FAQs

Frequently asked questions

About the space

What are your facilities like?

Agora Colearning’s first centre, at HarbourFront Centre, is equipped with a number of classrooms and offers a wide range of spaces for children to enjoy.

  • Classrooms - these are suited for small to medium sized groups, from 4 to 14 students in most cases. Many are equipped with state of the art smartboards and have adjustable height desks for added comfort.
  • Makerspaces - three makerspace workshops are available for arts, crafts and messy activities
  • Multi-function studios - two multi-function studios for dance, gym, martial arts, and performing arts
  • In addition, we have a dedicated student library featuring a stunning netted mezzanine floor. We also have a nearly 7,000 sqft terrace overlooking Sentosa, featuring open spaces and a netted area for ball sports.

We also have dedicated washrooms for Agora Colearning students, ensuring that your child is safe and secure at all times.


Can students store bags at your location?

Students may leave bags in cubby-holes at the library area. Cubby-holes are not locked or actively supervised so please request your child not to leave valuables in them.


Do you provide meals at Agora Colearning? Where can I get meals or snacks for my child?

We provide a great lunch offering as part of Agora Student Care. Let us know if you would be interested! And children are always welcome to bring their own food to enjoy in our designated spaces.


Trial sessions

I don’t see a trial session available with a specific EP - what can I do?

Our education consultants can help you if you don’t see a trial session available and we will work to accommodate with the EP.


Hourly plans

How do your Hourly Plans work?

Our hourly plans allow children to enjoy Agora Colearning even outside of a classroom. You can think of it as a way to build your own customized after school programme or as a way to allow for drop in sessions even when your child doesn’t have a lesson.

There’s no need to book but if you want to give us a heads up please do reach out to our team either at infor@agora-colearning.space or at our center number. You can find more information here.


I received some free hours to access Agora - how can I use them?

You can simply come by to our centre and our hosts will help take care of you. They will first ensure you and your child are registered in our system and then you are all set.


About Agora Colearning

What services does Agora Colearning offer?

We offer tuition and enrichment classes from top education providers across a wide range of subjects. In addition, we provide homework supervision and thematic activities that children can attend when not in class. These activities are based on three fundamental themes - creativity, agility and mental cognition.Children at Agora Colearning also have access to a 5,000 book library, STEM tools at the makerspace and sports equipment in the outdoor spaces. You can find more information here.


What ages do you focus on?

We accept children up until the age of 12.  Mid-week afternoons from 2pm and weekends are dedicated to N1 through to P6 (3 - 12 year olds).

We welcome toddlers and preschoolers with a parent or guardian for child-focused activities on weekday mornings until 2pm.


What is colearning and how does it help my family?

Colearning is about creating an environment that maximizes students’ growth and development. Our foundational pillars are: to Learn, to Develop and to Nurture. By offering our students a multitude of educational options, coupled with active spaces and quiet zones, we aim to foster engagement, curiosity, reflection and collaboration in students.

Tuition and enrichment today entails inordinate amounts of time in searching, booking and paying for services, not to mention the time spent in coordinating logistics. Agora Colearning helps by simplifying life as a parent whilst improving students’ experiences.


What is your approach to education?

We take our inspiration from educational thinkers and draw from several decades of operating educational organizations.

We believe children should “do well” in school; this often entails academic support. For this reason, we work with education providers to secure best-in-class academic programmes.

We furthermore believe that mental and physical engagement, and human contact are fundamental to children’s mental health and overall wellbeing. Being active and interacting with others is central to their experience at Agora.

Last, we think holistic development beyond credentials-oriented academic learning is critical for a child’s development, and future success in life. So, we aim at giving parents and children more options to develop strong verbal skills, creativity, social intelligence, confidence and many other competences and capabilities.


How do I get to your centre?

Our centre is at Level 4 of Harbourfront Centre which is located on top of the
Harbourfront MRT and bus interchanges, and connected to VivoCity. You can reach us from the elevators or stairwell at Lobby C. See here for directions.


Courses

How do I find a course for my child?

We have developed Agora’s digital platform to make searching, booking and paying a breeze. Simply filter our offerings by class, age, subject, day, time, or starting month to find the right course, review its content, and add it to your basket. You can repeat this for as many courses or children as you choose. When done, proceed to the payment page, pick a payment method, and voila!

