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Special educational needs support at mainstream secondary schools

Learn about how secondary schools support special educational needs.

Mainstream secondary schools are suitable for children who have the cognitive abilities and adaptive skills to access the national curriculum and mainstream learning environment.

They can support students with special educational needs like:
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
  • Dyslexia
  • Hearing loss
  • Mild autism spectrum disorder
  • Physical impairment
  • Visual impairment

All schools also have some degree of barrier-free access.

If you are unsure if your child can cope in a mainstream school, you may want to get a professional assessment for them.

Types of support

Specialised personnel
  • Special Educational Needs (SEN) Officers provide learning and behaviour support through individual or small group intervention or skills training, or in-class support for approximately 30 to 60 minutes per week.
  • Teachers Trained in Special Needs provide learning support and plan instructional strategies and adapt lessons for students with special educational needs, and share strategies with other teachers in school.
Interventions and programmes
  • Access to the MOE-subsidised Main Literacy Programme conducted by the Dyslexia Association of Singapore for students with dyslexia.
  • Circle of Friends, a peer support intervention to support students who are at risk of social-interaction difficulties in school contexts.
  • Facing Your Fears, a group intervention programme for students with emerging anxiety to learn self-management skills.
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Specialised provisions
  • Access arrangements for students for their national examination papers, such as larger fonts and extra time. Find out more from the school once your child is enrolled.
  • Barrier-free accessibility to support students who require mobility aids like wheelchairs.
  • Specialised support for students with moderate-to-profound hearing loss or visual impairment is provided at designated schools.
  • Services from social service agencies such as AWWA Ltd and The Singapore Association for the Deaf for children with hearing loss, visual or physical impairments. They will assess your child’s needs and work with the teachers to provide assistance. Find out more from the school when your child is enrolled. 
  • Assistive technology devices such as frequency modulation equipment, text-to-speech software and magnifiers for Singapore citizens with hearing loss, visual or physical impairments. Find out more from the school once your child is enrolled.
  • Transport concession or subsidy schemes for persons with disabilities for public transport travel. These schemes are administered by SG Enable.
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Referrals
Students with special educational needs may have other needs beyond learning and education that require therapy or intervention from allied health professionals such as:
  • Occupational therapists
  • Speech and language therapists
  • Physiotherapists
  • Psychologists
Therapy services are available at these hospitals: Mental health services are available at: If you need assistance for a referral to a polyclinic, a Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) clinic or REACH, you can approach your child's school.

You can obtain a referral to a hospital or CGC through a polyclinic or a CHAS clinic. An initial consult with a doctor at one of these clinics is required so that they can make an appropriate referral.
Use the SchoolFinder to search for schools that provide additional support for: