Hi all. I wanted to send my query to the JSA thread but that thread has been dead for two years now. So I’m posting here as DSA is of secondary relevance to my query.
My son is currently in P5. Studying in Keming and that’s because of travel convenience. At Keming he’s in the Boys Brigade. He loves sports - been training and playing competitive rugby union with an external club for 6 years since he was 4 and been training and playing competitive tennis since 7. On top of that he has done one year of JSA (two terms - softball and track and field). Now we received a strange and unexpected email from the good JSA folks a few days ago. The email is an “Invitation to join the JSA One-year Track and Field programme in the 2nd JSA year” (actual subject of email) asking whether he’d like to forgo two terms of rotational sports and focus on Track and Field for the remainder (one year / two terms) of his JSA programme. Training is at Singapore Sports School which is a bummer due to distance (school in Woodlands). We don’t know how to approach this because TnF has never been in our radar (plan was trial for rugby and tennis at one school, and then rugby for another school; but both comes with own risks/issues: tennis is incredibly competitive and rugby has high injury risk especially in secondary school) and would like to seek opinions/advise especially those with similar experience.
Sooo… has someone been through this ie sports specialisation via JSA before? How does DSA for Track & Field work? There is a call this weekend with the JSA folks (apparently specialisation only for track and field, water polo/flippaball and fencing) but wanted to get perspectives apart from JSA.
Latest posts made by SmokedTerkey
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RE: DSA 2024
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RE: All about Transferring to Other Primary Schools
zac's mum\" post_id=\"2030415\" time=\"1626159157\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2030415 time=1626159157 user_id=53606]
If u are eyeing those schools, my suggestion to you is just put in your transfer/waitlist application at those schools directly. Don’t wait.SmokedTerkey\" post_id=\"2030377\" time=\"1626142500\" user_id=\"193557:
Wow - zac's mum you're indeed a grandmaster!! We are not aiming for PCPS. Looking at either one of ACS (P or J) or SJI J. Academically, his current school is great but CCA's not really robust. My young one, who is currently in P2 (born 2013) loves rugby and tennis. Both ACSes offer both sports as CCA, whereas SJI J offers tennis (albeit both rugby and tennis in secondary school). When we applied for his current school, his love for sports wasn't very too obvious (rugby since 4+, tennis he picked up early P1 and is loving it). Thought he would benefit in going to a school that has official CCA in the sports he love (and allow him to compete when covid is over) as compared to current school that doesn't offer CCA in tennis or rugby.[/quote][quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2030244 time=1626062501 user_id=53606]Hi SmokedTerkey,
You’d be checking out the TPY school that you want your P3 to transfer to in 2022, right?
https://peichunpublic.moe.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2020-Ballot-History-29-June.pdf
Assuming you are targeting PCPS (the most popular school in TPY), their intake has been 300 for the past 3 years.
300 would be 10 classes of 30 kids in P1P2. But when they move up to P3, they’d be reshuffled into 8 classes of 40 (=320), which leaves 320-300=20 places for new transferrees.
If you want to check out the intake of the other TPY schools, you can see at this table:
https://postimg.cc/4758nWy1
DS is P5 in ACSJ. Throughout his school experience, we have seen many boys transferring in successfully, at P2, P3, P4, P5…There are always slots opening up (I can’t speak for other schools), and those earlier on the waitlist may have declined to take up the spot due to changed circumstances. Successful applicants I know were either very talented (sports or performing arts) and/or had siblings in the school and/or lived next door to the school.
I do not know much about Rugby and Tennis CCAs in ACSJ, but I do know that ALL the boys get to learn these sports (among others) recreationally during their usual PE lessons. The competitive-level CCAs seem to be quite stringent in their criteria for joining. I know kids who have gone for the selection trials every year but still not gotten into the CCA.
So…maybe like other forummers have suggested, just continue the sports externally rather than transfer school just for the sport.
