<p><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-77109" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/reg-1.jpg" alt="P1 Reg" width="848" height="564" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/reg-1.jpg 848w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/reg-1-320x213.jpg 320w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/reg-1-800x532.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 848px) 100vw, 848px" /></p>
<div>
<p><strong><u>Updated 2 August 2019 12:00pm</u></strong></p>
<p>Phase 2C is over. There was quite a bit of updates for most schools.  The final results are shown in the table below (Day 3), which lists the changes on a daily basis.  Note that the table is sorted in decreasing order of applicants (APP) for a given area.</p>
<p><strong>Nan Hua</strong> is by far the most popular school this year.  With demand at 480%, assuming that everyone is eligible for balloting, it would mean an almost 1/5 chance of getting a place in Phase 2C for that school!  The closest school in Clementi is <strong>Qifa</strong>, which is also slightly oversubscribed at 105%.  Perhaps parents should have gone for <strong>Clementi</strong> or <strong>Pei Tong</strong>, which have plenty of places left after this Phase.</p>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>              <a href="https://www.thelearninglab.com.sg/prepare-for-primary-1/"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75033 size-full" src="https://ksppublic.s3.amazonaws.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-19.jpg" alt="The Learning Lab" width="250" height="250" /></a>      <a href="http://bit.ly/ExperienceEyeLevel"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75035 size-full" src="https://ksppublic.s3.amazonaws.com/kiasu/files/u133359/shaowen_5.jpg" alt="Eye Level" width="250" height="250" /></a>     </div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p><strong>CHIJ St Nicholas Girls&#8217;</strong> remained at 200% despite some withdrawals because 2 more parents want to try their luck.  Compared to last year, this year, the demand for <strong>Anderson</strong> (128%),  <strong>Yu Neng</strong> (148%), <strong>Kuo Chuan Presbyterian</strong> (133%) <strong>Princess Elizabeth</strong> (250%), <strong>Keming</strong> (199%), <strong>Radin Mas</strong> (165%), <strong>Henry Park</strong> (133%),<strong>South View</strong> (296%), <strong>Kong Hwa</strong> (130%), <strong>Paya Lebar Methodist Girls&#8217;</strong> (123%), <strong>Xinmin</strong>(115%), <strong>Hougang</strong> (115%), <strong>CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity</strong> (104%), <strong>Lakeside</strong> (116%), <strong>White Sands</strong> (138%), <strong>Nan Chiau</strong> (385%), <strong>Compassvale</strong> (118%), <strong>Chongzheng </strong>(114%), <strong>Gongshang</strong> (106%),  <strong>Pei Chun</strong>(194%), <strong>St Andrew&#8217;s Junior</strong> (153%), <strong>Northland</strong> (293%), and <strong>Chongfu</strong> (282%) has shot up in double digits.</p>
<p>Good luck for those involved in the balloting for Phase 2C.  Remember that you will always have some hope even if you get balloted out.  Like MOE used to say: All schools are good schools.  So stop worrying about getting into a school and start working on making sure your child is ready to excel in any school!</p>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-77154" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-27.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="3581" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-27.jpg 700w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-27-320x1637.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p><strong><u>Updated 31 July 2019 1:30pm</u></strong></p>
<p>Today is 31 July 2019, the final day of the online 2020 P1 Registration.  There has been some hiccups along the way, due to the fact that this is the first year MOE is rolling out its new user interface, but we just have to work around that.  We put out the interim results today so that if you want to change your mind, there is still the day for manual registration tomorrow for the more adventurous souls to try their luck.</p>
<p>The biggest surprise this year is the number of withdrawals from the &#8220;good&#8221; schools from people who already has a place in the schools.  Although most of these schools has a withdrawal of a couple of students. <strong>Henry Park</strong>, a traditional cream of the crop, has a stunning withdrawal of 3 students registered in earlier Phases. Perhaps people are finally buying into the idea that we should be &#8220;less kiasu&#8221; ;).</p>
<p>Schools which are likely to require balloting in Phase 2C are maked in <span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>RED</strong></span>.  Looking at the data more closely, <strong>Rulang</strong> is, by far, the most oversubscribed school at 409%, with <strong>Rosyth</strong> (375%), <strong>Nan Chiau</strong> (368%), <strong>Nan Hua</strong> (365%) and <strong>West Spring</strong> (314%).  If every applicant is within 1km, that would mean a 1/4 chance of balloting successfully into Rulang!  That is scary, and parents should know there are other schools around that might be just as good for their child.</p>
