[Hougang] Primary Schools

[mum2one]

Hi, newbie reporting! Find this website very useful!

Need some advice. We only qualify for Phase 2C.
I'm just slightly out of 1km from Holy Innocent Pr (according to their radius map - miss by a road! ) and as of today (2A(2), 145 places are already taken up (out of 300 - 30 less than last year). So it's nearly 48% taken up even before Phase 2B!

Should I even try? or I should just go straight to Punggol Pr (not my 1st choice) but my 'best' choice neighbourhood school in terms of distance - less than 1 km and familiarity for my son who sees the neighbourhood kids waiting for school bus etc.. and don't need to ballot at Phase 2C.
Most feedback that Punggol Pr is quite a good school - so if by the time I cannot get Holy Innocent, I may even need to ballot too at Punggol at Phase 2C Supplementary (too scary) since we don't know how they fare in the earlier phases ... But last year's PSLE results were not so promising though, and choice of CCA quite limited for my son's personality *sigh* headache! :? What do you think?

[ChiefKiasu]

mum2one:

...I'm just slightly out of 1km from Holy Innocent Pr (according to their radius map - miss by a road! ) and as of today (2A(2), 145 places are already taken up (out of 300 - 30 less than last year). So it's nearly 48% taken up even before Phase 2B!


Should I even try? or I should just go straight to Punggol Pr...

Holy Innocents is quite likely to be balloting for under 1km in Phase 2C this year, judging from the take up rate so far. But you are not in too bad a position since there is another school near you that you are comfortable with. If I'm you, I'll call up the Holy Innocents on 31 July to ask them about the number of applicants for Phase 2C at that point of time, and then make my decision. Most people who stay <1km there should have submitted their applications by then, so you should get a good idea of what the ballot situation would be. You can then register for 2C either in Holy Innocents or Punggol. Even if you can't get into Holy Innocents, you are unlikely to have a problem getting a place in Punggol.

[yithz]

Hi All


On the same train of thought if I were to try for Catholic High as 1st choice and St Gabriel’s as 2nd choice…then should I try to register for Catholic High on the 1st day of the Phase 2C registration which is on July 29th…or should I only register on July 31st after checking with Catholic High on the no of vacancies left for balloting?

Or should I not even try at all…and just register at St Gabriel’s on July 29…my main concern is that if I do not register on July 29, the 1st day…even my chances of getting into St Gabriel’s is reduced (although their take up rate has always been rather low)

Thanks

[ChiefKiasu]

yithz:

Hi All


On the same train of thought if I were to try for Catholic High as 1st choice and St Gabriel's as 2nd choice....then should I try to register for Catholic High on the 1st day of the Phase 2C registration which is on July 29th...or should I only register on July 31st after checking with Catholic High on the no of vacancies left for balloting?

Or should I not even try at all...and just register at St Gabriel's on July 29....my main concern is that if I do not register on July 29, the 1st day....even my chances of getting into St Gabriel's is reduced (although their take up rate has always been rather low)

Thanks

The idea of a Phase with balloting is to remove the \"first come first served\" element from the process. It doesn't matter when or what time you register your child in any phase - just make sure you do it before the end of the Phase. You may be the first to register but you will still have to ballot with the rest if there are more applicants than places for that Phase.

We can complain all we want about the processes, but MOE has really thought this through and the process is really as fair as we can get it to be for as many people as possible. This, I have to give to the government.

[JJJmom]

Looking at the take up rate in phase 1 really worries me. Do I stand a chance to register my daughter for phase 2B - Catholics? I'm just outside 1km, missed by a traffic light junction!

Been running to all CHIJs around to enquire lately.
St.Nic is out unless Catholic + within 1km then has high chance.
OLGC parents feedback not very positive
OLN thinking very hard
HIPS seems better....headache! *sigh*

[mum2one]

If you have younger kids who are girls, then I would highly recommend you to choose a good Girls school rather than Co-ed (esp popular ones) coz chances of earlier phases before you being ‘doubled’ is very high (eg either mum or dad is alumni, grassroot, catholic, management committee, older siblings … iygwim. This was highlighted to me by a school clerk acquintance who has been working in schools for 28 years …

[JJJmom]

the good CHIJs near Hougang are Toa Payoh and St. Nicholas, both equally hard to get in even in phase 2B, no hope for my girl.

She is the youngest at home, both brothers in St. Grabriel as father is old boy. Has been considering CHIJ all these while, maybe I should drop by HIPS to find out more…

[ChiefKiasu]

If you can get into Holy Innocents in Phase 2B <2km, you should have a decent chance of getting a place in that school.

[mum2one]

Yup I agree! Phase 2B less than 2km chance of getting in is still pretty high!

[yithz]

thanks!