What Parents Say About Winstedt

We arrived in Singapore in 2019 just as COVID was kicking off.  From the minute we walked into the school, we knew it was different.  After our trial Hamish was begging to be enrolled, and his words will forever stay with us: “Mum there are other kids like me here, I’m not alone anymore.  They don’t rush you to get work done”.
Winstedt has taught him coping mechanisms to deal with his learning support needs, and how to advocate for himself and his sensory issues. He knows what kind of person he wants to be, his confidence has changed his life.  The holistic and inclusive environment along with kind and compassionate staff have changed his life and ours as a family. Just an amazing and magical school and we will miss it so much!

The Winstedt School has changed my kids’ lives for the better. After many years in Singapore, few international schools, and even long homeschooling, my boys joined Winstedt in early 2022. They are now in Year 6 and Year 2. Throughout this time, their anxieties about school have diminished considerably, and they’ve been able to learn, socialize, and have a childhood. For us, the unique holistic and integrated approach, the incredibly dedicated group of teachers, therapists, and staff, as well as the personalized support, is making all the difference for them.
At Winstedt, my children benefit immensely from academic differentiation, social and emotional classes, and dedicated pastoral care. All this happens in a truly integrated way, with everyone involved in my children’s education, including me as a parent, working as partners to understand my boys’ individual needs, find ways to meet them, and finally, give my kids the opportunity to grow and thrive.

Wei Ru and I would like to express our gratitude for the impact that Winstedt School has had on Daniel’s growth and development. He has come on in leaps and bounds in all aspects and we have nothing but praise and gratitude for the school and the dedication, love and support shown to Daniel by everyone in whose care he was placed, particularly Ms. Karina and her team. We are truly impressed by the wonderful job that everyone at the school has done.

Our son loves going to Winstedt and he has made such amazing progress since he started coming here. So happy to have our happy boy back who loves going to school – it was a huge change from the terrible experience he has had before.

I am writing as a parent who has recently relocated to Singapore with two children — our son, 7 years old, and daughter, 4 years old — from Tokyo. Our son has struggled to navigate both the academic and social challenges — due to his low muscle tone, he has fine and gross motor challenges that can also affect his spatial reasoning. This leads to frustration, a lack of confidence and/or motivation that our son largely bottled up and kept to himself.
The support he received before our move to Singapore consisted of a one-on-one tutor and separate sessions with a play therapist and speech pathologist, for which he was taken out of class. What was especially challenging for us as parents was overseeing and coordinating his interventions, since we often lacked the adequate training or understanding that would allow us to advocate for our son, navigate, let alone strike the right balance between supporting him when he needed it, and encouraging independence and autonomy when he didn’t.
We found Winstedt through several recommendations, all of which seemed nearly too good to be true. But throughout the application and interview process, our expectations for a school with an integrated, comprehensive approach to supporting its students were consistently met by Winstedt. Beyond that, we were especially impressed by the emphasis on meeting each student’s needs through an individualized, tailored curriculum, as well as on teaching social emotional learning as part of the curriculum — it was this that ultimately convinced us to enrol our younger daughter in Winstedt as well.
The impact of Winstedt’s comprehensive approach has been immediate: from the very first day onward, our son’s disposition has been brighter, more positive, and engaged. Academically, he very quickly broke out of negative patterns when it came to confronting challenging school- or homework, and he now regularly uses vocabulary and strategies from his Social Emotional Learning classes to help him overcome his hesitation when faced with challenging assignments. He has gained a strong voice of his own, and doesn’t shy away from asking for help, at school and at home.
He and my daughter both receive consistent personal attention from their teachers, specialist teachers, and counselors who coordinate and collaborate closely and are also constantly in communication with us to share details about the challenges and achievements of our children. From what we see in our children’s weekly homework packets, it’s also clear that lessons and homework are specifically tailored to encourage their strengths and help them confront and overcome their weaknesses, without compromising on the academic expectations that are completely in line with their respective year groups.
Through our children, we have been getting to know and benefitting from the Winstedt approach every day — and it is in fact far from being too good to be true: backed by the latest evidence and research, it is thoroughly planned, then carefully and caringly implemented by specially trained teachers and staff. The results are astounding: our children are not just happier students – they are happier all around!

