How to use your home address to get priority admission for Primary 1 Registration Exercise
- Sage Homes
- Jul 5, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 10, 2023
(Photo: Facebook/Chan Chun Sing)
It is no secret that parents want the best for their children. While there isn’t a fixed method for raising successful children, parents make every effort to provide them with the best opportunities available. This includes the enrolment of their children in reputable schools to secure a strong educational foundation and ideally, an advantageous start in life.
One method to enhance your chances would be to reside within 1km of the desired school. Here is a step-by-step guide for all parents who are looking to take advantage of the priority given under the Home-School Distance category.
1. Shortlist your ideal primary schools
Research and shortlist a few primary schools that you might be interested in, taking into consideration your child’s learning needs and interests. Do also gather information about the school culture; religious education (if any); its location; availability of co-curricular activities; affiliation with secondary schools; etc. It would also be beneficial to visit the school and its surroundings to gain a better understanding of the environment that your child will be growing up in.
Here are some of the popular primary schools in Singapore:
- Rosyth School
- Nanyang Primary School
- Tao Nan School
- Anglo-Chinese School
- Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School
- CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School
- Nan Hua Primary School
2. Understand the different application phases and how distance affects priority admission for Primary 1 registration
You may register your child online in a phase as long as you fulfil at least one of the requirements for that phase.
Phase 1 | For a child who has a sibling studying in the primary school. |
Phase 2A | For a child:
From the MOE Kindergarten under the purview of and located within the primary school. |
Phase 2B | For a child:
Whose parent is endorsed as an active community leader. |
Phase 2C | For a child who is not yet registered in a primary school. |
Phase 2C Supplementary | For a child who is not yet registered in a primary school after Phase 2C. |
Parents should note that they can register their child for only one school in any phase as multiple registrations are not accepted. However, if your registration is unsuccessful in Phases 2A, 2B or 2C, you can register your child in their next eligible phase.
If your registration remains unsuccessful in Phase 2C Supplementary, your child will be posted to a school with available vacancy.
The demand for a place in a popular school is consistently higher than the vacancies available. If your chosen primary school has more registrants than vacancies, priority is given in this order:
Singapore Citizens (SC) living within 1km of the school.
SCs living between 1km and 2km of the school.
SCs living outside 2km of the school.
Permanent Residents (PR) living within 1km of the school.
PRs living between 1km and 2km of the school.
PRs living outside 2km of the school.
Given the phases available and the priority given in admission, having a residential address that is within 1km of the school would give your child an advantage during the P1 registration exercise.
3. Check the historical vacancies and balloting data
Access MOE website to check the historical vacancies and balloting data to have a better gauge of the popularity of the school:
4. Check the distance between your home and the school
If you want to check whether your home is within 1km to the desired school, check the MOE website.
If you have a desired school in mind and are considering to buy or rent a flat within 1km, check One Map's School Query function
Steps:
Click on “School Query”
Click on “Primary School”
Click on “Find Buildings Near a School”
Input primary school name in the search field
This map will assist you in identifying the areas which are within 1km or between 1-2km of your desired primary school.
5. Take note of the 30-month stay requirement
It is a common misconception that a child has to reside at the address used for registration for a period of time before the P1 Registration Exercise. This is not true.
A child who gains priority admission through their distance category is required to reside at the address used for registration for at least 30 months from the start of the P1 Registration Exercise. Failure to comply may result in MOE transferring the child to another school with available vacancies.
6. Plan out your timeline and finances
Parents looking to purchase or rent a flat close to a prestigious primary school should take into consideration various factors such as time taken to find, renovate and settle into the flat. If you are looking to rent, do ensure that your landlord is willing to provide a lease for the entire 30-month duration, or you may have to scramble for another unit in the event your lease is not renewed.
Common questions:
1. Can I use a caregiver’s address for the registration?
Yes. You must make a declaration of alternative child-care arrangement for your child's P1 registration if you want to use the address of a caregiver living within 2km of your preferred school.
You can make a declaration if you meet both of these conditions:
You and your spouse are both working full-time at the time the declaration is made.
Your child is under the care of a grandparent or a parent's sibling.
You are strongly encouraged to make your declaration early. You must receive the approval email from MOE before you can register your child for P1 using the caregiver's address.
30-month stay requirement
If the caregiver’s address is successfully used for priority admission, you will have to continue with the same childcare arrangement at the same address for at least 30 months from the start of P1 Registration Exercise. If not, your child may be transferred to another school with vacancies.
2. Can I use the address of a property that is still under construction?
Yes. You can register your child for P1 using the address of a yet-to-be completed property you have purchased.
The vacant or delivery possession date of the new property you are moving into must be within 2 years of your child's entry into P1. You will need to undertake during registration that you will move into your new property within 2 years of your child’s entry into P1. After you have registered, you must email one of these documents to the school during the phase that you are registering for:
For HDB flat: A copy of the Agreement For Lease (AFL), which can be downloaded from MyHDBPage.
For private property: A copy of the original Sales and Purchase agreement.)
Find the school’s email address on Schoolfinder.
30-month stay requirement
A child who secures a school place through the Home-School Distance category priority must stay at the new address for at least 30 months starting from the time your family moves into your new home. If not, your child may be transferred to another school with vacancies.
3. Can I use the address of a property that I have purchased but have not moved into?
Yes. You can register your child for P1 using the address of a resale property you have purchased. You will need to undertake during the registration that you will move into your new resale property by the start of your child's P1 academic year.
After you have registered, you must email one of these documents to the school during the phase you are registering for:
For HDB flat: A printout of the resale flat status from the HDB Flat Portal. It must indicate that HDB has received your application to buy a resale flat.
For private property: The exercised Option-To-Purchase (OTP) and buyer’s Stamp Duty Certificate.
Find the school’s email address on Schoolfinder.
30-month stay requirement
A child who secures a school place through the Home-School Distance category priority using the address of a new resale property must stay at the new address for at least 30 months from the start of the child's P1 academic year. If not, your child may be transferred to another school with vacancies.
4. How is the distance to the school calculated?
Source: moe.gov.sg
Previously, the distance between home and school is determined using a single reference point within the school’s original layout. From 2022 Primary 1 registration Exercise, the distance will be calculated using the shortest distance from a point on the boundary around the school to the applicant’s home.
5. If a school is moving to another site, which site address is used to determine the Home-School Distance category for P1 registration?
If the school relocates because of a merger or because it has a new site, the home-school distance category will be based on the new site of the school, starting from the year of P1 registration where successful registrants will study in the new site.
If the school moves to a holding school while waiting for its permanent site to be upgraded or rebuilt, the permanent site of the school will be used to determine the distance.
6. What is the age requirement for children to be admitted to Primary 1?
Children must be at least 6 years old on 1 January in the year of their admission to P1.
For example, children born between 2 January 2017 and 1 January 2018 (both dates inclusive) are due for admission to P1 in 2024. They should take part in the 2023 P1 Registration Exercise. Click here to check when your child is eligible for P1 registration.
7. When does MOE release the P1 Registration Exercise dates and information?
P1 registration dates are typically released in May every year, through the P1 Registration Exercise press release.
Informative article!