Off the top of my head, for cohort size, ACSJ intake is 270 while ACSP intake is 240.[/quote]Hi zac's mum,
The suggestion of continuing the sports externally is what I'm ready for, if transfer doesn't pan out.
Regarding the advise to \"just put in your transfer/waitlist application at those schools directly\":
(1) if you put in the application today, will the application sit in the queue and progress indefinitely without expiry (as they process applications that ends up with successful transfer and rejection, or as you mentioned applicants dropping out due to change of circumstances)? I guess I'm wondering whether we need to check on the status once in a while and reapply if it does expire - say after review at the end of each academic year?
(2) will the child get a definite \"unsuccessful\" outcome i.e. you only get one shot? If so, will it be better to wait for us to put in the most \"optimal\" application (GEP results since there are no real tests/exams prior to GEP, showing strides in sports in concrete achievements/wins when tournaments restart)?
(3) if you application sits in the queue indefinitely without expiry, are you allowed to update it e.g. when the child gets his GEP results?
(4) if there is no definite \"unsuccessful\" does that mean your application get passed on again and again by other children (more qualified e.g. with siblings) but at least you're in front in the queue compared to others in the same boat?
(5) do often is the application review done?
Sorry for the plentiful questions. I've tried to be as systematic as I possibly could. Thank you so much for your help, I'm very humbled by sharing so far. -
RE: All about Transferring to Other Primary Schools
F3parent\" post_id=\"2030407\" time=\"1626157541\" user_id=\"165232:
also, can consider to put him in a rugby club like centaurs?
Just want to highlight that if you are chasing for branded schools like ACS (P or J) or SJIJ, the waitlist is long. You probably wouldn't want to wait till P3 after GEP to put in a transfer. There are many people waiting since end of P1 registration and you would to be in the mix if an opening appears.floppy\" post_id=\"2030378\" time=\"1626143719\" user_id=\"97579:
[quote=SmokedTerkey post_id=2030377 time=1626142500 user_id=193557]
Wow - zac's mum you're indeed a grandmaster!! We are not aiming for PCPS. Looking at either one of ACS (P or J) or SJI J. Academically, his current school is great but CCA's not really robust. My young one, who is currently in P2 (born 2013) loves rugby and tennis. Both ACSes offer both sports as CCA, whereas SJI J offers tennis (albeit both rugby and tennis in secondary school). When we applied for his current school, his love for sports wasn't very too obvious (rugby since 4+, tennis he picked up early P1 and is loving it). Thought he would benefit in going to a school that has official CCA in the sports he love (and allow him to compete when covid is over) as compared to current school that doesn't offer CCA in tennis or rugby.
If it's Rugby that he loves, you may want to consider another, albeit less branded, school that is equally (and probably more) rugby mad. I don't think any other primary school can claim up to having 6 competition teams and 6 development squads (U8, U9, U10, U11, U13)
my son loves rugby too. I used to play so i have been coaching him since he was 5. He is waiting for the ACSJ CCA to start to take up rugby[/quote]Hi F3parent - he's been playing since 4 (U5) with TRC, he loves it although he's getting bored without tournaments (he last played in the Centaur international tournament in Nov 2019 for the U6 group, just before the dang covid). I coach him too and I also coach his age group (U8) since last year. Got my Level 1 coaching quals just this year from WR. It's just a shame I feel that he can't be part of a school team because competitions is sure to motivate him. I suppose your son is in ACSJ? That's great. It's a shame mine loves rugby but limited to external rugby. -
RE: All about Transferring to Other Primary Schools
MerlionInGermany\" post_id=\"2030398\" time=\"1626153293\" user_id=\"2964:
Thanks guys. I have looked into Sembawang, Endeavour, Casuarina, Damai, North Vista - but they are cruelly too far from where we live (Bukit Timah - Beauty World). Looking into stacking the cards for application end of P3, hoping that he'd do well enough in GEP test next year for a stronger sports-academia combination application.