If we don’t have what you’re looking for, do let us know. We are adding new programmes on a regular basis and can work with our education provider partners to find something just for you.


Which education providers does Agora Colearning work with?

We work with a number of highly respected education providers across both tuition and enrichment. Find out about them here.


How do I communicate with teachers or an education provider once a booking is made?

You can contact teachers from the parent portal. Just log in to Agora and click on the messaging button next to your profile at the top right of the screen. The same messaging platform will be used for teachers to share homework, instructions or feedback.


Is there a minimum number of students for a course?

In certain courses (e.g. drama) it may not be possible to start with just 1 or 2 sign-ups. We will keep parents informed in such cases and work with you to find suitable alternatives.


What happens if we need to reschedule a course?

We aim to provide a fair balance of predictability for education providers and
flexibility for parents. Please see here for our policy on this.


Can I use WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal to send messages to teachers?

We love WhatsApp, but when used for education it can quickly become
distracting, and overwhelming to teachers and parents alike. This is particularly true in a colearning environment with many providers and teachers. Using the Agora platform you can receive and manage homework, easily see relevant alerts, and more yet to come. We’ll be listening to your feedback on how to improve it.


I cannot find my preferred EP on our website

We welcome good education providers to come onboard. If you cannot find your preferred education providers on our website, feel free to let us know. We will be looking into opportunities to bring more good courses to our children.


I cannot find my preferred day/timing

Feel free to us know your preferred timing(s) and we would love to liaise with our education providers.


Can I make recommendations for additional Education Providers?

Yes! We are always keen to meet with Education Providers we don’t know of and would love to hear your recommendations.


Who should I go to if I have questions or issues - the education provider or Agora Colearning?

If your child is already signed up for a course or taking a course and the query is related to the course itself or the course content, then you can contact the teacher directly from your parent portal. For all other queries, or if you have any issues, you can reach out to Agora Colearning via our online chat, by email, by telephone and in person and we will be happy to address any questions.


Do you charge booking fees or material fees?

There are no booking fees - we want to simplify lives of parents and students! However some programmes do charge material fees or uniform fees and will be clearly listed in the course details.


Payment and fees

Can I only book online?

In order to streamline processes and provide you with the best level of integrated service, we can only accept online bookings. Do let us know if you have any trouble and our team will be glad to help you.


What happens if I need to cancel a session?

You can find details in our Course Policies.


What is your refund policy?

You can find details in our Course Policies.


Do I have to pay for hourly access on top of course fees?

No! The hourly plans are for use outside of lesson time. Your child may attend any course at Agora Colearning in exactly the same way as they might elsewhere. The courses are exactly the same price as they would be at any of our provider’s other locations.


Safety, security and well-being

How do you ensure child safety onsite and how do you manage entry and exit?

Students are registered upon entering Agora Colearning premises, and parents automatically notified by email.

Students must have their parents’/guardian’s explicit permission in order to leave Agora Colearning. Parents may pick up their children themselves, or designate a third person, such as a family member or a domestic helper, through our platform. They may also authorise their child to leave of their own accord after a specific time or class.


How do you deal with safety and security?

We have strong safety and security infrastructure, systems, and protocols:

  • All staff are subject to a background check, undergo first-aid training, and continuous professional development to ensure safety awareness and best practices.
  • Our physical space is designed with safety in mind:
    • general visibility and CCTV cameras covering the entire area
    • soft areas for children to play rough and tumble
    • a safety-rated netted mezzanine
    • We ensure continuity of care for your child from the time they are checked in to the time you, or a designated person collects them. We supervise the entrance to and exit from Agora premises, and notify you when your child arrives or leaves.
    • Our toilets are located inside our safe perimeter, so children at no point need to mingle with the general public.
  • You may designate, or remove authorised persons at any time online.


My child may cry and want to stick with me. Can I join his/her class?

We understand where you come from, and most children will go through this stage. We will help you to go through this stage with your children. Where classes are parent-accompanied, of course. For other programmes, parents may in some cases accompany their children at the initial stages depending on the education provider. Alternatively, parents are always welcome to wait at our lobby. Rest assured, our team will help look after your child.