Primary 1 Registration: Navigating Singapore's Primary School Registration Process
In Singapore, the Primary 1 registration process is a significant milestone for both parents and children. With plenty of schools to choose from and various criteria to meet, navigating this process can be intimidating.
With careful planning, early preparation, and effective strategies, parents can increase their chances of securing a place in their preferred school for their child. In this article, we’ll explore the different stages of the Primary 1 registration process, the right registration steps, and several practical tips for successful school selection.
Understanding the Registration Process
The Primary 1 registration process in Singapore typically consists of several phases. You may register your child online in a phase as long as you fulfil at least one of the requirements for that phase.
SC/PR Eligibility: You can register your child in the 2024 P1 Registration Exercise if your child is born between 2 January 2018 and 1 January 2019 (both dates inclusive).
Phase 1: For a child who has a sibling studying in primary school.
Phase 2A: For a child
- Whose parent or sibling is a former student of the primary school, including those who have joined the alumni association of the primary school as a member.
- Whose parent is a member of the School Advisory or Management Committee.
- Whose parent is a staff member of the primary school.
- From the MOE Kindergarten under the purview of and located within the primary school.
Phase 2B: For a child
- Whose parent has joined the primary school as a parent volunteer not later than 1 July of the year before P1 registration and has given at least 40 hours of voluntary service to the school by 30 June of the year of P1 registration.
- Whose parent is a member endorsed by the church or clan directly connected with the primary school.
- Whose parent is endorsed as an active community leader.
Note:
Endorsed active community leaders are eligible to register their child only for schools within 2km of their residential address in Phase 2B.
Children who gain admission under the “parent is an endorsed active community leader” eligibility to a school within 2km of the address used for registration must reside at that address for at least 30 months from the start of the P1 Registration Exercise.
If the 30-month stay requirement is not met, MOE reserves the right to transfer the child to another school with vacancies, as the priority admission to the first school was based on the declared address used for registration.
Phase 2C: For a child who is not yet registered in a primary school.
Phase 2C Supplementary: For a child who is not yet registered in a primary school after Phase 2C.
Phase 3: International students can only register for P1 during Phase 3, after all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents have been allocated a place under the earlier phases. Find out how here.
Registration Steps:
- Log in to the P1 Registration Portal with your Singpass to register during your child’s eligible phase registration period.
- Only one parent is required to register. In the Registration Portal, you are required to declare that you have sought consent from the other parent to register your child for P1.
- To register, click on the Registration tab in the portal.
- If you do not see details of your child due for P1 registration in the portal, you can register via an online form in the portal.
- There is no need to submit any documents unless you register via the online form
- If you need help with registration, refer to this user guide
- Note: if your registration in a phase is unsuccessful. You can register your child in the next phase they are eligible for. If your child is unsuccessful in Phase 2C Supplementary, they will be posted to a school with an available vacancy.
Guide for Successful School Selection
Research and Prioritise Schools: Begin by researching schools in your preferred area and understanding their admission criterias. Prioritise schools based on aspects that cover PSLE scores/ academic reputation or Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) offerings.
While specific ranking data for PSLE scores among primary schools in Singapore isn’t typically publicly available, here is a list of primary schools in each region, with highest PSLE scores and tend to be oversubscribed in previous years’ admission exercises
WEST: Nanyang Primary School, Raffles Girls’ Primary School, Methodist Girls’ School, Henry Park Primary School, Nan Hua Primary School
NORTH EAST: Rosyth School, Nan Chiau Primary School
EAST: St. Hilda Primary School, Tao Nan School, Red Swastika Primary School, Kong Hwa School, Ngee Ann Primary School
NORTH: Ai Tong School, Catholic High School (Primary), CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School, Anderson Primary School, Ang Mo Kio Primary School
CENTRAL/SOUTH: River Valley Primary School, Anglo-Chinese School, Singapore Chinese Girls’ School
Parents can also refer to the list below to seek primary schools that offer signature Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs), aligned with their children’s interests and talents:
- Anglo-Chinese School (Junior): offers unique CCA “Sailing” to learn discipline, independence, team spirit, problem-solving, decision-making and other essential life skills beside skills that are needed to sail the boat
- Raffles Girls’ Primary School: known for “New Media Club,” providing skills and exposure for students who enjoy photography, coding and content creation
- Nanyang Primary School: offers CCA known as “Chinese Calligraphy,” where students learn the art of traditional Chinese calligraphy, fostering appreciation for Chinese culture.
- St. Hilda’s Primary School: offers a unique CCA called “Infocomm Club,” focusing on the fundamentals of audio-visual system management, robotics, digital art and video editing.
- Nan Hua Primary School: offers a distinctive CCA called “Journalism and Broadcasting Club,” where students develop and strengthen students’ language literacy and critical thinking skills, enabling them to become competent, confident and reflective communicators.
- Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School: known for its “Robotics Club,” focusing on developing creativity and problem solving skills through experimenting with robots
- Maris Stella High School (Primary): offers a unique CCA called “Rockwall Climbing Club,” to instil good sportsmanship and values of team spirit, discipline and resilience through vigorous training
- Methodist Girls’ School: Offers a distinctive CCA called “Modern Jazz,” a blend of street jazz, classical ballet and theatre dance, with its mixed roots extending back to both African and European traditions
Proximity Requirements: If your chosen primary school has more registrants than vacancies, priority admission will be given based on your child’s citizenship and the Home-School Distance category, which is in turn based on the address used for registration.
Calculating Home-School Distance: The address used for Primary 1 (P1) registration should be the parents’ official residential address as reflected on the NRICs. This address will be used to determine the Home-School Distance (HSD) category, where required for consideration of priority admission.
The HSD used will be the shortest distance from any point on the boundary around the school to the registrant’s official residential address.
Priority admission is given in this order:
- Singapore Citizens (SC) living within 1km of the school.
- SCs living between 1km and 2km of the school.
- SCs living outside 2km of the school.
- Permanent Residents (PR) living within 1km of the school.
- PRs living between 1km and 2km of the school.
- PRs living outside 2km of the school.
To maximise the chance: a child who gains priority admission into a school through their home-school distance category is required to reside at the address used for registration for at least 30 months from the start of the P1 Registration Exercise
Balloting: Balloting is conducted when the number of registrants exceeds the school vacancies, which can happen in any phase from 2A to 2C Supplementary.
Parents can check the list of primary schools that require balloting at the end of the phase to see if your child needs to ballot for a place in your preferred school.
Computerised balloting will be conducted centrally by MOE. All registrants who are required to ballot are assured of an equal chance for admission into the school.
- To ensure continued open access to all schools in later phases, we are reserving 60 places in each school for Phases 2B and 2C (20 places for Phase 2B and 40 places for Phase 2C).
- At the end of Phase 2A, one-third of remaining places will be allocated to Phase 2B, and two-thirds to Phase 2C.
- If there are vacancies left at the end of Phase 2B, the remaining places will be carried forward to Phase 2C.
It’s important to register your child for only one school in any phase: multiple registrations are not accepted. MOE will take your latest submission made during the phase.
Navigating Singapore’s Primary 1 registration process requires careful planning, research, early preparation, and strategic decision-making. By understanding the different phases of registration, following the right registration steps, and implementing effective strategies in selecting schools, parents can increase their chances of securing a place in their preferred school for their child.
With preparation, a proactive approach and support from Mulberry Learning, parents can navigate the registration process with confidence and secure success for their child’s educational journey.