My friend’s kids were in Sembawang Pri rugby. Many of them had dsa offers to acsb , sas and evergreen. -
RE: All about Transferring to Other Primary Schools
zac's mum\" post_id=\"2030244\" time=\"1626062501\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2030244 time=1626062501 user_id=53606]
Wow - zac's mum you're indeed a grandmaster!! We are not aiming for PCPS. Looking at either one of ACS (P or J) or SJI J. Academically, his current school is great but CCA's not really robust. My young one, who is currently in P2 (born 2013) loves rugby and tennis. Both ACSes offer both sports as CCA, whereas SJI J offers tennis (albeit both rugby and tennis in secondary school). When we applied for his current school, his love for sports wasn't very too obvious (rugby since 4+, tennis he picked up early P1 and is loving it). Thought he would benefit in going to a school that has official CCA in the sports he love (and allow him to compete when covid is over) as compared to current school that doesn't offer CCA in tennis or rugby.
Hi SmokedTerkey,
You’d be checking out the TPY school that you want your P3 to transfer to in 2022, right?
https://peichunpublic.moe.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2020-Ballot-History-29-June.pdf
Assuming you are targeting PCPS (the most popular school in TPY), their intake has been 300 for the past 3 years.
300 would be 10 classes of 30 kids in P1P2. But when they move up to P3, they’d be reshuffled into 8 classes of 40 (=320), which leaves 320-300=20 places for new transferrees.
If you want to check out the intake of the other TPY schools, you can see at this table:
https://postimg.cc/4758nWy1[/quote] -
RE: All about Transferring to Other Primary Schools
phtthp\" post_id=\"2030130\" time=\"1625990486\" user_id=\"35251:
Hi SmokedTerkey,
Hi Zac's mum, could you please enlighten me re P3 class increase to 40? I'm quite ignorant about changes in size of classes for primary school. Before I read this, I'm under the impression that the best time to transfer school would be end of P3 because of the movements of students due to GEP results (students leaving targeted school for GEP, making spots for others to come in)? Pray tell about the class size hypothesis in primary school. Is this the same for all primary schools every year?SmokedTerkey\" post_id=\"2030122\" time=\"1625989638\" user_id=\"193557:
[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2023066 time=1620377528 user_id=53606]It looks like still got time. Finalizing doesn’t take so long. U can choose to exercise your OTP sooner. (Hopefully you aren’t waiting for the sale of your current residence to go through first!)
Get your #2 into the TPY school first. Then put your #1 on the waiting list at that same school. I’m pretty sure he will be at the top of the list due to sibling + distance proximity trumps all the rest. Next year P3 class size increases to 40, so will almost guaranteed have place for him next year. In the meantime travelling from TPY to Punggol for a few months isn’t that far.
Google your own child's primary school's website.
Compare the
Total number of P2 classes
VS.
Total number of P3 classes.
What's the difference ?
P3 open up how many more new classes ?
1 more new class ?
( the rest of you, who are keen to find out what's the difference in terms of the Total number of classes in Primary 2 vs. Primary 3, may check your own school)[/quote]Sorry phtthp, went through the school website. Not even in the FAQs. Tried to google too. Tried two occasions - morning using my phone and just now using my laptop. Nothing. :roll: -
RE: All about Transferring to Other Primary Schools
zac's mum\" post_id=\"2023066\" time=\"1620377528\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2023066 time=1620377528 user_id=53606]
Hi Zac's mum, could you please enlighten me re P3 class increase to 40? I'm quite ignorant about changes in size of classes for primary school. Before I read this, I'm under the impression that the best time to transfer school would be end of P3 because of the movements of students due to GEP results (students leaving targeted school for GEP, making spots for others to come in)? Pray tell about the class size hypothesis in primary school. Is this the same for all primary schools every year?
It looks like still got time. Finalizing doesn’t take so long. U can choose to exercise your OTP sooner. (Hopefully you aren’t waiting for the sale of your current residence to go through first!)
