Choosing The Best Primary School For Your Kids In Singapore

The key to choosing the right primary school in Singapore depends on a couple of important factors.

Some of these factors have to do with the school in question, while some of them are completely related to your child’s personality and individual ability.

Let us take a look at some of the practical factors that one should take into consideration while choosing a primary school. 

Distance

The first thing to consider is how close your preferred primary school is to your home. 

A shorter distance between school and home reduces the time spent on travelling and the overall cost of transportation. 

This would naturally mean that your child will have more time and energy to focus on school activities rather than travelling. 

It will also reduce your stress as a parent because a shorter commute minimises the tension of getting stuck in traffic on your way to work. 

Finally, when your child is old enough to drive, you will be more at peace knowing they won’t have to wander too far away from home. 

What’s more, living within 1 to 2 km away from a primary school significantly increases the chances of your child being admitted to that particular school. 

This is because the primary school selection process in Singapore favours those applicants who are physically closest to the school.

Like most things in Singapore, location is critical.

It’s not a rare scenario for parents to prefer living in areas with plenty of primary schools in the vicinity. 

Locations like Jurong West, Pasir Ris, Toa Payoh and Choa Chu Kang are highly sought after by parents with toddlers. 

Each of these locations has at least six to ten primary schools in the area, so naturally, living in these locations would present ample choices to pick from. 

Single Gender School or Co-ed

As parents, you have to figure out whether you want to send your kid to a single-gender school or a co-ed school. 

While this might not affect the overall quality of education, it will affect the kind of experience that your child goes through.

Some kids (and parents) might be more comfortable with a single-gender school, while others might feel that a mixed environment works best.

If you have multiple kids of both genders, then it would make more sense to opt for a co-ed school rather than a single-gender school. 

This is because your child will get priority when it comes to primary school admissions if their sibling is already a student of that school. 

Schools understand that it might be difficult for you as a parent to drop off two of your kids every day at separate schools that might be located far away from each other. 

It would simply be a logistical and practical nightmare, and even worse, so if you have three or four kids. 

Now, say you have two kids, a daughter age 7 and a son 5.

Suppose your daughter attends Raffle’s girl’s primary school, which, as the name reads, is an all-girls school. 

This would mean that you won’t be able to admit your son into the same primary school when the time comes.

Needless to say, you’ll have to look elsewhere just because your son won’t be able to be admitted into an all-girls school. 

On the other hand, had you sent your daughter to a mixed school, you could’ve taken advantage of the priority factor and gotten a guaranteed placement for your son in the same school. 

So, always plan ahead if you have multiple kids. 

Affiliations With Secondary Schools

Another thing to consider is whether or not the primary school you’ve picked for your child has any affiliations with secondary schools. 

As we know, primary school is merely the start of your child’s educational journey and lasts only the first few years. 

It won’t be long until your child is taking the Primary School Leaving Exam (PSLE) and looking for a good secondary school. 

The process becomes a little bit easier if your child is attending a primary school with an affiliated secondary school. 

If that is the case, then your child would only need to secure the minimum requirements in the PSLE result in order to be considered for secondary school. 

Needless to say, your child would need to have selected the secondary school as their preference. 

Of course, this doesn’t guarantee them a place in their preferred secondary school, but it does boost their chances by a slight margin. 

Whether or not your child is considered for the secondary school of their choice solely depends on their PSLE performance.

On top of that, you have to also that the number of vacancies in the particular secondary also plays a significant role in your child’s selections. 

All in all, if your child secures stellar marks in the PSLE and opts for an affiliated secondary school, he or she will have better chances than someone who scores the same marks but is from a different school. 

That being said, there is a certain percentage of vacancies reserved for applicants with non-affiliated students. 

However, that number is only 20 % of the applicants, so your child will still have the remaining 80 % to compete for. 

What’s more, this reservation will also help your child if he or she wants to apply to any non-affiliated secondary schools. 

Schools With Single Sessions/ Schools With Double Sessions

Attending a single-session school means that you have to follow the fixed timing employed by the school, which is usually from morning till afternoon. 

