Sembawang Primary School started the Student Care Centre with the aim of reaching out to two main groups of pupils. The first are those who may lack supervision at home. “We thought if we could get them into school and provide them with sound structures, better support and a better environment, we could help them achieve more academically and also to cope better as they grow up,” says the Principal, Mr Alcantara Albert Alfred. “We believe that whatever is important for the kids to learn, we should start as early as possible.”

That was not the only group the school wanted to help. “We also noticed that there are some kids who are not very strong readers,” adds Mr Alcantara. “Again, we thought if we bring them into an English-speaking environment, which is not restricted to just school hours, it will provide them more help.”

With these priorities, the school did not want just a typical student care centre. It wanted a space that could provide pupils with educational programmes, and eventually settled on engaging Cambridge Educare to run the centre. The company primarily conducts enrichment programmes for schools and this centre is its first venture into student care service.

Pupils having a blast during their drama lesson.

More than playing a care-giving role, Cambridge aims to create a conducive, fun and safe environment for the pupils. The centre is open from 7 am to 7 pm on Mondays to Fridays, and for half a day on Saturdays.

Pupils come to the centre either before or after school, depending on whether they are studying in the morning or afternoon session. They are usually recommended to the centre by the school counsellor and/or the Learning Support Coordinator, because these pupils will benefit from supervision in a structured and supportive environment or from the reading programme.

Activities and programmes

Currently attended by about 90 pupils, the Student Care Centre provides a good balance of academic and non-academic programmes, including speech and drama, storytelling, art and craft and even debates on current affairs. Pri 1 pupil Fiona Tan says, “I like the flash cards and word games we use at the Student Care Centre, because they help me to remember spelling better.”

The pupils are also allocated time for homework or revision. In addition, pupils with special needs such as autism or dyslexia are given special attention and can engage in small-group learning.

Pupils also get to take a half-hour nap and shower before they change for school or after they finish school. Lunch is also provided. When exams are round the corner, the centre will focus on revision to help prepare the pupils.

Teacher use flashcards to help pupils acquire new words.

The buzz doesn’t stop during the school holidays, either. The centre’s staff will organise different activities from what it offers during the school term. For example, there might be trips to the movies or projects where pupils to get involved with community work.

The centre’s activities have had an all-round impact on pupils. Pri 3 pupil Wynne Sim enthuses, "I like the assessment books which I use in the Student Care Centre, they help me a lot. I also made new friends in the centre and learnt how to take more care of my personal hygiene, like by washing my hands before I eat.”

Opportunities for all

As a number of the pupils attending the Student Care Centre are from lower-income or single-parent families, their financial circumstances might be such that they cannot afford the centre’s fees. To help them, the school taps into MOE’s Opportunity Fund, which subsidises Singapore citizen students from low-income families for enrichment programmes. This ensures that no pupils will be deprived of the centre’s programmes because of financial reasons.

Besides being able to keep a closer supervision on the pupils, Mr Alcantara points out that having the centre located in the school give teachers the advantage of dropping by the centre when they have extra time to work with the weaker students, such as by coaching them in reading.

At the same time, the school and Cambridge Educare will work in close partnership so that the curriculum and values taught in school will be reinforced in the Student Care Centre. They will also look at ways to improve the current programmes to provide the pupils with an environment where they can feel at home, at ease and ready to learn.