In 2025, the Secondary 1 posting results will be released on either 18 or 19 December.

Last year, it was reported that more than 80 per cent of pupils were posted to a school of their first, second, or third choice.

When the school posting results are released, you should receive an SMS notification. If not, you can check the result via the official Secondary 1 Placement website or through your child’s school. 

We understand that not getting one’s first-choice secondary school can be disappointing or even distressing, for both children and parents. Below, we’ll address some frequently asked questions about school transfers, based on publicly available information. We’ll also talk about concrete steps that you can take to support your child in adapting to their allocated secondary school.

After receiving the Secondary 1 posting results, can we appeal for a school transfer?

Yes, you can appeal for a school transfer if your child has a serious medical condition (such as a chronic heart condition) or a physical impairment, and you feel that the posted secondary school is unable to accommodate your child’s physical health needs.

In such cases, appeals should be filed at your child’s posted secondary school by 12pm on the following working day after the release of the school posting results. You must provide supporting medical documents, and school staff will assist in filing your appeal. Do also note that success is not guaranteed, and the appeal outcome will only be made known in January.

If you are seeking a school transfer due to other reasons, you should submit your appeal directly to your preferred school, noting the following guidelines:

• Your child’s PSLE score must meet the school’s cut-off point (COP) for the year
• School transfers will be subject to available vacancies and meeting the school’s admission criteria
• As schools will need time to process appeals, the outcome may be available only from mid-January
• While schools have the discretion to consider appeal requests, they may not be able to accept appeals due to limited or no vacancies

Bear in mind that it will be difficult to estimate the chance of transfer success, and this may lead to anxiety, which could disrupt your child’s transition to secondary school. 

Some parents opt to focus on accepting the results, and letting their children settle in their posted secondary school, at least for the Secondary 1 year.

My child met this year’s cut-off score for the school they wanted, but they didn’t get posted there. Why did this happen?

Not every student who meets the COP will be posted to their preferred school.

Here is the reason for this: When two or more students with the same PSLE score vie for the last available vacancies in a school, their posting will be determined according to tie-breakers, which are in the order of citizenship status, then choice order of schools, and if need be, computerised balloting.

My child narrowly missed this year’s Cut-Off Point (COP) for their desired school. Can we appeal?

Near misses can be difficult to accept, but unfortunately, you will not be able to appeal.

Here is the guideline from the Ministry of Education: To ensure fairness, transparency and objectivity for all students who participated in the posting exercise, it is necessary for your child’s PSLE score to meet the school’s COP of the posting year, in order for the school to process your appeal.

Admitting students who do not meet the COP would not be fair to other students who obtained a similar or better PSLE score, but were not offered a place in the school through the posting exercise.

My child met the COP for their preferred school, according to the SchoolFinder website. Why weren’t they posted to their preferred school?

The PSLE score ranges in SchoolFinder serve only as a reference, and they are based on the previous year’s cut-off scores.

Every year, COPs can fluctuate by a few points, depending on each cohort’s PSLE results and the school choices in that year’s Secondary 1 Posting Exercise.

In addition, meeting the COPs does not guarantee admission. If a school has limited places, and two or more students with the same PSLE score vie for the last available vacancies in a school, their posting will be determined according to tie-breakers, i.e. citizenship status, choice order of schools, and computerised balloting if necessary.

I am keen to try a school appeal for my child. How can I find out what is required?

It’s best to check with your desired school directly, through their website or enquiry hotline.

Many schools do provide information about appeals on their websites, to make the process clearer to parents. Below are some examples of popular schools and their appeal pages for the 2025 intake:

• Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
• Catholic High School
• Cedar Girls School
• CHIJ Secondary
• Maris Stella High School
• Methodist Girls’ School
• National Junior College
• Raffles Girls’ School
• Raffles Institution

Do note that schools may update their information or links for the 2026 intake, so please check with your preferred schools after the Secondary 1 posting results are out.

What if we don’t like the allocated secondary school, but also don’t intend to appeal?

Prior to the Secondary 1 posting results, you and your child can visit the top three schools on your list, and try to have positive conversations about these schools. Even if you can’t enter the school, you may still like the environment, or its accessibility to your home. Most students will be allocated one of their top three choices, so this is a reasonable way to prepare for a likely outcome.

We do know of cases where students were allocated a school much lower on their list, or did not get any of their selections at all. If this happens to your child, the most useful thing you can do is help your child understand that disappointment is normal.

First, you can acknowledge your feelings with a simple statement such as “It makes sense that you’re upset. I'm disappointed too, so let’s take a few days to process this together.” This gives your child space to stabilise, before they start forming opinions about what comes next.

Over the next few days, check in gently with questions like “Do you want to talk about it, or would you like some quiet first?” or “What is it about the new school that you’re unhappy with?” This helps you understand whether their reaction is about distance, impressions of the school, fears about fitting in, or simply the mismatch with their original hopes. 

Try to avoid conversations that compare them with friends or classmates who got their preferred schools, as this tends to heighten the sense of loss. If your child copes better through activity than discussion, offer simple grounding tasks like going for a walk or running a quick errand together.

When it’s time to get practical things done — such as buying textbooks and uniforms — you may not be able to wait until your child feels mentally prepared. In these situations, you can frame the outing as a necessary step rather than a push to “move on.” A simple explanation like “We don’t have to feel good about the school yet, but we do need to get these things sorted so the first week isn’t chaotic” helps your child understand the purpose without feeling rushed emotionally. During the visit, keep the focus on orientation rather than enthusiasm. Walk the route together, note the nearby bus stops, and have a quick look at the canteen, general office, or activity areas if they’re accessible. You can also point out nearby lunch spots or practical amenities. The goal isn’t to "sell" the school, but to reduce the sense of unfamiliarity so your child has fewer unknowns to worry about on Day 1.

If your child is anxious about being alone, you can check with your primary school networks whether anyone else is posted there, and arrange a “meet before school” outing, even if they are not close friends. This might help to ease first-day nerves. You can also try to shape a more informed picture of the school, by looking at the school’s social media accounts and highlighting positive content. If the school emphasises values such as kindness, this may feel comforting to your child.

It can also help to keep primary school friendships active while your child is adjusting. Meet-ups during the holidays, or a weekend catch-up once school has started, reassures them that their old connections are still intact, even as they make new ones.

These small, practical steps won’t erase the disappointment, but they can help your child enter Secondary 1 with more certainty and confidence, even if the school wasn’t their first choice.

Want to talk to other parents about Secondary 1 posting? Start a conversation on the KiasuParents forum!