On the other hand, double session schools usually have two timings.

The morning sessions are typically attended by the older students, while the afternoon sessions are reserved for the younger ones. 

The morning shift starts sometime around 8 to 8.30 am, and lasts until the late afternoon periods, say 1 to 2 pm. 

Meanwhile, the afternoon shift usually starts after lunch and lasts till the evening, sometime around 5.30 to 6 pm. 

So, if you send your child to a double session school, be aware that you will have to adjust to the changed timings that will come later on. 

The Singapore government’s agenda is to make sure that all primary schools in the country are strictly single sessions. 

However, there are still a few schools in Singapore which stick to the routine of double sessions, so you still might be in luck if that’s what you’re looking for. 

Religious Affiliations Of The School

While this might not be a big deal for most parents, it can also be the defining factor for some. 

Schools with religious affiliations to a particular faith will often inculcate the values and teachings of that religion in the curriculum.  

We wouldn’t say that such a school links their educational environment to religious teachings, but they do encourage the values of the religious teachings. 

For example, you might find that catholic schools reserve an hour every morning for gospel singing or bible reading sessions. 

What’s more, they might also offer after-school extracurricular activities in the school church. 

Of course, these after-school activities are always voluntary and are not part of the educational curriculum offered in the school. 

It’s just meant to be an additional activity that students can participate in if they wish.

So, even if you are not religious or are from a different faith than the one the school is affiliated with, you will still feel comfortable sending your child to that school. 

That being said, if you do opt to admit your child to a religious-affiliated school, make sure you are aware of what your child is comfortable within that environment. 

If your child is attending such a school, he or she will definitely pick up some lessons and habits of whatever religion the school is affiliated with.

The Interests And Talents Of Your Child

While schools are primarily chosen for their quality of education, one mustn’t ignore the various co-curricular activities that might help your child with his or her specialisation. 

Each child is different and will be attracted to learning different skills and specialisations. 

While one child might be passionate about performing arts, the other might be very intrigued by scientific platforms. 

Alternatively, your child might dream of a future in sports one day, which would require a completely different environment. 

While most schools typically don’t offer opportunities and exposure for these fields, there are certain institutions that do. 

They understand the need to shape a child early on so that they can excel in whatever passions they want to pursue in life.

As a parent, you should know that having these opportunities outside of the usual academic spectrum will greatly benefit your child in the long run. 

While these co-curricular activities might cost you a bit more on the monthly school fees, the value received is priceless. 

A good way to decide which school is the right choice for your kid would be to research schools that dedicate special exposure to the fields your child shows potential for. 

For example, Nanyang Primary School and Anglo-Chinese School are both well known for their sports and games competitions. 

So if you have a son who shows the potential of becoming a future Olympic medalist, these schools would be perfect for shaping his athletic skills. 

While you might be able to find school counsellors for your child at the end of high school, this is not the case for primary school kids. 

So always put a lot of thought into where you want your kid to attend school, as these early years will contribute to what your child wants to pursue when they grow up.  

Special Educational Needs

If your child has unique educational requirements, look for a school that can meet those needs.

Although most students with special needs have no issues with attending general schools, it might not be the case for your child. 

Statistics show that newly 80 % of children with special needs are able to handle mainstream schools in Singapore. 

However, we’d say that it really depends on your child’s willpower and individual ability. 

Parents of specially-abled children should always check to see if the primary school they opt for has facilities for physically disabled children.

The first and foremost thing that every parent should look for in a primary school is the overall quality of education. 

However, there are definitely other factors that contribute to a school’s overall likability and success. 

Such qualities should be ascertained before you decide to commit your child to a particular school for the next few years. 

After all, you don’t want your child to attend their first day of school only to have them come back crying. 

Make sure to ask plenty of questions when you go to visit a prospective school that you’re considering for your child.

Meet the headmaster of the school and ask them any doubts or questions lingering in your mind. 

In case you have a difficult time thinking of what to look for in a school, don’t worry; we have you covered. 

