Factors to consider when choosing sec school

[bestwishes]

Admummy:

Hi to all..wld appreciate anyone cld share some tips with me on the follwing:


COP
is it safe to conclude that if my child's psle score is equals or higher than the MEDIAN COP of the sec sch's 2016 PSLE Median Aggregate (as published on the handbook , also extracted from MOE SIS website); she is safe to include that school as 1 of her 6 choices?

eg. XXX Sec schoo
Lower 233
Upper 258
Median 237
Child score 233 and below, worth trying? or don't waste a choice, try another sch..
237 - 258 can get in?

my question is what if this yr batch all do particularly well or bad? then we cannot rely on this stats right?

Sec 3 electives
do u look at the sec 3 electives the secondary school provide when you choose the secondary school for your child? or most secondary have the same electives?

thks in advance

yes, must look at the subjects or electives given esp if your child is interested or not interested in certain subject(s) or electives... eg not all schools offer biology or POA in sec 3; some schools make it compulsory to take AM & EM while others do not etc

[sky minecrafter]

Hi Admummy, bravissimo, you have highlighted an excellent point. Yes, if my child is eligible for IP/IB, the upper secondary (so to speak) subject offerings would I reckon be similar across institutions. However, if my child is going for the \"O\" level track, I'd certainly consider the so-called electives as well as whether the schools niche area matches the child's interest. In that respect, indeed electives/niche outweigh many other factors, at least for me.

[Admummy]

i zoomed into the subjects offered by the 6 Sec sch of my child's choices..


i was overwhelmed by the differences in the subjects offered....just humanities alone comfused me, 3 different schools offered 3 different combination..

school 1
HUMANITIES (S,G)
COMBINED HUMANITIES (S,H)

school 2
HUMANITIES (S,G)
COMBINED HUMANITIES (S,H)
COMBINED HUMANITIES (S,L)
COMBINED HUMANITIES (SS,LC)

school 3
HUMANITIES (SS, GEOGRAPHY)
HUMANITIES (SS, HISTORY)
HUMANITIES (SS, LIT IN ENGLISH)


It is difficult for me to guage my child's inclination towards which area at this early stage so on the safe side i should choose the school that offers the most flexibility in the subject combi? Like the above, school 3 seems to be more flexible compared to school 1. What do u guys think? then there are schools that offers principles of accounts, HIgher Music, AEP Art etc but some doesnt...wow...totally :scared:

[MyPillow]

POA in not a popular choice nowadays - if u take a deeper look - Sch with students who are academically incline ( ie the 230s n above grp) do not offer poa at all. Such subject like EBs / POA - Sch gear to prep them for poly biz route ( or higher Nitec in worse off case)


I agree to look at Sch offer more subjects variations. BUT diff Sch leaders may chg acoordingly again - which u would not know when the child get into sec1 & what will happen in Sec 3 ?

Edit to add: I suggest to look at Sch who offer express stream only . Students profile more controlled, I hope/ feel.

[floppy]

Admummy:

i zoomed into the subjects offered by the 6 Sec sch of my child's choices..


i was overwhelmed by the differences in the subjects offered....just humanities alone comfused me, 3 different schools offered 3 different combination..
...

Moral of the story:
Don’t put the cart before the horse.

No point peering so far into the future when it’s impossible (for the majority at least) to tell what your child will like / dislike or a strong leaning towards. Unless your child is among the minority who is clearly ahead of the curve, looking at sec 3 offering is simply an exercise in nothingness.

[Yckuan]

anyone knows the link to schools offer and their cop?

Admummy:

Hi to all..wld appreciate anyone cld share some tips with me on the follwing:

COP
is it safe to conclude that if my child's psle score is equals or higher than the MEDIAN COP of the sec sch's 2016 PSLE Median Aggregate (as published on the handbook , also extracted from MOE SIS website); she is safe to include that school as 1 of her 6 choices?

eg. XXX Sec schoo
Lower 233
Upper 258
Median 237
Child score 233 and below, worth trying? or don't waste a choice, try another sch..
237 - 258 can get in?

my question is what if this yr batch all do particularly well or bad? then we cannot rely on this stats right?

Sec 3 electives
do u look at the sec 3 electives the secondary school provide when you choose the secondary school for your child? or most secondary have the same electives?

eg. XXX Sec School
SCIENCE (CHEM, BIO)
SCIENCE (PHY, CHEM)

the other YYY Sec School
SCIENCE (CHEM, BIO)
SCIENCE (PHY, BIO)
SCIENCE (PHY, CHEM)
from the above, i think YYY Sec School more flexible combi to choose...what are your views?


thks in advance

[emoh]

Yckuan:

anyone knows the link to schools offer and their cop?

The choosing your sec sch info booklet from Pg J-1 to J-144 or 111-254

https://www.moe.gov.sg/docs/default-source/document/education/admissions/secondary-one-posting/2017-files/2017_S1_IB.pdf

There were attempts to compile the list but I think its not too complete:

https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=88059

https://www.fa.edu.sg/2016-psle-2017-sec-1-cut-off/

Otherwise you can use MOE info service too

http://sis.moe.gov.sg/

[DaddyD]

Time to think of the 6 school choices... :yikes:

Don't know where to start without knowing PSLE score...

[sharonkhoo]

DaddyD:

Time to think of the 6 school choices... :yikes:

Don't know where to start without knowing PSLE score...

What we did was make a long list covering the range of possible scores we thought our daughter might get. Then when the actual score was known, we selected 6 from the relevant part of that list. Save some time to be able to prepare in advance.