PSLE 2022 kicks off in mid-August, with the oral exams. Next, the Listening Comprehension exams will be held in mid-September, and finally, the written exams will take place in late September and early October. (Get the official PSLE 2022 schedule here.)

The results for PSLE 2022 will be released in late November, which gives you almost two months to evaluate school options for your child. However, it’s not too early to start thinking about this now — many parents are already searching for information on secondary school choices! 

How should you evaluate secondary schools and pick the right one for your child? Read on to find out.

First, Reflect on Your Attitude Towards Grades

Need a refresher on the new PSLE scoring system by Achievement Levels or ALs? Get the most accurate information on the Ministry of Education (MOE) website. 

Everyone will agree that a PSLE total score of 4 is an excellent result. But what about a score of 8, 10, 15, or 20? Before you even think about choosing secondary schools, do think about the value that you place on grades. We know that between different families, what it means to ‘do well’ or ‘do badly’ can vary greatly! 

Our advice is to have a plan for discussing grades with your child, so that your expectations will be aligned on what the targeted result is. From experience, we know that PSLE disappointment is usually due to these reasons:

• Your child falls slightly short of qualifying for a ‘dream’ school
• Your child qualified for Express, with a borderline score
• Your child doesn’t qualify for a preferred stream
• Your child doesn’t qualify for N(T), and will have to either repeat the PSLE or explore an alternative pathway such as NorthLight School.

To mentally prepare yourself for any of the above situations — well ahead of time — read our guide on dealing with PSLE disappointment. Remember: your love and support will make all the difference in the world!

Next, Identify Factors that Matter for a Secondary School

Once your child receives his/her PSLE results, you can use MOE’s SchoolFinder to filter schools by:

• PSLE score range
• Distance from your home
• General location
• CCAs
• Subjects offered
• Electives and programmes
• Support for special educational needs
• Co-ed or single-sex
• Affiliations
• School type e.g. Independent School, Special-Assistance Plan (SAP) School, Integrated Programme (IP) School

However, you don’t have to wait till your child gets the actual results to start browsing schools. Your child’s teachers might have already given him/her an expected PSLE score range, which you can use for now. As with all major decisions, it’s good to get an early start! 

For parents who enjoy crunching numbers, you can have some fun by assigning a weightage to each factor that you want to prioritise, such as 50% for offering a particular subject or CCA. (The sum of all your weightages should add up to 100%.) You can then give each school a score, according to whether it has what you’re looking for — learn how to create a weighted scoring model in Excel here.

Prefer to keep things fuss-free? That’s perfectly valid too. In our opinion, choosing a secondary school isn’t too different from choosing a primary school, except that there is now an entry score criterion. 

Below are some questions to consider:

 

• “Do we need a strategy for choosing secondary schools?”

Although P6 students are free to select up to six schools during the Secondary 1 posting process, the MOE’s advice is to choose at least two or three schools where your child’s PSLE score is better than the school’s cut-off point, i.e. what we call ‘safety schools,’ where your child is almost guaranteed entry.

The MOE has also estimated that cut-off points will typically fluctuate by 1 point — meaning that if a school’s cut-off point was 8 last year, this year it could be either 7 or 9.

This is why a cautious parent might list a ‘dream’ school as the first choice, followed by safety schools for the remaining five choices. Again, this would depend on the popularity of the schools that your child is applying for.

To avoid stress, don’t overthink this. What we know is that 90% of students will probably not need to undergo balloting, and most students will be posted to one of their six school choices. So the most important thing is to make sure that you and your child are happy with your chosen schools!

• “Should we choose a nearby school, or a ‘better’ one that is further away?”

Here’s one way to think about this: would you reject Harvard purely because it’s “too far away?” Or, to put this in more relatable terms, should your child say “no” to a growth opportunity in favour of convenience?

There are trade-offs to every decision, which is why it’s best to discuss this as a family. For many families, schools that are 45 minutes to an hour away by public transport are still considered convenient, especially since your child is now older and able to travel independently. And with new public transport developments such as the opening of stations along the new Thomson-East Coast MRT line, many schools will be more accessible in the near future.

But if location remains a priority for you, do check if the school you’re considering is currently at a holding location, or will be relocating due to upgrading works.

 

• “Besides cut-off points, how can we tell if a secondary school is good?”

We have listed some factors above, such as subjects offered and CCAs, which some families prioritise. For instance, if your child is keen on a certain subject combination, or wishes to represent a school in a certain activity, these factors would play a large part in determining your school choices.

But what if your child doesn’t have any clear interests yet? In this case, you may want to base your decision largely on school culture. In a secondary school with a healthy culture or ‘climate,’ students should experience the following:

• Safety: The school should have a strong anti-bullying stance to ensure not just physical safety within the school, but emotional security as well. Teachers should also respect the emotional well-being of their students.
• Support: The academic environment must be conducive for all students to learn and grow.
• Connection: There should be a steady flow of positive interactions between students, teachers, and other relevant groups.
• Belonging: Students should have a sense of pride about their school.

How can you gauge the above? Attend Open House events, and talk to everyone you know that is connected to the school. Get opinions from current and former students, parents with teens in the school, and those who work in the school (if you happen to know them). 

But do bear in mind that a variety of factors, including your child’s personality, will determine whether your child can thrive in a school. 

• “Should we choose a co-ed or single-sex secondary school?”

Some parents prefer single-sex schools so that their children won’t be distracted by mingling with the opposite sex. Others prefer a co-ed setting, as it reflects the mixed gender environments that children will face later in life.

There are different arguments for and against each setting — read this useful summary and weigh the factors for yourself. 

• “Should we choose a school with a competitive or relaxed environment?”

If you are thinking about this, chances are your child is considered a ‘middle-ability’ or ‘high-ability’ student. 

Some research has suggested that middle-ability students will be more motivated if they are placed alongside high-ability students. As for high-ability students, they are more likely to do well, no matter where they are placed. 

It may be difficult for you, the parent, to make an objective decision — some parents want to protect their children from excessive pressure, even though they may thrive in demanding situations, while others want their children to make it to the ‘best’ schools, even if they are less resilient. 

Our advice? Seek an opinion from your child’s teachers, and talk to your child to find out what he/she really wants.

Want to chat with other parents about choosing secondary schools? Join our All About PSLE AL Scoring System conversation, where KSP members discuss schools and school cut-off points, and share their experiences!