<p>2 schools, <strong>Junyuan</strong> and <strong>Woodlands</strong>, have fully just reached their enrollment target (marked as <span style="color: #008000;"><strong>GREEN</strong></span>) and hopefully will escape the ballot requirement. There is a bunch of up and coming schools which appear to be hotly contested, like <strong>Temasek</strong> in Bedok (255%), <strong>Princess Elizabeth</strong> (244%) in Bukit Batok, <strong>South View</strong> (283%) in Choa Chu Kang, and <strong>Punggol Green</strong> (273%) in Punggol,</p>
<p>Remember that we put this up to let you know the &#8220;traffic&#8221;, so that you can choose the easier route to get a place for your loved ones.  The smarter way would be to go for your &#8220;2nd&#8221; choice in Phase 2C, like what most PRs would do.  It would be just as good!</p>
</div>



2019 P1 Registration Phase 2C Analysis

<p><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone  wp-image-76777" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/82665781_s.jpg" alt="P1_2B" width="709" height="501" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/82665781_s.jpg 822w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/82665781_s-320x227.jpg 320w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/82665781_s-800x566.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 709px) 100vw, 709px" /></p>
<p>The 2019 Phase 2B is over and the old favourites are showing a bit of their colours.</p>
<div>As depicted in the table below (which, to answer some queries, is sorted in terms of decreasing Phase 2B application APP rate within the Area itself), the school with the greatest demand is <b>Pei Hwa Presbyterian</b> (205%) followed closely by <b>CHIJ St Nicholas Girls</b> with 200% APP rate.  There is really no surprise as <b>Pei Hwa Presbyterian</b> has lost a whopping 46 vacancies versus last year, and St Nicks&#8217; is just being St Nicks..No schools have more then 1 withdrawal but <b>Fairfield Methodist</b> bucked the trend by having registered someone extra registered in Phase 2B (probably due to an overlooked applicant in earlier phases).</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The table is interesting as it probably shows this year&#8217;s demand for each school.  For example, in the Ang Mo Kio area, <b>CHIJ St Nicholas Girls&#8217;</b> and <b>Anderson</b> has an increase in demand over last year.  Even though <b>Teck Ghee</b> is next, we note that its cohort has dropped by 30 places this year, so it has much lower demand this year for Phase 2B.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>              <a href="https://www.thelearninglab.com.sg/prepare-for-primary-1/"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75033 size-full" src="https://ksppublic.s3.amazonaws.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-19.jpg" alt="The Learning Lab" width="250" height="250" /></a>      <a href="http://bit.ly/ExperienceEyeLevel"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75035 size-full" src="https://ksppublic.s3.amazonaws.com/kiasu/files/u133359/shaowen_5.jpg" alt="Eye Level" width="250" height="250" /></a>     </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Schools highlighted in RED are those that are oversubscribed and probably face balloting this year for Phase 2B.  Among all the schools, <b>Nanyang</b> is probably the most filled school (95%!).</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Good luck to parents vying for places in the schools.  Remember that we publish this data for everyone to know the state of affairs at each school.  If anything, it is intended to reduce stress.  Use the data to see which schools you should avoid and go for the safe 2nd choice school in Phase 2C.  That is what most PRs would do.  Get the registration process over and done with and get your child to focus on doing well in his/her school, whichever it might be!</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-76780" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-24.jpg" alt="P1 Registration" width="700" height="4435" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-24.jpg 700w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-24-320x2027.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></div>
<div> </div>



2019 P1 Registration Phase 2B Analysis

<div><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-76523" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/44628688_s.jpg" alt="P1 registration" width="699" height="523" /></div>
<div> </div>
<div>Phase 2A(2) is over and we have some interesting developments.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p>We have sorted the schools based on the application rate (APP) for Phase 2A(2).  In Ang Mo Kio, the school with the highest rate is <b>CHIJ St Nicholas Girls</b>, which just managed to complete the phase without balloting. In Bedok, <b>Red Swastika</b> exceeded their quota (110%) and will require balloting, alongside <b>Catholic High</b> (200%), <b>Nanyang</b> (309%), <b>Pei Hwa Presbyterian</b> (183%), <b>Nan Hua</b> (275%) and <b>Rosyth</b> (144%).  These are the usual suspects for balloting in Phase 2A(2), anyway.</p>
</div>
