Local school admission for Foreigners

[crazysafari]

Hi,

We are from Australia and have been living in SG for a year now. Our child has been going to an International School, Grade-2 and we are now thinking of moving her to a local school as can't afford the fees any more...

I understand there is a registration process followed by a screening test in oct/nov. However I am worried that even after going through the test, admission to the right school may not be guaranteed for foreigners.

Has anyone gone through this process. Is there any other way I can get admission into a neighbourhood local school?

The MOE website also asks for choice of area...but this is like putting the cart before the horse..as I am not even guaranteed a school in the area. So what do foreigners end up doing? Can they transfer to a local school of their choice down the road???

anyone can share their experience?

[nutnut]

How old are they? what age is Grade 2? It is different from school to school.

If your son/daughter is turning 7 next calendar year (Jan - Dec) then you are pretty much out of luck, all primary schools are full due to the kids being Golden Pigs (Chinese Zodiac, very lucky apparently)

Otherwise, just contact MOE directly, they are the best ones to advise where you can go!

[crazysafari]

How old are they? what age is Grade 2? It is different from school to school.

If your son/daughter is turning 7 next calendar year (Jan - Dec) then you are pretty much out of luck, all primary schools are full due to the kids being Golden Pigs (Chinese Zodiac, very lucky apparently)

Otherwise, just contact MOE directly, they are the best ones to advise where you can go!

thanks nutnut.

No she is turning 8. So I guess she will be eligible for Primary-2 or 3.
Would local schools entertain if I approach them directly or do I need to go through the centralised registration process and test in Sept/Oct?
If I ring MOE would they entertain me and guide me to neighbourhood schools with vacancy?

[katbh]

Hi

I have had all of my children go through local schools for the last 10 years. My youngest is in P3 (9 years) and my oldest is just doing her O levels in sec 4. ( I have quite a few children)
It is relatively easy to get your children into local schools - do not believe the nay sayers, they are just voicing frustrations being spread about the difficulty of getting into YOUR SCHOOL OF CHOICE in P1. If your child is after P1, it is easier.
There are two options -
1. Go to MOE who will tell you closest primary school with vacancy
2. Approach school directly.
I would recommend second approach.
As local children are less likely to move around schools (unlike international kids), when a child leaves the school , the place is opened up to you.
If you would like specific advice on your own case, perhaps you could pm me with your children's ages and where you live. I could give you assistance from what I know....

[Nazishadnan]

Hi katbh

Which Skool do your kids go to? We are trying to get our kids admitted to a local Skool. Can you name some good local skools.

Thanks

[Nazishadnan]

Crazy safari

Did u get your child admitted? If yes then which school?

[katbh]

It depends on your area. But really, all local schools are good. Where are you located?

[merichan]

We choose to go through the AEIS with our daughter to get her admitted in local schools.


We started with contacting the schools in our area, and discovered we would have had to apply to all the schools in our area, as all of them had waiting lists opened in hope to get a spot... to much hassle and stress for our daughter.


Very few information is available for the AEIS, indeed they don't guarantee a spot and the area they're going to be able to place the child in case they can place him/her.


Going through the test I understood why: most children attending the test are not even living in Singapore yet, they take the test in hope to be able to get a spot in Singapore schools.

It's just unbelievable to attend that test: most kids have their whole family with them, most of the time fresh from the airport. Attending the test is something huge for them with a lot of hope riding on it.

Then there is a few kids that already live in Singapore - as we were- and from what I could see for those kids, once we finalised the school registration and could meet the dozen other new comers in the school of our daughter, as long as the child is literate in english, they indeed find a spot for the child.

But with the AEIS you get no choice of school, and if no school have vacancies in the area close to your home, your child might have to travel quite a lot ( let's say for example if you live in bishan area, your child is doomed to long commute time)

In our case, we got a spot in a school nearby, and our daughter is really happy there.

[SoumitaB]

Hi,
Is there any local integrated school in Singapore which admits expat kids ?

[bro75]

Many local schools accept foreigners (expats) but due to limited vacancies only a few percent of foreigners can get a slot.

The procedure to get into primary 1 (for next school year Jan 2020) is below:
https://www.moe.gov.sg/admissions/prima ... t-children

The procedure to get into primary 2 to 5 is below:
https://www.moe.gov.sg/admissions/inter ... s-exercise

If you are able to successfully register your child, then it is MOE who will assign the school. You can indicate your preference but there is no guarantee of getting a slot.