Primary School Open House 2024, and How to Rank Your Shortlisted Schools
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Keen to visit primary schools before you select one for your child? And how do you pick the best school?
Here’s an idea: why not create your own definition of what a good school should offer? Our Chief Kiasu has a tried-and-tested method for this, which we’ll briefly explain below.
First, identify the school factors that matter most to you. Next, assign a weightage to each factor, such as 50% for ease of travel. The sum of all your weightages should add up to 100%.
For each factor, give each school on your shortlist a score. For instance, if a school is within five minutes of your home, you can assign it 3 points for accessibility. But if the school is almost an hour away by train, you might give it only 1 point for accessibility.
To compile the scores, you can use Excel or Google Sheets to create a weighted scoring model. You can then rank your shortlisted schools in order of their final scores.
Not sure what factors to include in your consideration? Read on to find out what most local parents think about when choosing primary schools.
Does the school have affiliations?
Some parents will prioritise primary schools with affiliations to secondary schools, for the ‘safety net’ advantage.
However, affiliation doesn’t guarantee admission. Some secondary schools do take in all affiliates who qualify to attend secondary school. Others only offer a lower bar of entry for affiliates, compared to the general cohort — this is useful if your child is eying an academically strong secondary school, where entry will be competitive.
As of last year, the following primary schools had affiliations to secondary schools. For the most accurate information on affiliations, please check directly with your schools of interest:
- Anglo-Chinese School (Junior)
- Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)
- Canossa Catholic Primary School
- Catholic High School (Primary)
- CHIJ (Katong) Primary
- CHIJ (Kellock)
- CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel
- CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity
- CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace
- CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh)
- CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School (Primary)
- De La Salle School
- Fairfield Methodist School (Primary)
- Geylang Methodist School (Primary)
- Holy Innocents’ Primary School
- Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School
- Maha Bodhi School
- Maris Stella High School (Primary)
- Mee Toh School
- Methodist Girls’ School (Primary)
- Montfort Junior School
- Nanyang Primary School
- Ngee Ann Primary School
- Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Primary)
- Singapore Chinese Girls’ Primary School
- St. Andrew’s Junior School
- St. Anthony’s Canossian Primary School
- St. Anthony’s Primary School
- St. Gabriel’s Primary School
- St. Hilda’s Primary School
- St. Joseph’s Institution Junior
- St. Margaret’s School (Primary)
- St. Stephen’s School
Does the school have the Gifted Education Programme (GEP)?
This is a valid concern if your child is showing signs of intellectual giftedness. In Primary 3, students will be invited to sit for selection tests, in order to identify highly advanced learners for the Gifted Education Programme or GEP. This programme will run from Primary 4 to 6, and it doesn’t continue in secondary school.
If you have sent your child to be professionally evaluated, and feel that they stand a good chance of being selected for the GEP, enrolling them in a primary school that offers the programme may minimise the transition in the upper primary years.
Currently, there are nine primary schools with the GEP:
- Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)
- Catholic High School (Primary)
- Henry Park Primary School
- Nan Hua Primary School
- Nanyang Primary School
- Raffles Girls’ Primary School
- Rosyth School
- St. Hilda’s Primary School
- Tao Nan School
What are the school’s talent areas?
If your child has identified a passion and is taking classes, they may eventually be interested in the Direct School Admission pathway to secondary schools. In such cases, it’s good to enrol your child in a school with a strong talent development programme.
To check the sporting performance of primary schools, visit the National School Games website to view results for school competitions.
For STEM interests, you could check the results for school competitions hosted by the Singapore Science Centre, or look at Math Olympiad results.
If your child has a very specific talent area, do consult their enrichment teachers for school recommendations.
Is the school co-ed or single sex?
Some parents prefer single-sex schools to minimise distractions. Others like a co-ed setting, as it reflects the mixed gender environments that children will face later in life.
Not sure what’s best for your child? Read this guide and weigh the factors for yourself.
If this is important for you, you should also pay close attention to news reports about school developments. For instance, Maris Stella High School (currently for boys) recently announced that its primary school will transition into a co-ed school in 2027.
Is the school easy to get to?
