CPE (Committee For Private Education) - NPS International School

In December 2009, a new Private Education Act was enacted in Singapore. The Act, managed by the Committee for Private Education, has brought about changes that have impacted private schools in Singapore. NPSI is registered with the CPE under the Enhanced Registration Framework and has also secured the coveted ‘Four Year Edutrust Award’ from CPE. For more information, please visit the Committee for Private Education (CPE) website at https://www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/.

Dispute Resolution

Aim
The School aims to resolve all disputes, whether financial or otherwise, involving the School and the students in a just and amicable manner. Due consideration would be given to all the facts before any solutions are recommended.

Policy

A dispute is recognised as such if the School and a student or parent do not agree to a decision of the School
The dispute resolution mechanism has three structural components which shall be followed sequentially:
- Resolution by a staff member or a team appointed by the Head of School/Principal
- Resolution by the Head of School/Principal
- Resolution by reference to a third party like CPE, Small claims tribunal.
All “disputes” shall be given by the parent to the School in writing, stating clearly the issue, the facts and the area of disagreement. Modes of receiving formal feedback:
- Email
  1. primary.parents@npsinternational.edu.sg for Academic feedback pertaining to the Primary School.
  2. secondary.parents@npsinternational.edu.sg for Academic feedback pertaining to the High School.
  3. school.fees@npsinternational.edu.sg for fees related queries and feedback.
  4. register@npsinternational.edu.sg & feedback@bedoktransport.com for bus transport related feedback.
All written complaints shall be acknowledged by the School within 3 working days. All written complaints shall be acknowledged by the respective Principals/Senior Coordinators/Head of Admissions within 3 working days. Some feedback may require additional steps subsequent to the first response which shall be communicated to the parents.
At the first instance, the Head of School/Principal shall ask a staff member or a team of staff (concerned teacher or administrative staff may also be included) to investigate the facts and recommend resolution options. These shall be discussed with the parents and an agreement shall be attempted.
If necessary, parents may be invited for a face to face meeting with the Principal or Head of School to discuss the possible solutions and reach closure.
In case of continued disagreement, the matter shall be taken up by the Head of School/Principal, who, in consultation with the Management Committee, shall explore the matter further.
In the event of disagreement after this stage, the School shall advise the parents to refer the matter through third party mediation.
Every effort will be made to resolve complaints within 21 days of having received written notification from a parent, provided no, third-party intervention occurs.
All feedback/complaints are considered resolved and closed by the school if the school does not receive any more correspondence from the parent relating to the feedback after 7 working days from date of resolution (written reply from the school on its decision).
Transport-related feedback cases are responded to by the transport contractor. The school shall, however, monitor the contractor’s responsiveness to and resolutions of all complaints.

GIRO details

The mode of fee payment at NPS International is via GIRO (General Interbank Recurring Order). Parents will be notified by email before fee deduction takes place. Fees are payable at the start of every term. You can download the GIRO form here.

Insurance Information

Medical Insurance

NPS International, Singapore is a value-driven top international school in Singapore. Read more about our insurance information and how it helps our students.

For Benefits Schedule, please click here.
For GHS Certificate please click here.

Fee Protection Insurance

Fees paid to NPSI are covered by insurance. Click here for further details.

For any enquiry, please email register@npsinternational.edu.sg

Refund Policy

Process

1. Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course

The school shall inform the Student immediately within three (3) working days upon knowledge of the following:

The School does not commence the Course on the Course Commencement Date;
The School terminates the Course before the Course Commencement Date;
The School does not complete the Course by the Course Completion Date;
The School terminates the Course before the Course Completion Date;
The School has not ensured that the Student meets the course entry or matriculation requirement as set by NPS International School or by the course developing organization (eg IB, Cambridge, CBSE) within any stipulated timeline set by CPE;
The Student’s Pass application is rejected by ICA;
The Student shall be informed in writing of alternative study arrangements (if any), and be entitled to a refund of the entire Course Fees (except Application Fee) already paid should the Student decide to withdraw within seven (7) working days of the above notice.

2. Refund for Withdrawal Due to Other Reasons

Where the Student withdraws from the course for any other than those stated in Clause 1:

The School expects one term’s advance intimation to be given by the parent in writing to the Admissions Team in the case of withdrawals due to other reasons. If the required notice is not given, the school reserves the right to collect one term’s equivalent of tuition fee.
The refund of fees shall follow the following Refund Table (as stated in the Student Contract)

% of (the amount of fees paid under Schedules B & C)	If Student’s written notice of withdrawal is received:
100%	(“Maximum Refund”) before the Course Commencement Date.
Nil	On or after the Course Commencement Date.

