Singaporean film director.
- Tim Jarvis – An environmental scientist, adventurer, and author.
- Anya Major (born 1966) – A model and actress. She is famous for throwing a sledgehammer in Apple Computer's "1984" commercial.
- Akihiko Hoshide (born 1968) – A Japanese astronaut.
- Wong Chen (born 1968) – A Malaysian politician.
- Princess Anita of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven-van Eijk (born 1969) – A Dutch princess.
- Kevin Stea (born 1969) – A Hollywood dancer and choreographer.
- Sean Ghazi (born 1969) – A Malaysian actor and music artist.
- Paula Malai Ali (born 1974) – A television presenter from Brunei.
- Jason Lo (born 1975) – A Malaysian music artist and media personality.
- Patrick Grove (born 1975) – An Australian business person and TV personality.
- Khairy Jamaluddin (born 1976) – A Malaysian politician. He used to be the Minister for Youth & Sports.
- Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra (born 1978) – A Malaysian prince.
- Daniel Bennett (born 1978) – A professional soccer player for the Singapore national football team.
- Sarah Tan (born 1980) – A veejay on Channel V.
- Blair McDonough (born 1981) – An Australian actor.
- James Wong (born 1981) – A botanist and BBC television presenter.
- Zak Whitbread (born 1984) – A professional soccer player for the US national team.
- Nadiem Makarim (born 1984) – The founder of Go-jek Indonesia and Minister of Education.
- Sonam Kapoor (born 1985) – A Bollywood actress.
- Jawar Mohammed (born 1986) – An Ethiopian politician.
- Eric Po-Ju Huang (born 1990) – A Taiwanese actor.
- Mayumi Raheem (born 1991) – A national swimmer from Sri Lanka.
- Fiona Fussi (born 1996) – A model.
School Mascots
The mascots for UWCSEA are the Dragon and the Phoenix. These two creatures represent the Yin and Yang in Asian stories. The East Campus (Tampines) has the Dragon as its mascot. The Dover Campus has the Phoenix.
