Frequently Asked Questions
- Programme Overview
- Curriculum & Learning
- Accommodation & Facilities
- Safety & Wellbeing
- Communication & Parental Involvement
- Staff & Student Support
- Logistics & Administrative
- Future Plans & Other Considerations
Programme Overview
- How long is the programme? 5 weeks. Some may wish it were longer; others may think 5 weeks is too long. We feel it is the right length of time to be challenging and rewarding for the age of the students who will go on the programme.
- When will it take place? What are the dates of the programme? The first Highlanders cohort went to Gippsland in April 2025, with the second group attending soon after in June. In the 2025-26 academic year, there will be four 5-week programmes scheduled throughout the year for students.
- Australia has a seasonal climate. How will this affect the programme when students go at different times of the year? The climate will not affect the types of outdoor activities the students do; however, those activities may be modified to suit the weather conditions. Walking and camping will be central activities, but different tracks, for example, would be utilised depending on the season.
- Is it mandatory? The programmes during the 2025/26 academic year will be optional. The following year it is expected all Year 9 students will go as it is part of the curriculum.
- Is there an option to join for 1 or 2 weeks instead of 5 weeks? The duration of Highlands Programme is 5-weeks. Students may not join for shorter periods of time.
- Why is it in Australia? Multiple locations in Asia were considered. Ultimately Australia was chosen based on the quality of the site, availability of high-quality staff for these types of programmes, access to medical facilities, legal/fiduciary reasons and proximity to Singapore.
Curriculum & Learning
- What is each day like? The school day will be very different to a typical day at Tanglin in Singapore. While there will still be a focus on structured academics, the learning is undertaken with a focus on practical applications, field work and an experiential element. There will also be unstructured time to foster self-management skills, allow for personal interests and co-curricular activities. Each day, students will have personal and community responsibilities to complete.
- What is the specific Highlands Programme academic curriculum? While the curriculum will continue to focus on the 3-14 Tanglin curriculum, it will be adapted to the location. The four core subjects taught on site are Maths, English Geography and Science. The programme will include experiential learning opportunities like field work, academic trips or ecological studies.
- How will they keep up with their ‘normal’ subjects at Tanglin? As mentioned above, the academic programme has been developed to teach core subjects in person at Gippsland and other elective subjects, like modern foreign languages, will be taught online by their teachers in Singapore to enable regular practise to continue.
- What will students do on the weekends? Weekends or ‘days off’ will primarily be reserved for outdoor activities, with a focus on hiking and bushcraft skills. Students’ days off will not be on the actual weekends but instead will be mid-week allowing students to use sites off campus when there is less demand from the public.
- How will students who require learning support be accommodated while at Gippsland to ensure they don’t fall behind? Teachers in Gippsland will be briefed by teachers at Tanglin in Singapore, so they will be aware of needs. The capacity to work with students across ability range has been a key element of staffing recruitment for Gippsland, just as it is for Tanglin in Singapore.
- Are CCAs (co-curricular activities) offered? Yes. These are being developed; we expect to offer a range of recreational and social activities.
- How will you support students who are part of sports teams that require consistent and multiple hours training per week (e.g. Swimming, gymnastics)? The mornings will have a physical activity component that can be modified to suit everyone. Programmes can be set by coaches for specific students . It will not be the same as in Singapore, but we are confident fitness levels should not drop .
- What is the outdoor programme? The outdoor education programme is focussed on hiking and bushcraft skills. Students will hike every week while on the Highlands Programme, with the distance and intensity of hikes increasing as students gain fitness and experience. Students will also learn the skills with living and surviving in the bush, including sleeping in tents, cooking on stoves or over a fire and bathing in a river. The Highlands Programme will culminate in a Rite of Passage expedition in which students will be challenged to apply the skills they have learned and reflect on what they have achieved.
Accommodation & Facilities
- What is accommodation like? There will be two main student dorms – one for boys and one for girls. Each dorm has 8 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and each bedroom contains four beds (two bunkbeds). The rooms have recently been fully refurbished, including new mattresses and linen.
- What about food? Students will be served breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning tea, afternoon tea and supper each day. Meals will be prepared by food service professionals; however, we expect students to get involved in the planning, cooking and preparing of some of their meals. Students will also get the opportunity to grow fruit and vegetables and be involved in looking after chickens in the campus’ agriculture and horticulture area.
- How will dietary restrictions and food allergies be handled? Information collated by the Pastoral/medical team at Tanglin will be shared with the catering/medical & pastoral teams at Gippsland, so students are catered for.
- What do students need to pack/bring to Gippsland? A recommended packing list will be provided closer to the date of the programme.
- Is any specific equipment needed? Where do I buy it? All specialised camping and hiking equipment will be owned by the school and provided to students when they arrive. Other items, like hiking boots and clothing, will need to be pre-purchased and brought to campus. Full gear lists with instructions will be provided.
Safety & Wellbeing
- What precautions will be taken for bush fires? The Gippsland team will be in close contact with the County Fire Authority. Emergency Management Plan has been developed with local authorities and there will be local and school-based support. All procedures will be regularly reviewed with authorities and include robust evacuation and critical incident plans.
- What about campus security at Gippsland? The campus is in a small town and is fenced, and buildings are secure. There will be CCTV cameras. Key to safety is general vigilance and security patrols in the evening. We have met with Police in Gippsland to determine appropriate level of security.
- What’s the safety and health protocol? What are the medical facilities? Medical facilities and support are critical to any residential programme. The campus’s health and first aid policies are available on the school portal for parents to read. A purposely designed Health Centre with isolation rooms, and appropriate workstations will support the well-being of our students and staff. We have engaged a local Medical Clinic to provide access to a doctor should one be needed and the Latrobe Regional Hospital is just over half an hour away.