Course Commencement Date= Commencement of Fee term i.e. 1st Apr, 1st Aug, 1st Dec.

Application Fees are non-refundable, irrespective of the date of withdrawal.

For new students the refund during the Cooling Off Period shall be independent of the Refund Policy and shall be based on the date of signing of the Student Contract.

3. Refund for Student Pass application rejection or not obtaining Governmental approvals

If a Student Pass application is rejected by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) or if the Student fails to obtain any approvals from any other governmental organizations, including but not limited to, the Ministry of Education (MOE), thus rendering the Student unable to attend School or to continue to attend the School, the case will be treated in a way similar to a withdrawal for Cause and the refund terms as above shall apply.

4. Refund for Transfer between courses

Transfer between courses shall take place with effect from the beginning of the fee term only (i.e. 1st April, August or December), and a new contract shall be executed.

The Admissions/Student Affairs Team shall enter the revised details into the Student Management System and generate a new invoice.

The Accounts Department shall then cancel the fee invoice for the old course, if already issued.

If however, payment against the invoice for the old course has been received:

If there is a shortfall, the balance in the course fee shall be collected by the school.
If there is an excess, the balance amount shall be refunded within 7 working days from the date of approval of course change.

5. Refund for Deferment

There shall be no refund of course for existing students who request for deferment.

For new students, subject to the Cooling Off Period, refund of course shall be treated as per Refund Due to Other Reasons.

For existing students requesting for deferment and renewing their student contracts for the next academic year, the refund of course shall be treated as Refund Due to Other Reasons.

6. Refund Procedure

The procedure for refund for withdrawal due to other reasons is as follows:

For the purposes of this procedure, the Transfer Certificate (TC) Application Form (see attached) shall be understood as “Notice of Withdrawal”.
The parent shall send a written communication to the school stating their withdrawal and indicating the last day of school. Oral intimation will not be accepted.
The Student Affairs Officer shall check with the Accounts Department if the Student had paid a Refundable Deposit at the time of admission. This will be for students who have joined the school prior to 21 December 2009.
If the student has not paid the Refundable Deposit, the TC Application form shall be sent to the parent to fill in and send back to the school.
If the student has paid Refundable Deposit, the TC Application form shall be sent to the parents 7 working days before the date of withdrawal.
All withdrawing students are required to obtain the Library clearance prior to leaving the school. If the student has not returned the books due, the Librarian shall indicate it on the TC Application form.
The Accounts department shall calculate the refund due after adjusting for any other dues, including lost books, etc. A Refund Calculation Slip (see attached) shall be used to provide the basis for arriving at the refund amount. This slip shall be attached to the refund cheque.
All refunds shall be remitted by cheque only. Cash refunds are not permitted. Bank transfers to the parent’s account shall be done in the event that parents have already left the country. Such transfers shall be indicated in the TC form.
No part of the fees shall be refunded if the Student has been expelled from the School for a serious breach of any of the School’s rules or regulations.

7. Refund During Cooling-Off Period:

The school shall provide a Student with a cooling-off period of seven (7) working days after the date that the Contract has been signed by both parties.

The student shall be refunded 100% of the term fees (tuition fees, facility fee, material fee, etc.) already paid if the student submits a written notice of withdrawal to the school within the cooling-off period, regardless of whether the student has started the course or not.

8. Communication of Refund Amount

All refund cheques shall have the Refund Calculation Slip attached to them, which must be acknowledged by the person collecting the cheque.

If the cheque is posted or a bank transfer is done, the Refund Calculation Slip shall be sent by email to the parent of the student.