Ian and I are both huge supporters and fans of The Winstedt School!
Initially we came because Sam’s writing had been a concern when he was in Kindergarten, which prompted us to get a Psycho-Educational Evaluation. When we first arrived, The Winstedt School and Dover were the first institutions that were suggested to us.
The second we were introduced to Winstedt, we loved it. We loved everything: the small, cozy and safe feeling, the small classes, the care given to the kids.
We are beyond appreciative of the staff who guided Sam into becoming who he is today, and who took the time to show him that he is not stupid and that he is a boy who CAN do everything he had previously believed he couldn’t.
We are very grateful for the staff who supported Hannah, encouraged her dramatic side, and tapped into her passion for writing. They helped Hannah stand up for herself and helped her realise that her own feelings are very important and valuable.
We are excited for both Hannah and Sam to move on to greater adventures from here onwards. Thank you Winstedt!

Thanks for all the help – Winstedt made such a HUGE and positive impact on Alex’s life. He had a last get-together with his Winstedt friends on Saturday – it was so nice to see him joyful and socially interactive – so much better than just a few years ago. We will never forget these past 5 years!

Thank you for being such an impactful and loving part of our son’s learning journey. For me, the biggest marker of success was that he looked forward to school. It still feels like yesterday when we came over for the 3-day trial, sweated over the decision of making the move to Winstedt, wrote down all the Pro’s and Con’s, and finally found comfort in the wonderful vision of the school and knowing that we have it in us to make it work. I am very happy that he is walking out of the school gates as a confident young man while keeping who he is, his love for life and sense of humour intact. I truly believe that without the stairs of the past you cannot arrive at the present so I will forever be grateful for the journey at Winstedt.

It’s a sad day for our daughter and us. She will never forget Winstedt.
Growing up, I was always looking for an excuse to stay home and even pretended to be sick in order to skip school.  She is not willing to skip a single day of school. She loves Winstedt, the teachers and her friends so much. It will not be an easy transition for her to leave Winstedt.
Thank you again for giving such an amazing care to our daughter.

This year has been very meaningful to our son. Thanks to the amazing team at The Winstedt School, he gained lots of confidence, made significant development progress and managed to blend in with his peers. We are so thrilled every time he comes back home, excited, telling us about something he had learned or experienced. We feel that Winstedt, with its approach, support, staff and listening ear is the best place we could ask for our son.

Once we reached Winstedt and got to know about the SEED programme, we knew we didn’t have to look any further. We got the best support from the experienced and skilled teachers for our son who has continued to learn and grow under their guidance.

Just a quick line to wish you a nice summer break and to thank you for all the support provided to our daughter and us during her first term with Winstedt. I feel she really settled in during the last term and her fondness of the school and her friends became very apparent.
I had a quick chat with her today about how she felt generally about the transition from our previous school to Windstedt. She said she felt it was a very good decision and she feels so much better and is very proud of herself. The school gives her downtime when she needs it and when Ms. Karina sees her reach for her headphones she asks the class to quiet down! She said she would recommend the school to anyone who has headaches as it makes you feel so much better and happier.
Thank you all again!

As we look to move back to Australia, we’re so happy to share that Sam was offered a place in one of Sydney’s most academically selective schools. It’s a school that has a high percentage of gifted students so hopefully, Sam will find a few like-minded friends. He’s already set his sights on the debating team and setting up a dungeons and dragons club. This success is largely down to The Winstedt School because the Sam who first entered TWS 3 years ago would not have had a hope of getting into a school like this. The Winstedt school has given him so much confidence and self-esteem. He is a much happier boy and has come so far.

We have been delighted with Winstedt, but a few months ago I was notified of my transfer back to Japan. Our son was admitted to an Academy in Japan from August. Kentaro has absorbed a lot of things during his time at Winstedt, expanding his horizons around the world. The teachers at Winstedt changed his life. He was not good at English, but the Literacy teacher made it his favorite subject and changed his humanity too. He was able to recognize his position, create a sense of responsibility, try new things, and be patient and become more resilient – able to withstand criticism from others. This was reflected in the learning which fostered independence in learning. I think this is the result of Winstedt’s teaching philosophy, such as the curriculum that matches the background of the student and individuality. Thank you for all the support!

Two years ago, we were wondering what could be the best future for Tom and were exploring different alternative education from the French system. This was a difficult moment when as parents you have doubts about choices you are making for your most precious…the kids. Choosing Winstedt was also choosing an English education for Tom who was not yet so comfortable with his English. This period was so challenging for us and we were wondering every morning if we were doing the right thing. Two years later, I am short with words to express all the gratitude we have for all of you, for your patience and all you have given to our son. Tom is more confident, he learnt a lot within his rhythm in the very nice environment you built. Tom will miss all of you, I will also…You all have been a part of our lives and we will never be thankful enough for having showing Tom that everything is possible and growing his confidence. Thank you very much for everything.