Get your #2 into the TPY school first. Then put your #1 on the waiting list at that same school. I’m pretty sure he will be at the top of the list due to sibling + distance proximity trumps all the rest. Next year P3 class size increases to 40, so will almost guaranteed have place for him next year. In the meantime travelling from TPY to Punggol for a few months isn’t that far.[/quote] -
RE: All About GEP
revils_ling\" post_id=\"2029537\" time=\"1625633176\" user_id=\"136480:
Just to clarify before anything goes South from here... my reply was based on what my knowledge/memory of a GEP-related incident that I thought would be relevant to your initial query, and there was no intentional emphasis on PRs or PRs trying to get ahead of locals in any way. IMHO, people in general just want to get ahead in life, not specifically ahead of anyone in particular.
Full disclosure: the child I was referring to in soliciting advice for transfer to a school that suits the child (it's not about chasing school brands; in fact, the parents are not keen on top super academic schools, but rather schools that suit a child who loves sports and yet understand that studies comes first) is Singaporean.SmokedTerkey\" post_id=\"2029523\" time=\"1625628665\" user_id=\"193557:
[quote=skii post_id=2029382 time=1625545501 user_id=82603]
with that elder boy successfully entered the \"Bukit Timah\" school.
(top 10, not RGPS since its a boy, then its ACS, NYPS, HPPS liao lo)
the younger child gets a phase 1 - P1 registration.
the grand kids gets a phase 2A1 - P1 registration.
That's how PR manages to get ahead of SG. (for P1 registration only)
(not right no wrong, just a method and I think it's not entirely unfair too.
the SG parents can also apply a transfer at P3 too - if they are hungry enough)
But I must check why is there an emphasise on PR trying to get ahead of Singaporeans? Singaporeans have been trying to get ahead of each other (commonly getting child into a good school through siblings and through alumni) en mass for decades that it's mainstream, so common that nobody blinks an eye. Given the xenophobic atmosphere these days, statements like these - i.e. what a small group of non-citizens are doing whether it's to get ahead of Singaporeans or not, especially when it's perfectly legal, not unethical - in my opinion, are unhelpful.
Pure speculation here but I'm guessing these parents are just trying to overcome the \"alumni handicap\" and \"citizen over non-citizen prioritisation handicap\" that many local children have.
Anyway, my point was to share what I knew that happened from a few years back, and not to create xenophobia (which I'm personally against as well, or any sort of unnecessary animosity against others). I hope whoever that intends to reply or contribute to this topic moving forward doesn't digress from the the original question/topic. Thanks for reading! 🙏[/quote]Folks - I am very grateful and thankful for the very informative advice. What I have gained here is that (a) schools review transfer application once a year towards the end of the academic year, (b) one does not have to wait for GEP test results in P3 to apply for the transfer, (c) good GEP result (even for screening round) is indeed helpful in building a case for transfer. These are very informative in terms of helping my child to plan for the next 12-18 months. Thank you everyone.
Perhaps I should have emphasised that the discussion should be purely about GEP and school transfer and not to be sidetracked by discussions of \"us vs them\" which is actually very disheartening (if you guys have been following the news of the real world or have been reading forums/facebook comments the us-vs-them matter has been spiralling - Sg citizen vs SPR vs foreigners, Chinese vs Indians, Indians vs Malays, CECA, etc). Sigh. -
RE: All About GEP
skii\" post_id=\"2029382\" time=\"1625545501\" user_id=\"82603:
with that elder boy successfully entered the \"Bukit Timah\" school.revils_ling\" post_id=\"2028884\" time=\"1625188980\" user_id=\"136480:
[quote=SmokedTerkey post_id=2028822 time=1625131593 user_id=193557]Hi all,
I've been reading up on GEP lately but ultimately quite new at this.
Suppose a P2 child is in an academically-inclined, CCA-weak neighbourhood school (one of the more popular and consistently oversubscribed ones) but unfortunately his/her personality suits better in a school that are both academic (child loves learning and has been getting good feedback from teacher) and strong in CCA particularly in sports (as the child loves sports and has been doing 4 types of sports since young with strong inclination/passion/talent in 2 out of the 4).