Here is a list of factors that you can clarify when scouting for primary schools for your child. 

1. Find Out How The School Deals With Troubled Kids

Let’s face it; your child is going to be at a very young age when he/she starts attending primary school. 

Knowing how children can be, you have to be prepared for the fact that there will be moments when your child is troubled. 

Children are usually carefree in their behaviour, leaving them vulnerable to minor accidents and injuries.

For example, your child could take a nasty tumble while playing in the playground or get lost while walking from the classroom to the canteen. 

What’s more, since your child isn’t used to being away from home at this point, there may be a few instances when they feel homesick.

Whatever the case may be, you have to consider the possibility that your child will most likely shed a few tears during the first few days of school. 

When things like this happen, it will be the staff members who will take care of the situation. 

So, in all fairness, you should find out how the school deals with a child who is upset or unhappy. 

Another important step that you can take as a parent is getting to know the head teacher of the school. 

The headteacher can be seen as the leader of the staff who usually oversees everything that has to do with the students. 

So getting to know him or her personally will clarify some of your doubts regarding this issue. 

2. Find Out How The School Deals With Bullying 

Your child being bullied in school is one of the most dreaded scenarios that you can have as a parent. 

It is obvious that schools will take some kind of disciplinary measure to prevent instances like these and punish the bullies involved. 

However, it’s important for you as a parent to understand the exact approach that the school has on the matter. 

It’s not really about what the school will do; that much is quite clear; it’s really about how the school will carry out those actions. 

You want a school that takes the disciplinary actions needed in these situations, but at the same time, you don’t want a school that treats children like criminals. 

Instead of simply punishing bullies and making them stand in a corner, it’s important for staff members to explain to the child why what they did was wrong. 

After all, the objective of the school is to impart wisdom; destructive behaviours such as bullying need to be ‘taught’ out, rather than being ‘beaten’ out. 

On the other hand, it would make sense for you to check what kind of measures they take to prevent such incidents as well. 

For example, ask them what their policy is regarding the separation of students depending on age during activities such as lunch.

It is more likely that the older children will start picking on the younger ones, so it might be a good idea to segregate the two groups during lunch or outdoor activities. 

3. Find Out The School’s Lunch Policy 

Speaking of lunchtime, it’s important to find out whether not the school provides lunch for their students. 

If that is the case, you’ll want to find out what kind of food is provided on the menu. 

Of course, you cant expect a five-star course meal, nor can you expect a well-made home lunch. 

However, you should definitely be aware of the quality of the food they provide in the cafeteria. 

After all, you don’t want your child to have to munch on a two-day-old stale sandwich that could cause a bad stomach ache later on. 

4. Find Out How Many Students There Are In Each Class

We’ve all heard of certain schools that take in a total number of 80 to 90 kids per class, which is definitely a serious problem. 

There should definitely be a reasonable limit to how many students are designated in each class. 

You want a school that believes in a healthy student-to-teacher ratio which will be beneficial for both the students as well as the teacher. 

5. Find Out How Long The Staff Has Been With The School

It’s common sense that staff members who have worked in the school for a long time will be much more adept than newcomers. 

As old-time members of the school, they are already familiar with the kind of children that attends the school and how to handle them. 

Talk to the teachers and staff, ask them about their previous experiences and whether or not they enjoy working here. 

6. Find Out How Teachers Handle Underachievers 

Not every student will be academically gifted or have an average level of intelligence. 

There are always some students who tend to lag behind in class and show poor levels of participation. 

Good teachers will know how to encourage and inspire such students and hopefully be able to increase their potential. 

If your child is below average, having a bad teacher who belittles them will do a lot of damage to their confidence level. 

Find out if there are any extra classes or any special attention given to such below-average students. 

A primary school is just an elementary, junior high, or grade school where pupils get primary or elementary education. 

It is the first step each child takes towards an actual academic education, unlike preschool, which mostly has to do with social learning and play times. 

Most children typically join primary school right after finishing preschool; which usually happens at the age of 5 to 7, depending on the preschool.  