- What will you do if there is an accident? Each of our staff will undertake first aid training and the Head of Campus is a trained paramedic so students will be well supported if they have an accident. They will be supported by a campus-based nurse and a local Medical Clinic who can provide short notice access to a doctor. There are excellent facilities for serious medical support at Latrobe Regional Hospital just 35 minutes away. Staff will ensure that parents are informed immediately regarding any injuries and open dialogue will be available with appropriate staff members to monitor and support each child's recovery.
- How is student medication handled? It will be monitored and dispensed by the on-site nurse or a teacher that has been appropriately trained.
- What about Pastoral care? Relationships between students are a natural part of growing up. A residential environment allows greater exploration of relationships with other students and staff as work, live and recreate together. This therefore becomes a natural point of conversation with tutors in the House. There will be appropriate guidelines in place surrounding being alone with others and there will be ongoing reminders about what is appropriate and what is not. These issues have been considered in our work with the architects. We intentionally have established 2 common rooms, one for males, one for females. These areas have a large central space between which is a gathering point and during the day and with staff in the environment, students can move freely between the zones. After dinner and prep, however, as we head towards quiet time, these zones will be gender-based and this affords students a level of comfort that is not always possible in a Co-educational setting.
- How will you handle conflicts, discipline and behaviour? The campus will have a behaviour policy that all staff and students will be made aware of. The policy will be very similar to the policy at Tanglin in that we want all members of the school community to treat each other with respect and dignity. We believe that everyone is entitled to live, learn and work in a secure, supportive environment, and will not condone or tolerate any action that undermines anyone’s right to feel safe and respected as a valued member of the community.
Communication & Parental Involvement
- Are mobile phones/devices allowed? The Gippsland campus is a ‘low-tech’ environment which gives students an opportunity to experience life without the constant distractions and interruptions that come with devices and social media. Students must hand their mobile phones in to staff on arrival at Gippsland who will store them safely for the duration of the programme. Students will be provided with school-owned iPads for class work and communication with parents.
- Will parents be able to send messages to students? Yes, written communication is encouraged and plays a large part in students contact with parents. There will also be opportunities to talk over the phone.
- Are visits allowed? Visits during student programmes typically are discouraged as they interrupt the flow of campus life and the educational programme. We are also considering parent and family use of the facility at other times of the year. This is something we will assess once the facility is fully operational.
- How should I prepare my child for this programme? There are a few things you could do to help prepare your child for the Highlands Programme. 1) Arrange for your child to spend nights away from home if they have not done so before. 2) Try to build physical fitness. A programme will be provided. 3) Have conversations with your child about the programme; promote the positive aspects and acknowledge the potentially challenging aspects. Tanglin’s Year 8 trip will also help students develop skills for the Highlands Programme.
Staff & Student Support
- Who are the Gippsland staff? Do they go through all the same checks and training as regular Tanglin staff? The process surrounding the appointment of staff at Tanglin Gippsland is managed by the Head of Campus in consultation with the HR department and Senior School leadership team. All academic and support staff have been employed using the school’s thorough processes and if anything, there has been greater rigour attached to the process, given the fact that staff will live with young people. The Australian system of safeguarding is extremely rigorous. Child Safety Qualifications are required in all Australian schools, and we will certainly ensure the very best staff are chosen to work with Tanglin Gippsland students.
- Will we meet the Gippsland staff? Yes. The Gippsland staff will meet with students, parents and current teachers on a regular basis to understand each individual and be able to ensure they are knowledgeable about each young person and provide an appropriate level of challenge and support for everyone. The staff at Tanglin Gippsland will visit the Singapore campus at the start and finish of each Highlands Programme to conduct on-ramp and off-ramp sessions with students and parents.
- Will Tanglin faculty teach the Highlands Programme? Teachers at Gippsland will be hired by Tanglin, as such they will be Tanglin faculty.
- What will be the ratio of full-time adult staff to students? We anticipate 15 staff for 45-50 students, so approximately 1:3.
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Will friendship groups be taken into consideration when assigning groups? Yes, students will get to share a room with at least one friend. However, the Highlands Programme will also be an opportune time for students to develop new friendships with others that they live and learn with.
Logistics & Administrative
- How much does it cost? The campus in Gippsland will be treated as an extension of our Portsdown Road campus. The educational provision is part of the curriculum and will be covered by tuition fees. The only incremental costs to families will be for personal items like kit, or for visas (if required).
We constantly strive to enhance the value of a Tanglin education and try to avoid additional fees when we make adjustments to the curriculum. The introduction of the 3-14 curriculum, our expanded co-curriculum offering and extended day, modified IB groupings, and subject choices in GCSEs are all recent examples of other curriculum enhancements across the school.
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What about visas for students to go to Australia? How will this be managed? Parents should apply for visas and an information guideline will be produced to ensure appropriate timelines and processes are followed.
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What about health insurance? Will the school provide or recommend insurance coverage? The school will provide appropriate health insurance, and the coverage will be explained to parents in our information sessions.
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What is the alternative if a student cannot go? All students are expected to attend, however, there may be specific reasons why a student will not be able to join. Should you have concerns then please discuss them with the Head of Middle School.
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Does the acquisition of the Gippsland campus change Tanglin’s charitable status? The constitution of the school was modified with our regulators to allow us to establish and run Gippsland. This modification does not change the school’s charitable status. Tanglin remains a not-for-profit school.
Future Plans & Other Considerations
More Questions?
If you like to find out more about Tanglin's Senior School or the Tanglin Highlands programme feel free to reach out to our Admissions team.