Are there then instances/precedent where the child does well in both GEP screening and selection tests and offered a place in GEP but the child wants to stay \"mainstream\" i.e. regular PSLE in another school? Could s/he use the GEP test results to get into another primary school that is strong in academic and sports without committing to the GEP?
I've come across children being made GEP offer and took up on the offer and then went to one of the 9 primary schools offering GEP. I've also came across children acing GEP and then turned down the offer to stay put (no change in school) and stay mainstream (regular PSLE). But the case above - so far have not come across this.
Hi, I met a PR family a few years ago who did in fact use their eldest's boy's GEP Round 1 results released in October that year (where he was also invited to sit for Round 2, although he didn't get thru), in conjunction with his semester 1 exams results for P3 to apply for a transfer from a less popular neighbourhood school in Bedok to a much more popular school in Bukit Timah (supposedly a top 10 school in Sg based on https://www.comp.nus.edu.sg). The request for transfer was made in mid-October that year and by end-November, their preferred school in Bukit Timah had approved the transfer and the entire family shifted from Bedok to Bukit Timah because of that, even though the dad was working in Ubi. I remembered this because I was amazed at the whole swiftness of it all (everything happened within less than 2 months 😅). And I remembered being told by the mum that it was a widely \"practiced\" method in their PR community to use their child's GEP Round 1 results to apply for school transfer to a more popular school in Sg if they aren't already in one yet.
Now that my child is in primary school, and I have met some other PR parents as well, and heard similar stories, it does seem that this usage of GEP Round 1 results amongst the PR community is true to some extent. I suppose there's no harm giving it a try if your intention is to help your child to transfer to a school that you feel will be more suitable for him/her.
(top 10, not RGPS since its a boy, then its ACS, NYPS, HPPS liao lo)
the younger child gets a phase 1 - P1 registration.
the grand kids gets a phase 2A1 - P1 registration.
That's how PR manages to get ahead of SG. (for P1 registration only)
(not right no wrong, just a method and I think it's not entirely unfair too.
the SG parents can also apply a transfer at P3 too - if they are hungry enough)[/quote]Full disclosure: the child I was referring to in soliciting advice for transfer to a school that suits the child (it's not about chasing school brands; in fact, the parents are not keen on top super academic schools, but rather schools that suit a child who loves sports and yet understand that studies comes first) is Singaporean.
But I must check why is there an emphasise on PR trying to get ahead of Singaporeans? Singaporeans have been trying to get ahead of each other (commonly getting child into a good school through siblings and through alumni) en mass for decades that it's mainstream, so common that nobody blinks an eye. Given the xenophobic atmosphere these days, statements like these - i.e. what a small group of non-citizens are doing whether it's to get ahead of Singaporeans or not, especially when it's perfectly legal, not unethical - in my opinion, are unhelpful.
Pure speculation here but I'm guessing these parents are just trying to overcome the \"alumni handicap\" and \"citizen over non-citizen prioritisation handicap\" that many local children have. -
RE: All About GEP
Hi all,
I’ve been reading up on GEP lately but ultimately quite new at this.
Suppose a P2 child is in an academically-inclined, CCA-weak neighbourhood school (one of the more popular and consistently oversubscribed ones) but unfortunately his/her personality suits better in a school that are both academic (child loves learning and has been getting good feedback from teacher) and strong in CCA particularly in sports (as the child loves sports and has been doing 4 types of sports since young with strong inclination/passion/talent in 2 out of the 4).
Are there then instances/precedent where the child does well in both GEP screening and selection tests and offered a place in GEP but the child wants to stay “mainstream” i.e. regular PSLE in another school? Could s/he use the GEP test results to get into another primary school that is strong in academic and sports without committing to the GEP?
I’ve come across children being made GEP offer and took up on the offer and then went to one of the 9 primary schools offering GEP. I’ve also came across children acing GEP and then turned down the offer to stay put (no change in school) and stay mainstream (regular PSLE). But the case above - so far have not come across this.