Student Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy:
1. All students shall have at least 75% attendance to be promoted to the next grade/course.
2. Student Pass holders shall have 90% attendance per month or should not be absent for more than 7 consecutive days without valid reason.
3. Absence from school can be either Authorized or Unauthorised. Authorised leave shall be eligible to be granted in the following cases:
  1. Leave due to medical reasons, if backed by a medical certificate
  2. Leave to attend weddings of close family members up to a maximum of 5 days in a year. Leave beyond 5 days shall be considered unauthorised.
  3. Leave due to bereavement of immediate family members (father, mother, siblings).
  4. Any other planned absence shall require prior written approval of the Principal.
  5. All other leave shall be considered Unauthorised.
4. Requests for leave of absence during the school term shall be strongly discouraged and parents shall be reminded that such absences can have an adverse effect on a child’s academic performance. Unauthorised absences shall also be reflected in the transcripts sent to universities and in the school reports.
Continued absence:
1. If a student is absent for two consecutive days, parents are required to send an email to the school stating the reasons.
2. In the absence of an email, the Homeroom Teacher shall call the parent after 2 days of absence.
3. If a student on student pass is absent consecutively for 7 days and is uncontactable, a police report shall be made thereafter the Senior Manager shall cancel the student’s pass.
Return from absence:
1. On return to school, it shall be the student’s responsibility to catch up on missed work.
2. If the gaps are wide, parental co-operation in catching up shall be requested.
3. In case a student does not satisfy all attendance criteria, it shall be the responsibility of the Homeroom teacher to escalate the issue to the Principal and shall have a meeting with the parents. In such cases, promotion to the next grade shall be at the discretion of the Principal.
Poor conduct:
1. The School shall make every effort to correct student behaviour through resources available at school. When poor conduct is noticed, the student shall be asked to reflect on the misbehaviour and the Home Room Teacher and/or the Level Coordinator shall counsel the student. The student may be given a time-frame to modify his/her behaviour.
2. If the poor conduct continues, the student may be referred for counseling by the Senior Academic Team (Coordinators, Deputy Principal, Principal). The student may be put on a behaviour contract and his behaviour shall be reviewed weekly.
3. Parental co-operation may be sought.
4. The student may be referred for counseling with the School Counselor (for minor issues) or with the external counselors (for major issues). Relevant parental approvals shall be taken for this.
Poor attendance:
1. If a student is absent for more than 2 consecutive days, the HRT shall call the parents to ascertain the reason for absence.
2. If the leave does not fall in the authorized leave category, the failure to meet the attendance criteria for promotion shall be highlighted to the parents by February of the academic year by the Principal/Coordinators.

