Attending English Enrichment class at the British Council in the new norm

Of the four examinable subjects that our eight-year-old son Asher was taking in Primary 3, we never expected that he would need tuition for English. However, when Asher merely scraped through his most recent English Weighted Assessment with a mediocre grade, we decided that he could perhaps benefit with a little extra help.

As Asher was already an avid reader, we felt that he would enjoy an English class that not only taught him to be more exam-smart, but also challenged his imagination in writing and verbal expression. His next weighted assessment at school will be based on compo-writing. Enter the British Council.

As a leading English educational provider with an international presence, the British Council’s English enrichment classes aim to nurture children’s love for the English language, and develop their literacy skills through a fun, interactive and engaging curriculum. While being aligned to our local Ministry of Education curriculum, the British Council syllabus features an exciting theme every term:

Term 1: Fairy Tales and Poems; Hedgehogs and Riddles. Text types: poetry and letter.
Term 2: Fables and Adventures; Non-Fiction and Biographies. Text types: Narrative and letter.
Term 3: Mansions and Mysteries; Monsters and Mayhem. Text types: Personal recount and factual recount.
Term 4: Fantasy; Magicians, Magic Tricks and Illusions. Text types: Narrative and procedure.

The Term 3 themes suited Asher’s interests to a T. As it so happened, the opening of Term 3 coincided with the reopening of face-to-face classes at enrichment centres in Phase 2. Asher would be able to fully enjoy the class and socialise with his classmates.

Training children to be imaginative writers

There are plenty of opportunities for play-learning during the British Council’s English enrichment class. Asher’s lesson typically starts with a 20-minute game session where the kids revise the vocabulary they’ve learned in the previous lesson. During half-time, they also get to devise a word-related game which they play for points. This is Asher’s favourite part of the class.

The activity book they use contains puzzles, writing exercises, and interesting stories about superstitions, haunted mansions, whodunit mysteries and unusual phenomenon. Through these, students are encouraged to build up a vocabulary diary and be mindful of grammar. Students are also encouraged to bring a notebook and a storybook to class for note-taking and quiet reading time.

Before they are dismissed at the end of 1 h 45 min, they are assigned a few questions as homework for the week so that they can put what they learned into practice.

For example, as Asher’s class is learning about writing personal recounts at the moment, they did an exercise where they wrote about an encounter inside a spooky mansion. Plenty of scaffolding was given in the form of a pre-written setting. From there, kids are encouraged to continue with the story with a the help of a few well-placed questions.

Not all home assignments are so hefty, though. Homework could be in the form of short-answer questions and vocab exercises, which are perfectly manageable and can be completed within half an hour.

Asher enjoys the class very much and enjoys interacting with his teacher and classmates every week.

Safety guidelines at the British Council in Phase 2

When the nation hunkered down for circuit breaker from early to April to June, the British Council, like many other enrichment centres, switched their classes to online learning. In reopening for live classes in the current climate, the British Council reduced the number of students per class from 18 to only a maximum of 10, out of consideration for social distancing.

At the British Council branch in Toa Payoh HDB Hub where Asher attends class, stanchion poles are placed at the lift lobby to form two orderly queues so that students and parents can file in and out of the centre while respecting a safe distance from each other. Everyone’s temperature is taken and students who don’t have a smartphone to scan the SafeEntry QR code can scan in with their IDs.

Parents of students who are in Primary 5 and above are advised to allow their children to come and leave on their own, while parents of students who are in Nursery 1 to Primary 4 can accompany their children into the premises but are not allowed inside the classroom. There is no waiting area for children to await their parents who are late, so it is important to be on time.

Inside the classroom, all students are seated with physical distancing of at least one metre between students. Face masks are of course, compulsory for the entire duration of the class.  

Stay tuned to our next article where we reveal how Asher has benefited from the class!

Other details

Class duration: From 1 h 30 min – 2 h (depending on level)
Levels: Nursery 1 to Junior College
What to bring: Writing materials, a notebook, a sweater, water bottle and student concession card to check in (if student doesn’t own a smartphone)

The British Council
Tel: 6473 1111

The British Council has four branches in Singapore:
1. Napier Road Centre, 30 Napier Road, Singapore 258509
2. Marsiling Centre, 1 Woodlands St. 31 #04-01 Fuchun Community Club, Singapore 738581
3. Tampines Centre, 11 Tampines Concourse, #01-02/03/04, Singapore 528729
4. Toa Payoh Centre, 480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, #09-01 HDB Hub East Wing, Singapore 310480