St James’ Church Kindergarten to shut Dempsey branch by end-2022

St James' Church Kindergarten will be shutting its branch in the Dempsey area by the end of next year, having lost a tender for the property.

It opened there in 2006.

A check on the Singapore Land Authority website last month showed that the tender for the 20,500 sq ft site in Harding Road had been awarded to Odyssey The Global Preschool, which placed the highest bid of $133,333 a month in rent from 2023.

The tenancy is for an initial three years and can be renewed for two further periods of three and two years.

Anglican Preschool Services (APS), which runs St James' Church Kindergarten, had placed a bid of $76,200 a month for the site, which comprises four blocks and a sprawling garden.

The non-profit pre-school's lease ends on Dec 31 next year.

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APS chief executive Andrew Tay told The Straits Times on Nov 24 that it will be moving the pupils enrolled at the Harding Road campus to any of the other 18 pre-schools under APS.

These include two other St James' Church Kindergarten campuses - one in Leedon Road and the other in Gilstead Road - and the Little Seeds Preschool childcare centres.

The number also includes three kindergartens that will come under APS from 2022 - Ascension Kindergarten, St Paul's Church Kindergarten and Queenstown Good Shepherd Kindergarten.

The Harding Road campus has 512 pupils enrolled in its three-hour and six-hour programmes.

Mr Tay said: "With one more year left at Harding, we are cherishing every moment and will take every opportunity to make the best of it."

Housewife Vivian Goh, 40, said she has transferred her younger daughter, aged four, to the Leedon Road campus, where she will start Kindergarten 1 in January.

"Quite a few of her classmates will be transferring with her as well, so at least she still has the chance to graduate alongside her friends," she said.

Ms Rabiatul Adawiah, chief development officer of Busy Bees Asia, which runs Odyssey The Global Preschool, said last Friday that a tender was submitted for the Harding site as it is large and spacious, and provides pupils with "plenty of space and opportunities for outdoor learning".