The Winstedt School was a game-changer for our family. No longer did we have to coax our crying children onto the school bus each day. Shortly after starting at Winstedt they were asking us if they could go to school on weekends. The teachers are amazing. Their ability to educate and nurture the children with thoughtful tones is Jedi-like. We wanted to do a test drive before committing, so we signed the kids up for a week of the annual summer camp. Our daughter was literally clinging to the roof of the car, mortified. A teacher came out and within 30 seconds our petrified daughter was holding hands with her and happily went straight into class. I was holding back the tears. At this point I was sold. Our son didn’t want me to leave at first, and a teacher invited him into class before the other kids. She sat on the carpet with him and looked at some dinosaur books that he chose to read as the other kids came in. He looked at me and said he was “ok” now. On his first actual day at Winstedt, his homeroom teacher spent time with him, getting to know what he likes, took him to class first to choose his seat, and talked him through a little list of what to expect the next day. He lapped it up, he was excited to go in the next day, and he asked me to leave when I dropped him off! The way the kids are taught at Winstedt is efficient, yet fun, organised yet interesting. They come home excited to teach us new facts and knowledge almost every day. My daughter’s teacher has totally turned around her outlook on being tidy and organised. This is priceless and we hope to build on the teacher’s great efforts. We have had only positive experiences with all the other teachers and extremely helpful staff at Winstedt. One of our children has dyslexia and the other is a typical active boy who can struggle to sit still sometimes. They have both benefited from the attention that Winstedt has provided and are noticeably more confident and engaged with their education. Winstedt has a unique school spirit and an incredible community. If your priority is your children’s personal education, growth, and well-being Winstedt is a fantastic option.

We have lived in Singapore for more than six years. Our son suffered a brain injury when he was just five months old. He is now eight and has some learning and behavioural difficulties as a result of his accident. All these issues presented as very mild, he was rejected by three different international schools. Schools that offer learning support, could not accommodate him due to lack of resources. We struggled to find a school that would accept him. Then we found Winstedt. The school that gives hope to families of children who just need some extra help to grow and flourish. Our son has been at Winstedt now for two years where he is taught by some of the finest teachers in Singapore. We can’t believe how he has progressed – another Winstedt miracle in action. Winstedt has given us, and our son more than just hope. It has provided a future.

Our son has truly benefitted from Winstedt and all the support it has provided. We can’t thank the team enough for the loving and caring environment provided to all the students. As parents, we are strong advocates for everything Winstedt stands for. We are so sad to be transferred out of Singapore as it means having to leave Winstedt. Our best wishes to the School and know that a part of us will always be there. Thanks to Sharon and the teachers for all that you do. You are truly an inspiration!

So blessed to have been introduced to The Winstedt School! Our son has gone from being an anxiety-filled child to a happy, confident teen with very healthy self-esteem. He’s always so happy to be a part of the school and loves going in every day. Thank you to Sharon and the team for the extra care made in selecting teachers who relate well to the students and are able to teach and connect with students from all backgrounds and with different learning styles.

Winstedt was the third school my daughter attended in Singapore and the only one that was able to support her. We found that there is a difference between a school that ‘can’ offer extra help and a school that actually ‘does’ offer extra help.

My daughter has grown so much thanks to the care and guidance Winstedt has shown her. Those many years ago, when another school was kicking her out due to her learning difference, she was so miserable and struggling. At that point, I felt a sense of hopelessness. I know from experience what it is like to be ‘lost in the system’ because of a learning difference; I couldn’t read until the 6th grade. Like my daughter, I was just slipping by. When Dr. Marcou told me about your school, it sounded too good to be true. With our combined efforts, she is now on the right path and has the same opportunities any other child would have. For this, I will always be grateful to Winstedt.

The Winstedt School has been a bright star in my son’s educational journey. Winstedt has helped him develop in more than just his academics. We appreciate all the innovative things you do to benefit students. Thank you for advocating for students and for keeping their best interests at heart. And thank you for all you have done for my son.

Thank you Winstedt for everything you have done for Mitchell over the years! He has built up an enormous amount of confidence within himself and his reading. Special thanks to Sharon for building a school where he was finally given a chance to learn and thrive. Without Winstedt, he would not be the confident and happy child that he is today.

