Interview  •  Portraits

Member Spotlight | The Future of Learning in Singapore: Inside the International French School (Singapore)

Sebastien Barnard shares insights on Singapore’s evolving education landscape, the importance of multilingual and future-ready learning.

Question 1. Singapore is often recognised for the strength of its education system. From your perspective, what makes education in Singapore distinctive today?

What sets Singapore apart today is its incredible agility and forward momentum, shifting from sheer rote memorisation toward holistic, future-ready learning. From my vantage point at the International French School (Singapore), what makes this environment truly unique is the synergy between local excellence and international diversity. Singapore’s “gold standard” benchmark challenges all educational institutions to be at their absolute best.
Today’s families expect these high academic standards, but they also demand the cross-cultural fluency and critical thinking provided by an international curriculum. Ultimately, it’s this dynamic intersection of world-class local innovation and a highly engaged global community that makes educating a child in Singapore unlike anywhere else.

Question 2. How would you describe what makes the International French School (Singapore) (IFS) stand out within Singapore’s education landscape?

Our defining strength lies in marrying the rigorous French national curriculum with unparalleled international mobility. For over fifty years, we have delivered premium education, consistently yielding a 100% pass rate in the French Baccalaureate. Beyond academics, our campus is a vibrant microcosm welcoming over 70 nationalities. We place multilingualism at our core, with a plurilingual immersion pathway from age three, and actively support non-French-speaking families through dedicated inclusion programs such as FLSco.
Furthermore, IFS actively builds the future of education without compromising on value. We have opened Singapore's first BCA Green Mark Platinum (Zero Energy) Kindergarten—a living lesson in environmental stewardship. Alongside state-of-the-art facilities and a dedicated secondary counselling centre, we nurture the whole child while offering highly competitive tuition fees.

Question 3. How are families’ expectations around education evolving in Singapore, and how is the school responding to those changes?

Today’s discerning families in Singapore have shifted from a purely academic focus to one that demands holistic, future-ready learning. They seek a balance of rigorous academics and progressive environments, prioritising mental well-being, cross-cultural empathy, global transferability, and genuine multilingualism.
To directly meet these needs, IFS is undergoing a strategic transformation. We developed our English International Stream (EIS) and are exploring other international frameworks to complement our French curriculum. This hybrid approach offers our celebrated "French Touch" combined with flexible, inquiry-based pathways.
Additionally, the aforementioned S$80 million campus expansion, coupled with our Secondary Counselling Centre and GAIN inclusion unit, is building an inclusive ecosystem that comprehensively supports the whole child academically, emotionally, and environmentally.

Question 4. As education continues to evolve, what are the key skills and values you hope students develop during their time at IFS?

At the core of an IFS education is the drive to cultivate unshakeable adaptability and intellectual curiosity. Recognising that simply transferring knowledge is no longer sufficient, we blend the analytical French curriculum with international pathways to equip students with the mental flexibility to navigate a rapidly changing world.
Equally important is cultural agility, actively fostered through genuine multilingualism. Mastering French, English, and Mandarin serves as a vital bridge to cross-cultural empathy, empowering our students to collaborate and thrive in diverse global environments.
Finally, we strive to instill a spirit of generosity and community responsibility. Guided by our motto—"When you learn, teach. When you care, share. When you gain, give"—we encourage students to take ownership of their impact. Through initiatives like the Eco-Delegate program and the Groupe Humanitaire, we aim to graduate lifelong learners with the compassion needed to drive meaningful change.