Primary school lasts for six years and includes six classes, from primary 1 to primary 6. 

In Singapore, there are four types of primary schools where children can enrol. 

The standard budget-friendly option is the government school which provides a great education at a subsidised cost. 

These schools are primarily sponsored and maintained by the government of Singapore and aim to provide a standard level of education for children. 

You can find government mixed schools and single-gender schools, both of which have stellar reputations. 

The private sector counterpart to government schools would be independent schools. 

These schools set their own fees according to their facilities and have the freedom to experiment with the curriculum. 

Specialised independent schools are those institutions reserved for students with a higher aptitude for science, arts, athletics or mathematics.

Lastly, there are schools for specially-abled children who require personal attention and care.

To be honest, there is no official way of determining what the best primary schools in Singapore are. 

However, people do tend to rank primary schools based on popular opinion and the reputation of the school. 

Schools that produce high-quality alumni will obviously hold a higher place in the minds of the public, while schools which have a bad reputation will be ranked much lower by parents. 

General popularity is another crucial factor in whether or not a school is ranked high in the public mindset.

Other than that, certain factors, such as whether the school offers a special assistance plan (SAP), or has a gifted education program (GEP) available, also determine the school’s ranking. 

Alternatively, any achievements won during the Singapore Youth Festival and Arts presentation would also be a contributing factor to increasing the school’s reputation. 

Without getting too much into detail, we will be showing you the top twenty primary schools in Singapore according to general public opinion. 

Nanyang Primary School, located at Bukit Timah, is considered one of the best primary schools in Singapore according to the public. 

It is a co-ed school that offers a gifted education program as well as special assistance plans. 

Catholic High School, located at Bishan, is a boys’ school that also provides SAP and GEP. 

Another top co-ed school that provides excellent education with both GEP and SAP facilities is Tao Nan School, located at Marine Parade. 

Nan Hua Primary school, located in Clementi, is revered for its excellent teaching quality and strict admittance criteria. 

It is a co-ed school and supports for SAP and GEP programs for students who qualify. 

Other considerable primary schools which have taken top spots according to public opinion are as follows-

• St. Hilda’s Primary School, located in Tampines; co-ed with GEP and SAP initiatives. 

• Henry Park Primary School, located in Bukit Timah; co-ed with GEP initiatives.

• Anglo-Chinese primary school located in Novena; boys school with GEP initiatives.

• Raffles Girls primary school, located in Bukit Timah, girls school with GEP initiatives.

• The primary school of Pei Hwa Presbyterian, also located in Bukit Timah; co-ed with SAP initiatives.

• CHIJ St. Nicholas Girl’s school, located at Ang Mo Kio; Girls school with SAP initiatives.

• Rosyth School, located at Serangoon, co-ed with GEP initiatives.

• Kong Hwa School located in Geylang; co-ed with SAP initiatives.
• Poiching School located in Tampines; co-ed with SAP initiatives.
• Holy Innocents Primary School; co-ed with SAP initiatives.
• Ai Thong School, located in Bishan; co-ed with SAP initiatives.
• Red Swastika School located at Bedok; co-ed with SAP initiatives.
• Maris Stella High School at Toa Payoh, boys school with SAP initiatives.
• Rulang Primary School, located in Jurong West; boys’ school.
• Pei Chun public school, located in Tao Payoh; a co-ed school with SAP initiatives.
• Singapore Chinese Girl’s Primary school located in Novena, girl’s school.

Primary school marks the start of subject-based learning for your children and features a syllabus-based curriculum.

No longer will your kids be presented with loads and loads of playtime, as they would remember from their pre-school days. 

Your children will take the first step into actual subject-based teachings and will have to grasp concepts like mathematics, social studies and science. 

Overall, primary school kids are required to learn subjects such as english, maths, science, social studies, and a mother tongue language. 

The mother tongue language (MLT) can be chosen from Chinese, Malay, or Tamil, depending on what the student is familiar or comfortable with. 

Other than that, there will be miscellaneous subjects such as music, art, physical education, character, and citizenship education.

