UPDATE!!! New to Singapore, primary schools question
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Ok this is ridiculous. I called the MOE again this morning (I was down there earlier today and they copied our documents). I called 27 primary schools and there are no spaces anywhere for my 6 yr old. I may have to ask my husband to get a new job in a new country. :shock: I asked the MOE if there was a shortage of schools and she said \"no\" even though there is apparently not enough space to accommodate my 6 yo anywhere in all of Singapore. My younger children will be starting school next month. I guess they are doomed to live on the waiting lists for P1 too?
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Anyone else have advice? I’ve been told that expats are supposed to go to the international schools, but they are full! We aren’t really expats anyway as the job my husband took is a permanent one (at least it is not limited to 2 years). We had considered applying for PR but we can’t stay here long if there are no schools! I’m just frustrated, I guess.
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Have you read this page? http://moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/international-students/
Admission to Mainstream Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and JCs
MOE conducts a centralised admissions exercise—Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS)—around Sep/Oct annually for new international students who wish to join our mainstream public primary and secondary schools in January of the following year.
AEIS involves a centralised test on English and Mathematics, and applicants who pass the test will be offered a place in a suitable school. The exercise is for new international students seeking admission into Primary 2–5 and Secondary 1–3. Primary 6 and Secondary 4 are critical levels where students sit for major examinations held towards the end of the year. Parents should be mindful that it would not be in the students’ interest to be admitted to these critical levels of Primary 6 and Secondary 4.
Details for the 2010 AEIS centralised tests for admissions in 2011 are now available on the AEIS webpage.
International students seeking school admission to Primary 1 (P1) in the current academic year 2010 can approach schools directly to apply for admission, subject to the availability of vacancies and schools’ admission criteria.
International students who are of age 6+ and below 7 as of 1 January in the year of admission can apply to the school of choice during Phase 3 of the P1 Registration Exercise for admission to P1 in the following year. Hence, international students who were born between 2 January 2004 and 1 January 2005 may register at the 2010 P1 Registration Exercise for admission to P1 in January 2011. If they miss the P1 Registration Exercise, they can approach their schools of choice directly to apply for admission after the Exercise. -
I have seen this particular page. My daughter was born in Dec 2004 so she is too young for P2 (and probably not ready for that either). She had started 1st grade in the US before we moved here. The MOE has told me several times that she does not need to take an entrance exam. The problem is that ever school I’ve called (probably about 40, by now) has no vacancies for foreign students. The MOE just tells me to get on some more waiting lists and that there is nothing else they can do. They did also recommend waiting a year and trying again next year. But what if I just end up on more waiting lists?:( We have been homeschooling as much as possible using the Singapore math and english curricula so hopefully she is not falling behind…
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I suppose your next best bet is to go for the P1 registration exercise in the middle of this year and try for Phase 3 with all the other foreigners. I guess as a foreigner it is harder for you to get a place in the local system. In the meantime, maybe you'll just have to keep calling the schools and hope for the best. Call them again after a few weeks to remind them of your presence.
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The administrators at schools that are really close to me already know me pretty well. I don’t call everyday, but they know who I am when I call and enquire about my status on the waiting list.
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6 years old in Singapore is Kindergarten 2.
Primary 1 starts with 7 years old.
So you should start with Primary 1 Registration (which every local goes through) at Phase 3 (for locals who has missed the previous phases and also for foreigners) in the middle of this year and get into a school starting from Primary 1. -
JonC:
Dear maryellen, JonC is right. No Primary school will accept any child below 7 years old unless there are compelling evidence of exceptional giftedness. If your child's age is really 6 years old now (and not a typo), then you will have to put him in a Kindergarten and then register him during Phase 3 of the Primary 1 Registration process in August this year.6 years old in Singapore is Kindergarten 2.
Primary 1 starts with 7 years old.
So you should start with Primary 1 Registration (which every local goes through) at Phase 3 (for locals who has missed the previous phases and also for foreigners) in the middle of this year and get into a school starting from Primary 1. -
None of kindergartens here (that I have called) will accept her because she was born in 2004. They have all told me as has the MOE that she needs to be in Primary 1. This is from the MOE’s website:
Under the Compulsory Education Act, Singapore Citizens born after 1 January 1996 and residing in Singapore are required to attend national primary schools regularly. Hence, if your child was born between 2 January 2004 and 1 January 2005, you would have to register him or her at the 2010 Primary One Registration Exercise for admission to Primary One in January 2011.
Her birthday is December 2004, so I think this qualifies her for Primary 1. She is not a citizen, so obviously the compulsory education part doesn’t apply. Are the age requirements different for foreigners? -
maryellen:
None of kindergartens here (that I have called) will accept her because she was born in 2004. They have all told me as has the MOE that she needs to be in Primary 1.
If she is born in 2004, then it is right, she should be in Primary 1 now. I'm surprised that none of the 40 schools you called have any vacancies. Are the 40 schools randomly chosen or did you choose them because they are near you? Whereabouts do you stay? You might want to scan last year's http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/singapore-primary-1-registration-school-balloting-history to spot those schools that have vacancies even after Phase 3. They are the schools which have 2009 bars that do not reach 100%. They should be able to accept your child.
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