Changes to the Primary 1 (P1) Registration Framework

Overview

We are committed to ensuring that our mainstream schools remain accessible to children from all backgrounds. 

We will be introducing changes to the P1 Registration Framework to help more children obtain a place in a school near their home in Phase 2C, which is for children who have no prior connection to the school. This is in the educational interest of the child, to help them spend less time travelling and have more time to pursue other interests, as well as for the convenience of the family.

The changes to be introduced from the 2022 P1 Registration Exercise are:  

• Increase in reserved places for Phase 2C
• Combine current Phases 2A(1) and 2A(2) into a single Phase 2A
• Updates in methodology for computing Home-School Distance

1. Increase in reserved places for Phase 2C

40 places will be reserved in Phase 2C in each primary school, up from 20 places today. Phase 2B will continue to have 20 reserved places. This means a total of 60 reserved places will be set aside in all schools at the start of the P1 Registration Exercise.

In addition to these reserved places, one-third of any remaining vacancies at the end of Phase 2A will be allocated to Phase 2B, and two-thirds to Phase 2C.

2. Combine current Phases 2A(1) and 2A(2) into a single Phase 2A

We will combine Phases 2A(1) and 2A(2) into a single Phase 2A. 

The increase in reserved places for Phase 2C will result in fewer places in earlier phases. If we continue to maintain the differentiation of priority between Phase 2A(1) and Phase 2A(2) registrants, we expect that several schools would end up with relatively few or even no places left for Phase 2A(2) registrants. 

A single Phase 2A ensures that all Phase 2A(2) registrants continue to have a chance to register under Phase 2A. This would also better achieve the objective of providing priority admission for MOE Kindergarten children, who are currently eligible for Phase 2A(2), to support their transition to P1.

Phase 2A(1) registrants will continue to be able to register under Phase 2A.

Overview of the revised P1 registration phases

Find out how the changes to the P1 registration phases apply to you. 

3. Updates in methodology for calculating Home-School Distance (HSD)

Computerised balloting will be conducted when the number of registrants exceeds the school vacancies in any phase. Priority admission will be given based on the child’s citizenship and the HSD category, which is based on the address used for registration.

HSD is currently calculated from a single reference point based on the school’s original building layout to the registrant’s home, even if the current school building layout has changed significantly with upgrading or re-building. 

MOE will update how HSD is calculated to be based on the School Land Boundary (SLB). The HSD used will be the shortest distance from a point on the boundary around the school (instead of from a single reference point) to the registrant’s home, from the 2022 P1 Registration Exercise. The SLB is much less likely to change over time, and is a more stable basis to compute HSD.

The majority of registrants applying to our primary schools will not be affected under the updated methodology (that is, their HSD categories remain the same with respect to a particular school), while some registrants will be in a nearer HSD category. However, a small number of residential addresses will be considered to be in a further HSD category from three schools.

Find out how the change in HSD calculation might affect you.

OneMap has been updated to show the buildings within 1km and 2km of all primary schools. Check OneMap to see which schools are within 1km and 2km of your residential address.