OUR STORY
THE JULIA GABRIEL
BRAND STORY
Life is defined by moments. The ones you celebrate.
And the ones that celebrate you.
But just before you step into the spotlight
There’s a moment where it all comes together.
When you realise all that work’s come down to this
And all eyes are on you
How will you hold your own?
Each of us has what it takes to own the moment.
That’s what we believe, here at Julia Gabriel.
It’s the quiet inner belief that we’re ready.
No matter what life has up its sleeves.
Inspired to guide more individuals on this journey
We pioneered EduDrama®.
A collaborative process of wonder and self-discovery.
To uncover every student’s hidden voice
We built a community around the learner’s unique needs.
One where curiosity finds nourishment
In a dynamic environment that kindles the love of learning. And true potential shines brighter in relationships. Built on mindfulness, communication and mutual respect.
Julia Gabriel is where the parent, educator, and student come together.
United in our pursuit of making a real difference. Working hand-in-hand, heart-to-heart
We will inspire individuals to stand tall. Speak up. And grow into confident communicators.
OUR BEGINNINGS - HOW WE CAME ABOUT
Humble Beginnings
In 1983, Julia returned to Singapore with qualifications from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the London College of Music. She opened a small teaching studio in her home to put into practice the ideals and philosophy she developed in England. She decided that as speech and drama helped her develop confidence, she would share her experience with her own children and those of her friends who became her first students.
Early Success
Speech and drama in Singapore was an instant hit! Word went around so quickly that by 1990, Julia and husband David set up the Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama Centre in an old colonial house in Halifax Road. The centre began with Julia and two other drama teachers, an assistant teacher and a two-person administration team.
Initial Expansion
Fuelled by the creativity, dedication and passion of gifted educators and support staff, more programmes were added to meet growing demands: Reading and Language Arts (now called Readers and Writers), PlayClub for toddlers and parents, PlayNest for children from 6 months, speech and language therapy, educational therapy, BookRoom and their own pre-school, Chiltern House.
In addition, the Julia Gabriel Centre became a representative of London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, formed a Mandarin speech and drama department, created a Speech and Communications Arts Board to moderate students’ achievements, and established a School Support Services department to take our programmes out to schools.
Going Out To Schools
In 1995, Julia Gabriel became the first school to be registered with Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE). This enabled us to take out our English EduDrama programmes to mainstream kindergartens, primary and secondary schools throughout Singapore.
Shift to Forum The Shopping Mall
In 1998, the houses in Halifax were earmarked for demolition, and Julia Gabriel shifted their operations to Forum The Shopping Mall in Orchard Road. Julia Gabriel Education’s flagship centre has remained in Forum ever since, taking up the entire 4th floor in the mall. The first Chiltern House (now Julia Gabriel Preschool) remained in Halifax Road, though it moved to another house further along, before moving to Thomson Road in 2017.
Expansion into Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Paulee Wang, and her husband Surachet Chaipatamanont were parents of Julia Gabriel Centre programmes at Forum Mall before making the approach to Julia Gabriel with the idea to bring the school to Kuala Lumpur where the family would be relocated. Impressed by Julia's approach to education, they established Julia Gabriel's first overseas centre out of Singapore in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur in 2006, so that their daughter could continue her early childhood education with Julia Gabriel Centre, and subsequently Chiltern House.
Overseas Expansion
Aside from the expansion into Kuala Lumpur in 2006, the Julia Gabriel School of Education (our adult training division) was formed in 2002 to train teachers, enabling the start of overseas joint venture centres, the first of which was in New Delhi.
In 2004, our first combined Julia Gabriel Preschool (formerly Chiltern House) and Julia Gabriel Centre opened in Jakarta. In 2007, a centre was opened in Shanghai where there are now multiple centres.
Today, Julia Gabriel Centre speech and drama programmes are now also available in Ho Chi Minh City, while Chengzhu Mandarin enrichment programmes are also available through our partner organisation in Sydney.
Trademark
In 2005, our unique teaching methodology EduDrama® was trademarked. Since then thousands of children have experienced the dramatically different programmes in our centres.
For Teenagers
As part of our community service, Julia Gabriel Education sponsors the annual Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championships since 1999 — a competition which involves more than 80 schools each year.
OUR CENTRE
Our Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Centre
Here at Julia Gabriel Education, we know how important it is for children to learn in a conducive environment. We take care and pride to create favourable physical environments in our centre that encourages creativity and fun with the coming together of parents, mentors and students.
Julia Gabriel in Malaysia was first established in 2006 in a centrally located corner-lot bungalow along Jalan Bukit Pantai in Bangsar, an affluent residential district on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The centre, which houses Julia Gabriel Centre and Julia Gabriel Preschool (formerly Chiltern House) under one roof, is set in a serene suburb with a beautifully landscaped outdoor area complete with a spacious outdoor playground area and a children's garden for play, exuding a delightfully homely environment. The Chengzhu Mandarin Centre brand is also operated under the Julia Gabriel Preschool umbrella as part of its preschool programmes.
Each room in our centre is carefully fitted with lots of light and ventilation, filled with children-friendly furniture and inspirational toys, and of course, maintained to the strictest levels of hygiene standards to ensure safe environments for our children, parents and mentors alike.
The Reading Garden
Inspired by our BookRoom which has been a pride and joy with children, teachers and adults alike is our new Reading Garden. The BookRoom first came into being in 1993 from a desire to instill a love of literature into the hearts of our little ones. Named after poet Eleanor Farjeon’s special book, “The Little BookRoom”, the thousands of lovingly handpicked story books by our team of educators whose dream is to make every visit to the children's library an imaginative and magical experience has just recently been given a fresh look in 2024 - expanding from a single space to two beautiful, cosy reading spaces complete with all our favourite children's book titles, new and classics, on the ground floor and the first floor.
Milestones at a Glance: Julia Gabriel Kuala Lumpur
2006
- Julia Gabriel Centre & Chiltern House Preschool Kuala Lumpur opens in Bangsar.
2011
- First branch at CITTA Mall, Ara Damansara opens.
2016
- Second branch at Mont’ Kiara opens.
2018
- Sprouting Seeds Children’s Garden opens at Kebun-Kebun Bangsar; public volunteering sessions begin.
2020
- Successful transition to online learning due to COVID-19 pandemic;
first endeavour into online education, and introduction to Julia Gabriel Centre enrichment e-camp programmes.
2021
- Successful readaptation to physical learning as part of gradual transition post-pandemic.
2023
- Centre makeover and conversion of the BookRoom children’s library to the Reading Garden, now available on two floors;
Sprouting Seeds Children’s Garden opens at Bangsar centre through collective parent-teacher-children volunteering effort.
2024
- Rebranding of Chiltern House Preschool to Julia Gabriel Preschool; introduction of new After School Care programmes to complement the existing range.
