Before Lee Jae-yi became a volunteer at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) in Singapore, she faced many rejections from various organisations before hearing a single “yes.” Instead of letting that bring her down, the devotion she held towards the community drove her to persevere through the hardships until she landed on a life-changing volunteer experience. That is a trait that will set her up to build a better future.
Time and effort would transform her days at NKF from assisting nurses with administrative tasks and receiving nods of approval from patients into something more. “Those nods turned into greetings which eventually grew into meaningful conversations,” she says. “Seeing them open up and allow themselves to be vulnerable made me proud to be a familiar and reliable presence in their weekly routines; a small source of comfort during their dialysis.”
At Chatsworth International School, every student has a similar story to tell. In this K-13 school, which has been awarded Gold for the Curriculum Awards (IB) twice at the Singapore Education Awards, academic excellence isn’t the sole defining factor of success. Every student is encouraged to achieve their individual ambitions through a holistic learning experience — one that fosters meaningful connections while providing support to people in need within the community.
“Chatsworth’s community struck me as one of the most supportive and truly team-spirited environments I’ve been part of,” says Lee. “Being in a place where people show up for one another, celebrate and build on each other’s work, has fundamentally changed how I view society.”
Chatsworth is an IB World School, founded in 1995. Source: Chatsworth International School
Learning beyond the classroom
Chatsworth was named the Best IB School in Singapore by WhichSchoolAdvisor and scored Gold in The Curriculum (IB) award.
At this award-winning school, experienced teaching staff deliver a globally recognised curriculum through a unique, practical approach. When students enter Year 12, they’ll be pursuing the IB Diploma Programme, which comprises six subject groups and three core components: Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the Extended Essay (EE), and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS).
It’s through CAS that Lee got to volunteer at the NKF. This is a core component where students complete three to four hours of experiential activities per week, surrounding the strands of creativity, activity, and service. Students have gotten involved in activities such as painting a mural, teaching younger students about Model United Nations (MUN), team coaching, volunteering for non-profit organisations — you name it. Last year, Chatsworth handed out CAS awards to those who had demonstrated leadership skills and contributions to the community beyond expectations throughout the IBDP for the first time in 2024.
This year, Lee became a recipient. “I honestly felt quite surprised when I found out,” she says. “Many of my friends had done projects that I found incredibly impressive and inspiring, so I never expected my own CAS experiences to stand out in this way.”
No matter the level, Chatsworth prioritises service learning. Students as young as those in the Primary Years Programme can participate in various activities, with support from parents and teachers, to develop into caring global citizens. IBDP students conduct service and action through the CAS programme, while those in the Middle Years Programme choose which service group or project they wish to be involved in from a list of groups or projects at the start of the school year. In June, students in Year 5 organised a fundraising market day to support a non-governmental organisation (NGO), where they sold baked goods, drinks, handmade crafts like dreamcatchers, and hosted game booths.
It’s not just Chatsworth’s student body that is diverse. Its teaching staff spans over 20 different nationalities as well. Source: Chatsworth International School
Community-wide support
To become a global citizen, you need to be surrounded by the right people. At Chatsworth, not only are students supported by highly trained teachers, but they’re also learning to understand different cultures and communities within a student body that spans 55 nationalities. Back that up with small class sizes, and you have an environment that allows each and every student’s voice to be heard — and every talent to be recognised.
“All the staff at this international school in Singapore have a genuine care for how the children are performing, but more importantly, how they’re developing as good, thoughtful people,” say parents Rachel Fergus and Neil Gunn, whose two children are enrolled in Chatsworth. “Ours isn’t a kid who enjoys change but the Chatsworth team really wrapped their arms around him in support while he found his groove.”
For Kalypso and Christos Anagnostopoulos, also parents to two Chatsworth boys, it was the school’s focus on overall wellbeing that stood out. Chatsworth is no longer just a school to them and their kids, but an extended family — and they’re certainly not the only family that feels that way. It’s been the three-time winner of the School Where Everybody Knows Your Name award at the Singapore Education Awards now, which recognises the recipient’s ability to provide a warm, nurturing community.
“Chatsworth supports kids in being open-minded, taking risks, and appreciating differences,” they said. “We’re impressed with the IB programme of hands-on learning and exploring important topics. Our sons have developed a joy for learning, and it’s an amazing feeling to see them being so excited every day to go to school!”
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