As a parent, nobody knows your child better than you do.

While selecting a potential primary school for your child, it’s best to understand your child’s strengths and weaknesses and speculate how that would play out with the primary school you have in mind. 

Some primary schools are quite strict and strive for a standard of perfection, while others may be more easygoing on the little munchkins. 

It is your job to figure out where exactly your child fits and whether or not the environment of the school would be best for them. 

This is a good time for you to sit down with your child and talk to them about their interests. 

You could even start teaching basic concepts such as spelling, grammar, and simple addition and subtraction.

This should give you a clear idea of your child’s learning capacity and what kind of environment they require.

While every parent wants to send their child to the best school possible with the most rigorous workload, it might not be the best choice for most. 

That’s why it’s important to perform mock classes and see your child’s level of patience. 

Most children this age will be easily distracted by the first thing that pops up in front of them, in fact, you might have a tough time trying to get your child seated for 15 minutes. 

But no matter how difficult it might be, it is important to not fall for that puppy face and remain stern in your interaction. 

This will teach your child some patience and responsibility and hopefully gain enough intelligence to deal with what comes next. 

The obvious factors that go into choosing a school would be its reputation amongst the public and the quality of facilities and education they provide.

Choosing a school for your child is an important task and shouldn’t be taken lightly; that’s why most parents are very particular, even regarding preschool. 

Although there isn’t much subject learning in preschool, it is an important phase of your child’s life as this is usually the period when they first start developing their language and communication skills. 

Preschools offer an entire experience for your child where they can pick up key characteristics such as social skills. 

What’s more, preschools focus on teaching children language, arts, music, as well as physical activities such as swimming and sports. 

Also, it might be more beneficial to send your child to a school with fewer students, as opposed to one with thousands of them. 

Sending your child to a school such as Rosemount international school with a total of 140 students, rather than one like Singapore American School, with over 2500 students, will significantly improve his/her experience.

While this isn’t a rule, parents who have sent their kids to preschool with a more even teacher-student ratio have found their kids to be productive in the long run. 

That’s because the teacher isn’t bogged down by 50 or 60 screaming kids at the same time and can spend more time and energy interacting with each student.

On the other hand, if you and your family have moved to Singapore from another country, you might want to look for a primary school that follows an international curriculum. 

A few examples of international schools in Singapore with stellar reputations are American international school, Chatsworth international school, Australian international school and Canadian international school Singapore.

To be honest, there’s plenty of questions you can ask about the school you’re thinking of sending your child to. 

After all, your child is precious to you, and you want him/her to be safe, cosy and productive during school hours. 

So it is totally within your rights to poke and prod the school with hundreds of questions. 

That being said, we have comprised a few common questions that you can ask regarding logistical and practical factors when looking at any school. 

Questions About Travel

If the school is located far away from your house, it is absolutely necessary to ask whether or not they have a school bus facility. 

Let’s face it, dropping your children at school, and then picking them up afterwards can be a tiring task when you do it every day. 

This is especially true if your kids go to different schools located on opposite sides of the city. 

Not only is it absolutely torturous for you, but it’s also a logistical problem. 

That’s why it’s always preferable that the school your kids go to provide school bus services. 

However, it might be so that there is no bus service available in that particular school, and you’re just going to have to make time in your busy schedule for your kids. 

Fair enough, but at least ask the school whether or not they have enough parking space! 

So before deciding on the school, ask yourself; is the school too far away and do they have bus services? 

Questions About The School Curriculum 

You’ll want to find out what curriculum the school follows and whether or not that will be tangible enough for your child. 

The first subject to ask about would be the Mother Tongue Language and what languages they teach for the subject. 

While most Singaporeans speak Mandarin or Malay, there are some who come from Indian ancestry and would prefer that their children learn Tamil. 

Another thing you want to find out is how the school deals with academically weak students and what steps they take to improve and monitor the progress of such students. 

You’ll want to know if the school will give your children the attention and direction they need to become productive and receptive students.

It is also important to determine whether the school provides any GEP initiatives that could further help your child unlock his/her potential.