<div>                  <a href="https://www.thelearninglab.com.sg/prepare-for-primary-1/"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75033 size-full" src="https://ksppublic.s3.amazonaws.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-19.jpg" alt="The Learning Lab" width="250" height="250" /></a>      <a href="http://bit.ly/ExperienceEyeLevel"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75035 size-full" src="https://ksppublic.s3.amazonaws.com/kiasu/files/u133359/shaowen_5.jpg" alt="Eye Level" width="250" height="250" /></a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>Looking closer at that data, it would appear that the older favorites are still in vogue, but demand has been rather muted.  <b>CHIJ St Nicholas Girls,</b> <b>Catholic High</b> and <b>Henry Park</b> did not have places for Phase 2A(2) last year, but all, especially <b>Henry Park</b>, have an excess of places this year.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This year, the school to watch out for seems to be <b>Nanyang</b>, which has its Phase 2A(2) demand increased by 9 with no changes in its cohort size.  <b>Pei Hwa Presbyterian</b> also looks threatening, given its lower cohort size, so those hoping for these schools should look elsewhere if feasible.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-76522" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/17072017.jpg" alt="P1 reg" width="700" height="4123" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/17072017.jpg 700w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/17072017-320x1885.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></div>



2019 P1 Registration Phase 2A(2) Analysis

<div dir="ltr"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-76381" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/p1_2019.jpg" alt="P1 registration" width="792" height="605" /></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<p>Apologies for the mistake we made.  Here is the corrected version of the article.</p>
<p>This year, Ministry of Education is experimenting with a new reporting interface, which is great for personal usage, but terrible for people who want to make sense of the data.  It took some getting used to, and we made a mistake thinking that the numbers included the 40 reserved places.  As corrected by some kind readers, we realised our mistake and we are redoing the article.</p>
<p>Regardless, here is what we think of the numbers.</p>
<p>First, the good news.  We welcome Valour Primary to the mix, giving us a total of 185 Primary schools.  Now, the bad news.  With few exceptions, all schools drop between 8 to 90 places (5 schools: Ahmad Ibrahim, Teck Whye, Chua Chu Kang, Lakeside and Cedar are the only schools which increased by 1 class of students), with the average loss of about 15 places per school.  Granted that this year are for students after the traditional hot Year of the Dragon, the downturn is not surprising. The overall cohort is 39,058 vacancies, versus the generous 41,820 places last year.  That marks a rather modest drop of 2,762 vacancies from last year.</p>
<div dir="ltr">
<p>                  <a href="https://www.thelearninglab.com.sg/prepare-for-primary-1/"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75033 size-full" src="https://ksppublic.s3.amazonaws.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-19.jpg" alt="The Learning Lab" width="250" height="250" /></a>      <a href="http://bit.ly/ExperienceEyeLevel"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75035 size-full" src="https://ksppublic.s3.amazonaws.com/kiasu/files/u133359/shaowen_5.jpg" alt="Eye Level" width="250" height="250" /></a></p>
</div>
<p>We are arranging a new way to looking at the numbers this year.  We publish the 2019 percentage of remaining places and compared it with the 2018 percentage at the same stage of the exercise (Phase 1).  A positive value indicates that the school has &#8220;more&#8221; places this year compared with last year (yay!).  The table below is sorted within the listed area, from the smallest to the biggest.</p>
<p>For example, there is a bit of good news for those targeting Red Swastika Primary in Bedok as the take-up rate is up 13.75% compared to last year at the same stage.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/15072019.pdf"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-76456 size-full" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-22.jpg" alt="P1 Reg" width="700" height="2668" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-22.jpg 700w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-22-320x1220.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a><br />
<em>Click on chart to enlarge</em></p>



2019 P1 Registration

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
<?xml encoding="UTF-8"><html><body><p><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-75222" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/choose-thumb.jpg" alt="Choosing a Pri sch" width="951" height="366" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/choose-thumb.jpg 951w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/choose-thumb-320x123.jpg 320w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/choose-thumb-800x308.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px"></p>
<p>It&rsquo;s Open House season once again for many primary schools in Singapore, all the way till late July. Visit Schoolbag.sg for an <a href="https://www.schoolbag.sg/story/open-house-dates-of-primary-schools-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">updated list</a> of primary schools holding open house events.</p>
