HOT on the heels of the United World College's plans to have a second campus here by 2010 are similar considerations by the Singapore American School (SAS)to expand its capacity.

The school - which caters to children of expatriates living here, including Americans - wrote to parents in May this year to address their concerns about the shortage of places.

SAS spokesman Beth Gribbon said no decision has been made on a second campus yet.

But the high demand for places had been unanticipated. Despite providing for 3,800 students at its Woodlands campus, its waiting list continues to grow.

It currently has a waiting list of 550 students.

Ms Gribbon said: 'When we last expanded our campus in 2004, we anticipated that it would last us seven to 10 years.'

The school's 15ha campus in Woodlands offers an American-based curriculum for preschool through Grade 12, which is for 18-year-olds.

While Ms Gribbon said there was no target date for a new campus, the school's letter to parents had said that if a go-ahead was given, an interim campus could be set up by next year while the second campus was being built.

The school board's decision will likely rest on whether it is able to raise enough money to fund a second site.

It was able to use the money it raised from selling the school's previous campus in King's Road to finance the school's move to the Woodlands campus in 1996.

This time round, no such initial capital is available. Another concern is finding a large enough site.

Ms Gribbon said: 'Part of the requirements we place on any expansion project is that we have sufficient land to build a campus that will enable us to offer the same level of programmes and facilities as in the Woodlands campus.'

Only this week, the United World College of South East Asia said it will build a second campus in Tampines by 2010 to hold 2,500 students.

It will use temporary premises in Ang Mo Kio from next September to take in 440 pupils from kindergarten to Grade 4 (nine-year-olds). Its Dover Road campus already has 2,900 students.

The American Chamber of Commerce, which has set up a task force to look into the squeeze at the 40 international schools here, estimated that several large companies are expected to bring in 2,000 American employees over the next two years.

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