Although this is not a necessity, as most non-GEP primary schools also provide a high level of education and teaching quality. 

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have it included in your child’s school. 

What’s more, asking them if they incorporate technology in their classrooms wouldn’t be out of the question. 

Digital learning is a big hit with primary school students and is known to boost productivity and increase attention amongst kids. 

Lastly, be sure to ask them about any extracurricular activities such as music, art classes etc. 

Ideally, you want a school that presents a stern learning experience, as well as a fun and wholesome experience.

What you want to ask here is; Do they teach well enough? And do they have enough extracurricular activities? 

As the saying goes, all work and no play make Johny a dull boy. 

It would be great if the school participates in inter-state national sports competitions such as the Singapore national school games. 

Questions Regarding School Campus And Facilities 

The next questionnaire on our list has to do with the school campus and facilities. 

Having a good, clean and well-maintained campus is a norm for any school and should never be overlooked. 

Children need to be in a clean and comfortable environment so that they focus on learning without any limitations. 

On the other hand, there are some schools that tend to win parents over with their fancy decor and modern facilities. 

Don’t be a sucker for such flashy elements and focus on the things that matter; such as the quality of teachers, their experience etc. 

Don’t be shy to ask them; do you use the latest technology to teach in your classrooms? and do you maintain a clean and fresh campus environment?

If the school in question is a boarding school, then you’ll definitely want to inspect the dorm rooms yourself and also inspect the kind of food they provide. 

In case your child is going to middle school, then the importance of campus space and facilities grows even bigger. 

Needless to say, middle school learning spaces need to be spacious, quiet and should work as a natural learning environment for students.

Overall, you’re looking for a true community school that can instil maturity, productivity and creativity among its students. 

Questions Regarding Students 

You might want to observe some of the students who are already attending the school and try to gauge whether they are having a positive experience. 

Naturally, you want to know if the kids are having fun in this environment without losing their will to study and learn. 

So what you want to be asking is, are the students well mannered and presentable? 

Do they look like they are engaged and happy going to this school?

Questions Regarding School Staff

Observe the staff and see how they treat the children on a general basis. 

Children who are obedient will naturally recover good treatment from their teachers; the real question is, how do teachers interact with disobedient students? 

Do they resort to disciplining them with harsh punishment? Or, do they take the time and teach the child how to be well-mannered and respectful?

While you’re at it, you’ll also want to ask them about their policy regarding parent-teacher meets and whether or not you’d be allowed to drop by on short notice. 

Questions Regarding Admissions

If everything else satisfies your needs, you’ll want to move on to the final topic; admissions. 

Find an estimated figure regarding how many students apply each year; also, find out the average age and cut-off marks. 

Additionally, you’ll also want to know how much the monthly school fees are and whether or not it is reasonable for what they are providing. 

Naturally, government schools will be less expensive than private ones.

Some parents tend to swerve away from government schools assuming that they are of inferior quality; however, this couldn’t be any further from the truth. 

In reality, there are many prime examples of such schools, such as Damai Primary School Government Mixed institution, which is highly sought after by many.

Singapore is home to thousands of decent and reputable primary schools that offer a dedicated learning experience to students. 

Out of these thousands, there is a list of 186 primary schools which have been accurately ranked by the public. 

The rankings are according to various factors such as popularity, programs offered, quality of education, campus facilities and overall reputation.

So without further ado, here are the top 186 elite primary schools in Singapore, ranked accordingly. 

We cant attest to what the most popular school in Singapore is, as there are too many factors which keep changing from year to year. 

However, we can give you the schools with the highest PSLE cut-off points in the year 2019. 

During that year, there were two secondary schools with the highest cut-off points, with both schools tied at 261 points. 

These are Raffles Girl’s School and Nanyang Girl’s High School. 

Next in line, with a cut-off score of 259 points is the highly revered Raffles institution boys secondary school. 

Finally, in third place, we have Dunman High School with a cut-off score of 255 points. 

In any case, here is a complete table of the top 143 secondary schools based on their PSLE score rankings.