Our experience with Winstedt has been positive since the first phone call. Our boys trialed over three days and were immediately excited to join the School. Their reaction after the class trial made our decision to enroll very easy. We went from two little boys dragging their feet into school each day, to two happy boys who were sad to leave school each afternoon. Since moving to Winstedt a year ago, both boys have blossomed into keen learners who are now showing great academic results. We cannot express how elated we were to receive their last school reports!
They have gone from numbers in the back of a large classroom, to eager and confident learners. Each day I am thrilled to hear their stories and touch base with their teachers. The warm and welcoming feeling you get when you enter the front door makes me, as a mother, know that my boys are in the most nurturing learning environment I could have possibly found. As an expat who is always picking up from one country to the next, finding a place like Winstedt was like striking gold! We as parents could not be happier!

My son Barney was diagnosed at the age of 5 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and as a result, he missed almost two years of school. This left him considerably behind his peers and so we searched long and hard for a school that could support this deficit. We finally found Winstedt, where the unique learning approach suited Barney so he could catch up. We appreciate that Winstedt took the time to sit down and really understand him, and to talk with us about how we could best support him. The teachers were not afraid to be firm with him, while still showing endless patience and kindness as his emotional breakdowns became less frequent.
What we didn’t know at the time was that Barney had developed ADHD inattentive type as a result of the chemotherapy treatment, which is a common side effect. Winstedt pushed us to have him tested, we resisted, frightened to put a label on him. Again, teachers took the time to sit with us and explain that he was just not getting “higher order” thinking and that it was not for lack of effort.
This was the best thing that happened for Barney – we finally realised that he was trying his best, but the ADHD had been holding him back. To quote Barney “I don’t have to fight to stay awake now. I enjoy going to school and learning!” His self-esteem has gone through the roof, whereas previously he had labeled himself “the big dumb kid”, he now participates in class and knows he is just as capable as his peers.
Throughout this process, Winstedt went over and beyond the call of duty, communicating and pushing us. Winstedt has been the biggest and most positive influence in my child’s life and we will be eternally grateful. Thank you for the engaging style that keeps kids involved, and for the superb communication with parents. The school’s expertise and instincts on him were spot on and have paved the way for a whole new level of learning for him. The Winstedt School has saved Barney from a mediocre academic life by providing the necessary support and forcing us to raise our expectations. We as a family are so grateful. Winstedt is truly an academic centre of excellence in every way.

Thank you Winstedt for all the care and attention you are giving Archie. It is fair to say he is a changed boy, and the happiest he has been in years if not ever. Sending him to Winstedt was one of the best things we have ever done.

Our son, Jack, had struggled in school most of his academic days starting back in 1st grade. My wife, Patti, and I knew he had the ability to learn and memorize. Still, his handwriting and reading skills were below the typical student’s standards. In the summer of 2017, after meeting with a psychologist in the United States, Jack was diagnosed with a Non-Verbal Learning Disability. To put him in a position to be successful in school, we would need to find a school that knew how to “reach and teach” students that have additional learning hurdles. Outside of Atlanta, Georgia, we found a school that was accommodating for students with all learning disabilities and he was enrolled in autumn of 2017.
Fast forward to the autumn of 2018. My wife’s company asked her to relocate to Singapore. Sure, this was a great career opportunity, but what about Jack? Could we find a school in Southeast Asia that was capable of continuing the educational track we had started him on? Through a lot of Google research and late-night phone calls, we discovered The Winstedt School. Not only was The Winstedt School welcoming at first communication, but they also suggested that Jack (and 10-year old little sister) spend two days in the classroom and absorb the culture and learning of the Winstedt Way.
Since starting at the school in the March of 2019, Jack has matured, gained confidence, and grown in a way that my wife and I were not sure was possible several years ago. He’s taken on a leadership role within the school community and looks forward to each school day. We can see it in the way he approaches homework, tests, and projects. He’s not afraid to work because he knows there will be positive results at the outcome. Also, there is a true sense of support among families with children that attend Winstedt.

We would like to thank each counselor at Winstedt who has supported João on this journey. As parents, we feel safe and supported knowing that João has a team that looks after him so carefully. We are even happier to know that João has started making friends because we know that he often used to feel alone at school. Despite all the challenges, we have noticed that every day João is more communicative and interested. We notice that he leaves school happily and that he likes therapies very much. Once again, we would like to thank you for everything.