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Last Updated: 18 October 2021

Exemption from compulsory education

Children who are required to undergo compulsory education must attend a national primary school regularly unless they have been granted an exemption. Find out about the different types of exemptions.

Overview

Children can be exempted from compulsory education (CE) if they are:
  • Granted approval to be home-schooled.
  • Attending a designated school, NorthLight School or Assumption Pathway School.
  • Unsuitable to attend any national primary school due to any physical, intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Exemptions

For children born on or before 1 January 2012

Designated school
Your child will need to apply for an exemption from CE if you wish for them to attend a designated school.

The designated schools currently providing full-time primary education are:
  • San Yu Adventist School
  • Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah
  • Madrasah Al-Ma'arif Al-Islamiah
  • Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah
  • Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah

How to apply

Submit your application to the Compulsory Education Unit through the designated school.
Home-school
To home-school your child, you will have to meet certain conditions such as:
  • Satisfy our objectives for compulsory education.
  • Provide an academic learning plan for the 4 subjects (English Language, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science).
  • Provide a teaching plan for Character and Citizenship Education.
  • Possess the necessary qualifications.
Children who are home-schooled must:
  • Sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 4 subjects (English Language, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science) at standard level.
  • Meet the PSLE benchmark pegged at the 33rd percentile of all students in national primary schools taking 4 standard level subjects in that same year.
  • Sit for a National Education quiz before the PSLE.
Contact the Compulsory Education Unit for more information.
Special educational needs
Children born on or before 1 January 2012 are exempted if they are unable to attend any national primary school due to their physical, intellectual or developmental disabilities. You will need to apply for exemption for your child.

How to apply

Submit your request with all supporting medical documents to the Compulsory Education Unit.

For children born after 1 January 2012

Designated school
Your child will need to apply for an exemption from CE if you wish for them to attend a designated school.

The designated schools currently providing full-time primary education are:
  • San Yu Adventist School
  • Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah
  • Madrasah Al-Ma'arif Al-Islamiah
  • Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah
  • Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah

How to apply

Submit your application to the Compulsory Education Unit through the designated school.
Home-school

Children without or with mild special educational needs

To home-school your child, you will have to meet certain conditions such as:
  • Satisfy our objectives for compulsory education.
  • Provide an academic learning plan for the 4 subjects (English Language, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science).
  • Provide a teaching plan for Character and Citizenship Education.
  • Possess the necessary qualifications.
Children who are home-schooled must:
  • Sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 4 subjects (English Language, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science) at standard level.
  • Meet the PSLE benchmark pegged at the 33rd percentile of all students in national primary schools taking 4 standard level subjects in that same year.
  • Sit for a National Education quiz before the PSLE.

Children with moderate to severe special educational needs

If you wish to home-school your child, you must:
  • Provide an Individualised Education Plan that includes the curriculum that you will be using with your child and the desired learning outcomes.
  • Demonstrate that you have the suitable qualifications, which would include skills and competencies, to deliver the educational aspect of the IEP for your child.
Contact the Compulsory Education Unit for more information.
Unsuitable to attend national primary schools
Children who are deemed to be unsuitable to attend any national primary school due to severe complex conditions, including medical conditions, or whose learning needs have been professionally assessed to be unable to be met in a national primary school could seek exemption from CE.

How to apply

Submit your request with all supporting documents to the Compulsory Education Unit.