<p>Still undecided about what school to choose for your child, even after attending the open house? Singapore&rsquo;s Ministry of Education (MOE) advises parents to consider <a href="https://beta.moe.gov.sg/primary/p1-registration/how-to-choose-a-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five factors</a> when deciding on a school:</p>
<p><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75189 size-full" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/Infographic-on-choosing-primary-school-e1559815861823.jpg" alt="Choosing a primary sch" width="883" height="1219" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/Infographic-on-choosing-primary-school-e1559815861823.jpg 883w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/Infographic-on-choosing-primary-school-e1559815861823-320x442.jpg 320w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/Infographic-on-choosing-primary-school-e1559815861823-800x1104.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 883px) 100vw, 883px"><em><sup>[Source: MOE]</sup></em></p>
<p>
</p>
<ol>
<li><b>Your child&rsquo;s abilities and interests:</b> Is your child already exhibiting a talent that you intend to develop? Will your child thrive in a more competitive school, or a more relaxed environment? The MOE&rsquo;s <a href="https://beta.moe.gov.sg/schoolfinder/?journey=Primary%20school" target="_blank" rel="noopener">School Finder</a> allows you to search for schools that offer a particular co-curricular activity, or schools that have special electives and programmes.</li>
<li><b>The school&rsquo;s culture: </b>What is the school best known for? What are the school&rsquo;s core values, and how are these values encouraged in class? Does the school have a strong alumni or parent support network?</li>
<li><b>The ease of getting to school:</b> How long does it take to get to school by car/school bus, or public transport? Will the school bus fares be within your budget? Use the School Finder to search for schools near your home, or within a specified area.</li>
<li><b>Mother tongue:</b> What second language will your child be taking? Do you want your child to take Higher Chinese, Higher Malay, or Higher Tamil? Use the School Finder to narrow down schools based on your second language preferences.</li>
<li><b>Special needs:</b> Does your child have any special learning needs? Is the school equipped to nurture your child? Use the School Finder to search for schools that support hearing loss and other physical challenges.</li>
</ol>
<p>Below, we look at some questions that have been asked by our KSP community leading up to the <a href="https://beta.moe.gov.sg/primary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Primary 1 registration process</a>, to offer some insights for first-timer parents:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/P1-Registration-Ex-2019-infographic-.pdf"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-75209 size-full alignleft" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/P1-Registration-Ex-2019-infographic-1-e1559816320494.jpg" alt="" width="1398" height="883" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/P1-Registration-Ex-2019-infographic-1-e1559816320494.jpg 1398w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/P1-Registration-Ex-2019-infographic-1-e1559816320494-320x202.jpg 320w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/P1-Registration-Ex-2019-infographic-1-e1559816320494-800x505.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1398px) 100vw, 1398px"></a><sup><em>[Source: MOE] Click on image to enlarge</em></sup></p>
<h2><b>Should I choose a nearby school or a preferred one that is further away?</b></h2>
<p>Some parents strongly recommend choosing a <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&amp;t=65610" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearby school</a>. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to judge primary schools through isolated incidents, hearsay, or a few visits,&rdquo; says a parent. &ldquo;Fortunately, all primary schools are good schools.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Many parents are also willing to consider schools that are 45 minutes to an hour away by public transport, if other criteria are met. In fact, 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.</p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t forget to <a href="https://www.moe.gov.sg/admissions/primary-one-registration/information-on-primary-schools/new-relocating-merging-schools" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check on the MOE website</a> if the school you&rsquo;re considering is currently at a holding location, or will be relocating due to upgrading works. &ldquo;Some parents may not like the disruption and inconvenience,&rdquo; says a parent.</p>
<h2><b>What is a good school culture?</b></h2>
<p>This is for you, the parent, to define. What&rsquo;s most important to you? Is it:</p>
<ul>
<li>the school&rsquo;s definition of &ldquo;success&rdquo; and its academic and co-curricular track record</li>
<li>student life (school facilities, enrichment activities, and other opportunities for growth)</li>
<li>the general behaviour of students</li>
<li>the calibre of teachers</li>
<li>the principal&rsquo;s experience and reputation</li>
<li>the core values of the school</li>
<li>the strength of the school&rsquo;s alumni network</li>
</ul>
