Press Releases
Seven New Primary Schools for 2013 and Further Differentiation and Outreach at Primary One Registration
Seven new primary schools will be taking in students from 2013 and will open for Primary One (P1) registration this year. Please refer to Annex A (15.4kb .pdf) for the names and locations of the seven new primary schools.
As recommended by the Primary Education Review and Implementation Committee, the new primary schools will have new design norms such as redesigned classrooms, dance and performing arts studios, as well as an outdoor jogging path. These facilities support the delivery of holistic education, and facilitate engaged learning in both academic and non-academic areas.
Differentiation by Citizenship at the Primary One Registration Exercise
From 2012 onwards, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will implement measures to further differentiate between Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs) at the Primary One (P1) Registration Exercise.
Under the existing P1 Registration Framework, vacancies are allocated by ballot if the number of applications exceeds the vacancies at a school during that particular registration phase, based on home-school distance categories. Since the 2010 P1 Registration Exercise, each SC child has been given two ballot slips, while each PR child has been given one, when balloting occurs. Please refer to Annex B (14.3kb .pdf) for more information on the existing framework.
To further differentiate between SCs and PRs, from the 2012 P1 Registration Exercise onwards, when balloting is necessary in a specific phase, SCs will be given absolute priority over PRs. SCs and PRs will continue to be eligible for the same phases, and all applicants will be admitted if the total number of applicants in any phase does not exceed the number of vacancies. However, if the number of applications exceeds the number of vacancies in a specific phase, SCs will be admitted first ahead of PRs, before home-school distance is considered. The following two examples illustrate the new rule.
Example 1: School A has 50 vacancies in a specific phase and 61 children applying, based on the table below.
| Home-School Distance | SC | PR |
|---|---|---|
| < 1km | 38 | 3 |
| Between 1km and 2km | 10 | 1 |
| > 2km | 8 | 1 |
| Total | 56 | 5 |
As the total number of SC applications exceeds the number of vacancies, not all SC applicants will be admitted. The vacancies will be allocated to the SC children based on home-school distance in this order of priority – home-school distance is (1) within 1km, (2) between 1km and 2km and (3) outside 2km. In the above example, the 38 SC children living within 1km from the school will first be admitted, followed by the 10 SC children living between 1km and 2km from the school. After the 48 vacancies are taken up, the remaining two vacancies will be balloted among the eight SC children living outside 2km from the school.
Example 2: School B has 50 vacancies in a specific phase and 54 children applying, based on the table below.
| Home-School Distance | SC | PR |
|---|---|---|
| < 1km | 29 | 4 |
| Between 1km and 2km | 15 | 2 |
| > 2km | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 47 | 7 |
As the total number of SC applications is less than the number of vacancies in this phase, all the 47 SC children will be admitted first and PRs can still be admitted thereafter. The remaining three vacancies will be allocated to the PR children based on home-school distance in the same order of priority – home-school distance is (1) within 1km, (2) between 1km and 2km and (3) outside 2km. The four PR children living within 1km from the school will ballot for the remaining three vacancies.
By giving SCs priority before PRs only when balloting is required, MOE will retain the underlying principles of the P1 Registration Framework, which reflect a careful balance of considerations, and provide for diversity in our schools, while according SCs a further privilege.
International Students (IS) will continue to be eligible to register after SCs and PRs are placed, at Phase 3 of the P1 Registration Exercise.
Outreach
Over the years, our schools have mounted a range of programmes to meet the diverse needs of our students. To help parents to know the teachers and programmes of the primary schools in their vicinity better, schools will hold open houses and talks before the Primary One registration. That way, parents can be better informed of the range of schools that can meet their children’s needs. We hope parents will then continue to work with the school that their child is enrolled in to achieve the desired learning outcomes.