Student Conduct Policy

Process

1. Responsibilities of students:
  Following shall be the responsibility of each student of the school community, with regard to discipline and conduct
  1. To treat other students with respect
  2. To avoid offensive language
  3. To be sensitive and respectful of the beliefs and customs of others
  4. To be honest in all matters
  5. To be inclusive and not exclusive in social groups and language use
  6. To help maintain a secure, pleasant and peaceful environment
  7. To avoid substance abuse
  8. Not to participate in inappropriate public displays of affection
  9. To abide by the rules of the school and laws of the country
2. In the event of a disciplinary problem or violation of any of the above, the concerned teacher shall report the same to the student(s) Home Room Teacher. The student(s) shall be encouraged to reflect and shall be counseled by the Home Room Teacher, Level Coordinator or Academic Leadership team (Coordinators, Deputy Principal, Principal) or may be referred to external counselors, depending on the severity of the discipline issue and the age of the student. The consequences could be one or more of the following, depending on the severity of the offence
  1. Counseling (internal or external)
  2. Behaviour contract
  3. Warning letters (issued by Deputy Principal, Principal)
  4. Detention administered by teacher, HRT, HoD (subject to approval of academic Coordinator/Principal), Coordinators, Deputy Principal, Principal – staying after school or coming to school on Saturday, to complete unfinished academic work, under supervision.
  5. Internal suspension administered by Deputy Principal, Principal – student is placed in academic quarantine to complete unfinished tasks
  6. Suspension
  7. Expulsion
3. In no event the school shall administer corporal punishment.
4. The following shall form the Discipline policies of the school:
  1. No Bullying Policy:
    Any form of harassment, physical or mental, of a student shall be strictly prohibited. Bullying includes using abusive language, physical violence, teasing other students, sending threatening emails or social media messages on hand phones or computers, acts of coercion.Students indulging in such behaviour may be expelled, at the discretion of the Principal, depending on the severity of the offence after thorough investigation
  2. No Alcohol and Smoking Policy:
    Smoking and consumption of alcohol within and near the campus shall be strictly forbidden.
  3. Substance Abuse Policy
    As per laws in Singapore, experimentation with any kind of drugs is illegal. Students who have been caught indulging or have been suspected of indulging in substance abuse shall be expelled from the school and handed over to the police after thorough investigation by the school.
  4. Banned Items
    - The following items shall be banned in the school premises:
      1. Cigarettes
      2. Pornographic material
      3. Expensive jewelry and accessories (items not above $200.00)
      4. Alcohol
      5. Drugs
    - Personal music and entertainment systems shall not be used during school hours. If any student is caught using them, the items shall be confiscated for a period of time to be determined by the Principal. The school shall not be responsible for loss of such items. Students who repeatedly disregard these rules may face more severe consequences, depending on the circumstances.
    - The school shall prohibit the use of audio / video recording devices in school and the uploading of images of videos / audio recordings of students or staff onto any internet site/portal.
  5. Behaviour Contract
    Disruptive behaviour in class/school shall be dealt with by putting the student on a Behaviour Contract. Students shall be counselled accordingly.
  6. Mobile phones policy
    Students shall not use mobile phones during lesson hours. A mobile phone cupboard shall be installed in the school premises for students to surrender their phones at the start of school day. They shall collect the mobile phones during school dismissal. Students found with mobile phones during school hours shall have their mobile phone confiscated by the Principal for a period of time to be determined by the Principal. The school shall not be liable for loss of mobile phones. Students who repeatedly disregard these rules may face more severe consequences, depending on the circumstances.
  7. School Bus
    1. School bus usage rules shall be as follows:
      Students must
      - Be at the assigned bus stop 5minutes before pick-up time in the morning and be punctual for the departure time from the school. Due to the need to reach school on time, buses shall not wait for students.
      - Board and drop off at designated bus stops only
      - Show respect for private property near the bus stop
      - Treat bus equipment with care and responsibility
      - Respond positively to requests made by the bus driver and attendant
      - Keep the aisles clear of books, band instruments, etc.
      - Remain seated and fasten seat belts while the bus is in motion
      - Keep the windows closed at all times
      - Do not eat or drink on the bus
      - Talk in low tones
      - Refrain from conduct that diverts the driver’s attention from his primary job and thus endangering the safety of other passengers
    2. Students who show poor behaviour on the bus or causing danger to him/herself or to other students in the bus, may lead to withdrawal of the privilege of travelling by the school bus and further disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the school, depending on the circumstances.
  8. Dress Code
    - Students shall remain in full school uniform on working days except when advised about reporting in mufti on special occasions.
    - PE uniform is only to be worn during the days when a student has a PE class. Hats must be worn during outdoor PE classes.
    - Hair shall be well groomed. Girls with shoulder length hair or longer should have it tied back and secured with a clasp.
    - Boys’ hair should be trimmed at the nape of the neck and above the collar. Longhair, side burns and unusual hairstyles shall not be permitted
    - Dyeing and colouring of hair shall not be permitted.
    - Skirts and dress length should not be shorter than 2” above the knee.
    - Piercing of any other body parts shall not be permitted. Nose rings, nose studs and multiple ear rings shall not be permitted.
    - Coloured nail polish and tattoos/ skin decorations shall not be permitted.
    - Ornaments and jewellery are not permitted. Exception shall be made for 1 set of discreet earrings only for girls.
    - The Home Room teacher shall decide on the appropriateness of the dress and that decision shall be final.
    - Mufti on birthdays shall be permitted only in Early Years and Primary School.
    - The Principal may send any child home whose dress code is unacceptable, in any day of the school year, irrespective of circumstances.
    - Any request to wear anything other than the official school uniform on any day for any reason (including religious reasons) must be made in writing by the parents and must receive the Principal’s written approval.
  9. IT Policy
    - Students shall use the school’s computers under the supervision of the teacher in charge.
    - No student shall be allowed to store games, pictures, movies of any kind or any other inappropriate/objectionable material in the local hard disk or in the network.
    - Students over 16 years old and are from the senior school shall only be allowed to check emails during the school day.
    - Downloading, viewing, transmitting, exchanging or creating pornographic images, bullying, racist, sexist, xenophobic, hatred-inciting or politically sensitive material shall invite strict disciplinary measures, up to and including dismissal from the institution.
    - Students shall not be allowed to interfere with any type of hardware connections of the computer and the network. Any such actions will be treated as vandalism and may become a police matter.
    - No student shall be allowed to engage in computer hacking or downloading of viruses. These are against the laws in Singapore and offenders shall be face serious consequences up to and including dismissal.
    - For full details, please refer to the School’s Cyber Safety and Conduct Policy.
5. Serious violations and Extreme violations
  The following may be considered serious violations to the Students’ Responsibilities:
  - Serious lying
  - Stealing
  - Damaging proper of another
  - Misuse of IT
  - Borrowing money from fellow students and not returning it
  - Inappropriate displays of affection
  - Profanity
  - Obscene gestures and language
  - Physical violence
  - Use of forbidden items, etc
  Consequences for the above may range from suspension to expulsion depending on the severity of the infraction.
  The following may be considered extreme violations to the Students’ Responsibilities:
  - Substance abuse
  - Possession of drug paraphernalia
  - Consumption of alcohol
  - Bullying (including cyber bullying)
  - Ragging
  - Sexual, racial or religious harassment
  - Smoking
  - Possession of pornography/obscene images
  Consequences for the above may lead to immediate dismissal from the school In both the above cases, parents shall be notified, an investigation shall be undertaken and records shall be kept by the school. The decision on the consequences to be levied is at the sole discretion of the Principal/Head of School.
  All the above policies shall be contained in the Student Handbook that is distributed annually to parents.

