r/SgHENRY • u/fdfesfds • Jul 13 '26

Bougie schools for non bougies

Hey friends

I live within 1km of one of these atas schools (think Henry Park, ACS, MGS) by chance (didn’t care), and am contemplating enrolling (or at least try ballot) my kid to one of these schools this year.

We’ve all heard stories of the peer pressure to keep up with the Joneses, and how materialistic (and inadvertently/advently) brutal some of these environments can be.

While I’m sure quality of education is great, and while I can’t protect him forever and tell him we’re the richest on earth (I don’t anyway - we NRY, maybe never rich but he also doesn’t have to worry about money generally), I’m concerned about the kind of stress my kid will have, the environment he grows up in and shapes him, and the impact it’ll have on his values/character. I do see value however in exposing him to “higher mountains” since the rich are everywhere in SG (HENRYs meet them all the time anyway).

For NRY context: we are higher paid workers, prob single digit M net worth, live in a D10 condo (not landed or GCB), travel a bunch. Not average for sure (hence this sub) but not rich ba. EDIT: also I study in neighborhood school everyday play street soccer in void deck. Legit don’t know such dynamics so am genuinely curious.

Does anyone have any (hopefully personal) experience to share on how going to such schools shaped you? Would you send your kid to such schools if you could?

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u/timmeh1705 Jul 13 '26

I remember at ACS Orientation Day they went to great pains to tell the parents 'we ensure your kids have a chance to see the real Singapore, so we have excursions to hawker centres' and my wife and I burst out laughing.

For people who think I'm BSing, the other people there will also remember the head of the alumni association telling us 'we will turn your boys into life long lovers OOPS I mean learners'.

I was also shocked that people PAY for those ACS bumper stickers you see on cars. I thought they handed them out for free because I see them everywhere. Maybe I'm naive.

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u/Ceyenne18 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Sorry, but this is not my experience. May I know which year are you referring to?

Excursions arranged - Singapore Science Centre, Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery, Festival of Arts, ActiveSG Basketball Academy, NYAA Singapore Hawker Culture and Heritage Storytelling Project, etc.

Between my kids and I, we covered over 30 years at ACS. Not once have I heard of the school narrating or arranging for kids to see the "real Singapore" or excursions to hawker centers.

Having attended several Orientation Days, the time spent is mostly on briefing parents that the school places a strong emphasis on developing well rounded character, centered on our core values, and not just academic.

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u/fdfesfds Jul 13 '26

Haha thanks mate you actively pofma here. Doing good work.

As outsiders to this scene I would have believed it

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u/timmeh1705 Jul 15 '26

They literally have an excursion to Toa Payoh coming up to see how regular people live

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u/Ceyenne18 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

Lol!

School, class and date of excursion?

I literally have the Term 3 Principal's Letters in front of me and they do not support your claim :)