Friday, 29th March 2024

Friday, 29th March 2024

Registering Your Child for Pri 1

12 May 2008

It’s coming up to that time of the year again – July and August, when parents with children who are old enough to start primary school have to register them in MOE’s annual Pri 1 Registration Exercise

To help guide parents through this process, MOE has published a booklet, Primary 1 Registration Exercise. Parents whose children are eligible for registration will receive the booklet from their children’s pre-schools from May. Here’s a quick guide to the different registration phases.

The registration framework places the interests of the child first, and sets its priority according to factors such as:

  • The distance of the home from the school;
  • The convenience of being in the same school as a sibling;
  • The parents’ preference, with regard to the ethos and traditions of the school; and
  • Recognition of the parents’ connections to the school.

Here are some scenarios that will help clarify the different registration phases better:

Phases of Pri 1 registration

Scenarios for Phases 1-2A (click to view a larger version on Flickr).

Phases of Pri 1 registration

Scenarios for Phases 2B-3 (click to view a larger version on Flickr).

Vacancies and balloting

There are sufficient places for all primary school children in Singapore, so every child is guaranteed a place in Pri 1, according to the registration phase for which he or she is eligible. Once parents have identified the registration phase their child is eligible for, they need to go to the primary school of their choice only during the allocated period.

For Phases 2A1 to 2C Supplementary, if the number of applications exceeds the number of vacancies, balloting will be conducted according to this priority:
• Children living within 1 km of the school of choice
• Children living within 1 to 2 km of the school of choice
• Children living outside 2 km of the school of choice

During the registration period, parents can check the number of vacancies available, and whether balloting will be carried out, on the balloting information page on the MOE website as well as on Teletext (Channel 8, page 720). This information is updated everyday.

Schemes for Singaporeans living overseas

If a child is of school-going age but will not be in Singapore to begin primary school next year, will MOE keep a place for him or her? What if the child has been living overseas and is returning to Singapore – what do parents do then about registering him or her for school?

If a child is of age to enter Pri 1 next year but will be relocating with the family for a limited period, parents should still register him or her during the Pri 1 Registration Exercise to secure a school place. After that, parents can place the child on the Leave of Absence Scheme, so that the place at the school will be reserved while the child is overseas.

What about children who are already overseas and not on the Leave of Absence Scheme? When they are returning to Singapore for their education, parents will have to approach MOE for assistance to place them in a school. Alternatively, they can approach a school of their choice to apply for direct admission.

Foreign Pupils

Foreign parents seeking a place for their children in a Singapore school may approach schools to apply for direct admission. Application forms can be obtained from the school, or downloaded from the MOE website. Admission depends on the availability of vacancies and whether the child meets the school’s admission criteria.

For more information on this year’s Pri 1 Registration Exercise, keep your eye on the MOE Pri 1 Registration Exercise homepage, which will be updated regularly over the next few months. Read more about choosing a primary school and how to prepare your child for Pri 1.