<p>Being clear about what you value in a school can help you greatly in your decision-making process.</p>
<p>If you want to be precise, you could even assign a weightage to each criterion, in order to help you rank your shortlisted schools. (See <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/how-to-evaluate-primary-schools/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an example</a> of how to create your own simple school ranking system, and get <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/curious-if-a-school-has-a-good-culture-weve-got-useful-tips-for-you/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more tips</a> on what you should be looking out for when you research or visit schools.)</p>
<h2><b>Should I choose a popular school, or a less well-known one?</b></h2>
<p>Is a high-achieving school (&ldquo;big pond&rdquo;) the best for our children? Or would they fare better in a less competitive school (&ldquo;small pond&rdquo;)? You need to be honest with yourself about where you think your child can thrive. (Read our <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/big-pond-vs-small-pond-how-does-competition-affect-our-kids/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> on the research that has been conducted on &ldquo;big pond&rdquo; and &ldquo;small pond&rdquo; environments, and how they affect low-ability, middle-ability, and high-ability students.)</p>
<p>A commonly held misconception is that the teachers in popular primary schools are better. &ldquo;Every school has its share of good and not-so-good teachers,&rdquo; says a KSP member. &ldquo;[Unpleasant incidents with teachers] also happen in &lsquo;branded&rsquo; schools.&rdquo;</p>
<p>However, what you may encounter in popular schools is that students tend to have more access to tutors and enrichment classes. In other words, they would have entered primary school with good language and math skills, making it harder for students who have not enjoyed the same access in their preschool years to keep up.</p>
<h2><b>Should I choose a school that is known for setting tough papers?</b></h2>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been downloading many school&rsquo;s past-year papers for my son to practise, and I can tell the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Assistance_Plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools</a> tend to set their exam papers at a much higher difficulty compared to the non-SAP schools,&rdquo; observes a parent.</p>
<p>Whether or not this is true, it is relatively easy to buy or download school papers these days &mdash; and schools themselves often give their students papers from other schools to practise on.</p>
<p>More importantly, as Singapore moves away from the &ldquo;regurgitation&rdquo; style of answering exam questions, what matters is whether the school is testing your child on skills that will be valuable in the long run.</p>
<h2><b>Should I choose a school that my child&rsquo;s younger siblings can also get into?</b></h2>
<p>This is a common dilemma for parents who have children of both sexes.</p>
<p>&ldquo;There are pros and cons of both angles &mdash; convenience versus customization. Some think that customization is better,&rdquo; says a parent. &ldquo;You need to think carefully if you can handle the kids being in different schools.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I chose different schools for both my children, a girl and a boy,&rdquo; reveals a mother. &ldquo;I sent my daughter to my primary school (all-girls) for a hassle-free registration process. For my son, who is five years younger, we balloted at an all-boys school where we had religious affiliation, and we were successful. Both children used to take the school bus unless they had after-school activities; my daughter is able to travel independently now. From what I can see, both schools suit my children well, and there hasn&rsquo;t been much juggling required on my part.&rdquo;</p>
<h2><b>Should I choose an all-girls or all-boys school?</b></h2>
<p>&ldquo;One thing I have noticed is that boys who have grown up with sisters are generally more gentle-natured&hellip; they have been trained not to play too rough,&rdquo; says a mother. &ldquo;While such boys are good for society and make very good husbands in future, they may not adapt well when thrown into an all-boys school. The boisterous camaraderie and general roughhousing that is common among boys when they play together may shock some milder parents and kids who have not encountered this before.&rdquo;</p>
<p>That said, it&rsquo;s impossible to predict how a child will fit into any school. As a parent, all you can do is to choose a school that you believe is good for your child, and be ready to support your child if issues should come up. (Read about dealing with school bullying <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/school-bullying-what-if-you-are-at-your-wits-end/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard about <a href="http://girlsguidetoendbullying.org/Relational_RecognizeBullying.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">relational bullying</a> being common in girls&rsquo; schools, and have experienced it myself. However, my daughter has had a smooth primary school journey at her all-girls school,&rdquo; says a mother. &ldquo;My son is reserved when he&rsquo;s not around family, and he took about a year to get comfortable in the rowdy atmosphere of his all-boys school. He still needs to learn how to assert himself, but he is often placed together with some of the &lsquo;naughtier&rsquo; boys in class, as the form teacher finds that he has a calming effect on them. I&rsquo;ve quizzed my son about these boys and I find that he is amused, rather than threatened, by them.&rdquo;</p>