Transfer and Withdrawal

Transfer Policy

Transfers will have to be approved by the school based on the academic demands of the new Programme, the students’ prevailing performance levels and suitability and residual months available after switch and availability of seats in the new course.
Transfer between courses shall be effected only at the beginning of a term.
Transfer from one course to another shall constitute withdrawal from the school. Therefore Student Pass (where applicable) shall be cancelled in such cases and re-applied for the new course.

Transfer Procedure

Students (or parents) seeking transfer shall make a written application for consideration by the school, stating the reasons for transfer.
The Academic Department including the relevant subject teachers shall evaluate the request based on the academic performance of the student, emotional and social suitability to the student.
The Principals/Head of Schools shall approve any transfer.
The transfer decision shall be communicated to the student/parent
On acceptance by the parent/student, a revised contract shall be executed with the student along with the applicable fees for the new course.
All transfer requests will be responded to within four weeks from receipt of written transfer request.

Withdrawal Policy

The School has no conditions for withdrawal of a student.
One term notice is to be given in the case of withdrawals. Notice is not deemed to be given until written confirmation has been received, and acknowledged, by the Admissions Office. If the required notice is not given, the school reserves the right to collect one term equivalent of tuition fee.
Withdrawal formalities will be completed by the School only upon fulfilment of conditions that include return of School properties, books and payment of any arrears of fees.
There will be no withdrawal fee.
Refunds shall be made within 7 days of the student’s last day at school and obtaining all clearances from the various School departments.
Student pass holders will have their passes cancelled upon withdrawal as of the last day of attending School.
Upon withdrawal, the school shall issue a Transfer Certificate to the student. This Transfer Certificate serves as formal intimation that the student is no longer enrolled with the School
On withdrawal, for security and operational reasons, we are unable to administer external school exams (if any).

Withdrawal Procedure

All withdrawal requests shall be given in writing by parents of the student indicating the last day of school to be attended by the student.
A Transfer Certificate Application form shall be sent to the parents to be filled in and returned to school.
The Student Affairs Officer shall obtain clearances from the Library and other departments and forward to Accounts for refund processing.
In case the student is on Student Pass, the Student Affairs Officer shall cancel the Student Pass on the last working day of the student.
A Transfer Certificate shall be issued to the student on payment of all dues. This Transfer Certificate shall serve as the formal letter of exit of student from school.
The student shall be exited as an active student from the Student Database.
The FPS service provider shall be informed in case of refund arising from withdrawal.

Deferment Policy

The school does not allow students to defer admission after attending school for even a day. In such a case, the student shall be withdrawn from school and a fresh application shall be made if he/she wishes to rejoin.

Legal Information

Legal requirements for students to note: Relevant laws in Singapore:

Laws relating to	Requirement
Immigration	All International students studying in Singapore must have a valid passport and a Student Pass or other acceptable pass from ICA (Immigration and Checkpoint Authority)
Employment	International students are not allowed to work in Singapore (including paid and unpaid internships) without a Work Pass Exemption from the MOM (Ministry of Manpower).
Driving	All drivers must be in possession of a valid Singapore driving license and the vehicle must be insured.
Drugs	Possession of Controlled Drugs is presumed to be for trafficking, an offence which can carry the death penalty.
Alcohol abuse	Any offence committed while being intoxicated (drunk) is punishable under the law. Drunk driving is a serious offence.
Smoking	Smoking in specific public places and indoor restaurants is prohibited. The legal age for smoking in Singapore is 21
Traffic	Jay walking is an offence
Littering	Littering, spitting and vandalism (with graffiti) in public areas are serious offences.