Last Updated on August 1, 2023 by Parentology
Contents
As a parent preparing for your child’s entrance into the world of primary education, you may wonder, which schools will resort to a balloting process during Phase 2B of the Primary 1 enrollment cycle?
According to recent reports from Singapore’s Ministry of Education, this year, 31 primary schools have exceeded their enrollment capacities during Phase 2B of the Primary 1 registration process. This figure, which was released on Thursday (Jul 27), is somewhat less compared to the previous year, which saw an oversubscription in 33 primary schools.
The enrollment window for Phase 2B kicked off bright and early at 9am on Monday and concluded at 4.30pm the following Tuesday. Statistics relating to the volume of applications for each school were disseminated on Thursday evening.
A staggering number of over 2,300 eager applicants vied for approximately 6,400 available spots during Phase 2B. Out of the 31 schools exceeding their admission capacities this year, a whopping 30 are slated for a balloting process. The outcome of these ballots will be disclosed on the upcoming Monday 31 July 2023.
What is Phase 2B
Phase 2B represents the final stage where children associated with a particular school have the opportunity to apply for the subsequent year’s admission. This year, Tao Nan School topped the list as the most oversubscribed institution during Phase 2B, where 68 young hopefuls contended for a mere 20 openings.
Not far behind, Nan Chiau Primary School faced a competitive scenario with 123 applications for only 45 available spots. Holy Innocents’ Primary School also experienced a similar influx, receiving applications from 53 children for a limited 20 positions.
Following these top contenders were Fairfield Methodist School, Ai Tong School, and CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, which also dealt with a surge of applicants during this phase.
Why Ballot?
Balloting serves as a solution when the volume of applicants surpasses the available openings in a school. This procedure can transpire during any phase from Phase 2A through to Phase 2C supplementary.
Priority access to the school is established based on a specific hierarchy: Singaporean residents dwelling within a 1km radius of the school are given first preference. Following them, Singaporeans residing between 1km and 2km of the school are considered. Next in line are Singaporeans living beyond a 2km distance from the school. Finally, permanent residents fitting into the same distance categories are then considered for admission.
Singaporean children who reside within 1km of the following schools will undergo balloting due to oversubscription:
| Balloting for Singaporean Children Living Within 1km |
|---|
| Ai Tong School |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) |
| Catholic High School (Primary) |
| CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh) |
| CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School (Primary) |
| Chongfu School |
| Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) |
| Henry Park Primary School |
| Holy Innocents’ Primary School |
| Kong Hwa School |
| Methodist Girls’ School (Primary) |
| Nan Chiau Primary School |
| Nan Hua Primary School |
| Nanyang Primary School |
| Pei Chun Public School |
| Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School |
| Rosyth School |
| Rulang Primary School |
| South View Primary School |
| St Hilda’s Primary School |
| Tao Nan School |
Related
For Singaporean children living between 1km and 2km from the school, balloting will occur at the following institutions:
| Balloting for Singaporean Children Living Between 1km and 2km |
|---|
| Bukit Panjang Primary School |
| Maris Stella High School (Primary) |
| Poi Ching School |
| St Joseph’s Institution Junior |
In the case of Singaporean children residing more than 2km away from their chosen school, the balloting process will be implemented at Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School and Maha Bodhi School.
For children of permanent residents living within a 1km radius of the school, balloting will take place at Admiralty Primary School and Red Swastika School.
However, it’s noteworthy to mention that despite experiencing an overflow of applications, Northland Primary School has decided against conducting a ballot this year.
You May Be Interested
As of 2022, there’s been a change in the seat reservation structure for students applying under Phase 2B and Phase 2C – now 20 and 40 seats respectively are kept aside. Prior to this, both phases had an equal reservation of 20 spots each.
Phase 2B is specifically designed for children who either have a parent volunteering at the school or have a parent endorsed by a directly linked church or clan to the primary school. This phase also opens the doors for children of parents serving as active community leaders.
For those applying in this phase with the qualification of having a parent as an active community leader, there’s an essential requirement that they must be residing within a 2km radius of the school. Furthermore, this address should have been their residence for a minimum duration of 30 months, starting from the inception of the Primary 1 registration exercise, which commences on July 4th.
Should the family fail to fulfill the 30-month stay condition, the Ministry of Education (MOE) retains the authority to relocate the child to another school with available vacancies.
Following Phase 2B, we have Phase 2C, which is open to all children. The details regarding the number of vacancies for this phase will be announced the next Monday, with registration kickstarting at 9am on Tuesday. The registration window closes at 4:30pm on Thursday.