<h2><b>Should I choose a school with an affiliated secondary school?</b></h2>
<p>There are 27 secondary schools in Singapore with affiliated primary schools, and you can view the list <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/the-complete-list-27-secondary-schools-and-their-affiliated-primary-schools" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a><strong>.</strong></p>
<p>Changes have been announced to the school affiliation system, and they will kick in this year, where 20% of a secondary school&rsquo;s places must be reserved for students without affiliation priority. (Previously, there was no cap on the number of affiliated students that a school could accept. You can read about how the new system will work on the <a href="https://www.moe.gov.sg/microsites/psle/FAQs/affiliation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MOE website</a>.)</p>
<p>What this means is that affiliated entry to a secondary school will now depend on two factors:</p>
<ul>
<li>A child meeting the affiliated PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) entry score set by the school.</li>
<li>Whether the demand for places in the affiliated school is lower or higher than 80%.</li>
</ul>
<p>The affiliation system will be further fine-tuned when the <a href="https://www.moe.gov.sg/microsites/psle/PSLE%20Scoring/psle-scoring.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new PSLE scoring system</a> is implemented in 2021.</p>
<p>At this point, it&rsquo;s hard to predict if affiliated schools will still provide an almost-guaranteed entry for many of its students. But it&rsquo;s definitely an advantage over not having an affiliation at all.</p>
<p><b>Still have a question about choosing and evaluating primary schools? Seek advice from the KSP community </b><a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&amp;t=193" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>here</b></a><b>. Some of the comments above were excerpted from KSP school discussion threads; they have been lightly edited for length and clarity.</b></p>
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Choosing A Primary School: Frequently Asked Questions By Parents

<div><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-75126" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/36777912_s.jpg" alt="P1 reg" width="834" height="574" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/36777912_s.jpg 834w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/36777912_s-320x220.jpg 320w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/36777912_s-800x551.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 834px) 100vw, 834px" /></div>
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<div>Here is the Balloting Risk per Phase Chart for the upcoming Singapore 2019 Primary One Registration for the 2020 Primary Schools.</div>
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<div>The main difference between this and the charts of previous years is that the schools are sorted in descending order of balloting risk for the given area, as we find that this seems to be the most common mode requested of us.  The values are from 0.00 to 1.00, with 1.00 having the highest risk of balloting within 1km, and 0.00 having no risk at all.  The colors are encoded as follows:</div>
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<div><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone  wp-image-75115" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/cc.jpg" alt="P1 reg" width="704" height="324" /></div>
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<div>                  <a href="https://www.thelearninglab.com.sg/prepare-for-primary-1/"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75033 size-full" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/kspedm-19.jpg" alt="The Learning Lab" width="250" height="250" /></a>      <a href="http://bit.ly/ExperienceEyeLevel"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-75035 size-full" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/shaowen_5.jpg" alt="Eye Level" width="250" height="250" /></a>                         </div>
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<div><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-75134" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/text-2.jpg" alt="" width="666" height="126" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/text-2.jpg 666w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/text-2-320x61.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px" /></div>
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<p><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-75146" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/p1-b-1.jpg" alt="P1 reg" width="600" height="3230" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/p1-b-1.jpg 600w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/p1-b-1-320x1723.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
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