Will your child travel to school on their own? Do you expect them to spend plenty of time in school, especially if they are keen on student leadership, or being part of a school team? If so, accessibility will be a prime consideration.
Using the OneMap tool, you can enter the address of your home or a specific location (like an MRT station), to view schools located within 1km, or from 1 to 2km away. For reference, it may take 10 to 15 minutes to cover 1km at a moderate walking pace.
Is it essential to minimise your child’s commute? Imagine if your child can walk to school, or hop on a train to get to school in under 20 minutes, without having to cross major roads or worry about getting caught in the rain. Apart from safety considerations, the time and energy saved on travelling will definitely benefit your child. However, you will have to weigh this against the other factors that matter to your family.
Primary School Open House 2024 Dates
All set to visit primary schools? Based on Ministry of Education data, these are the schools that have announced open house events. If you don’t see your school of interest on this list, please contact them directly to enquire.
| School | Open House |
| Anchor Green Primary School | 16 May, 2pm – 4pm (Physical). Registration required. |
| Beacon Primary School | 29 Jun, 10am – 12pm (Physical) |
| Bedok Green Primary School | 24 May, 9am – 10am or 10am – 11am (Physical). Registration required. |
| Blangah Rise Primary School | 25 May, 8.30am – 12.30pm (Physical) |
| Bukit Timah Primary School | 28 Jun, 2pm – 5pm (Physical). Registration required. |
| Canberra Primary School | 2 Jul – 14 Jul (Virtual) |
| Cantonment Primary School | 23 May, 8am – 10am (Virtual) |
| Casuarina Primary School | 19 Jul, 2.30pm – 5pm (Physical) |
| Changkat Primary School | 5 Jul, 9am – 12pm (Physical). Registration required. |
| CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel | 28 Jun (Physical) |
| CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity | 27 May, 3pm – 5pm (Virtual) |
| Compassvale Primary School | 13 Jul, 9am – 10am (Virtual) 19 Jul, 2.45pm – 4.15pm (Physical) |
| Damai Primary School | 29 Jun (Virtual) |
| Dazhong Primary School | 24, 25, and 26 Jul (Physical, guided tours) |
| Endeavour Primary School | 20 Jul, 9am – 10.30am (Physical) |
| Evergreen Primary School | 13 Jul, 9.30am – 12pm (Physical) |
| Fern Green Primary School | 9 Jul, 2:30pm – 4:30pm (Physical) |
| Frontier Primary School | 29 Jun, 10am – 12pm (Physical) |
| Fuchun Primary School | 28 Jun, 2.30pm – 4.30pm (Virtual) |
| Greendale Primary School | 29 Jun, 9.30am – 12pm (Physical) |
| Greenridge Primary School | 28 June, 4.15pm – 6pm (Physical) |
| Haig Girls’ School | 4 Jul, 10am – 12pm (Physical) |
| Hua.m.in Primary School | 28 Jun, 2.30pm – 5pm (Physical) |
| Innova Primary School | 14, 15, 16, 17 May 9am – 11.30am (Physical) |
| Jing Shan Primary School | 10 Jul, 3pm – 4pm (Virtual) |
| Junyuan Primary School | 21 Jun, 9am – 12pm (Physical). Registration required. |
| Jurong West Primary School | 5 Jul, 8am – 11.30am (Physical). Registration required. |
| Kheng Cheng School | 25 May, 9.30am to 12pm (Physical) |
| Lakeside Primary School | 21 May (Virtual) |
| Lianhua Primary School | 6 Jul, 9am – 11.30am (Physical) |
| Marymount Convent School | 22 Jul, 9am – 10.30am (Physical) 7 Aug, 9am – 10.30am (Physical) |
| Meridian Primary School | 6 Jul, 9am – 11.30am (Physical) |
| Montfort Junior School | 18 May, 8am – 11.30am (Physical) |
| Naval Base Primary School | 18 May, 8.30am – 11am (Physical) |
| New Town Primary School | 25 May, 9am – 12.30pm (Physical) |
| North View Primary School | 15 – 19 Jul (Virtual) |
| North Vista Primary School | 25 May, 9am – 10.30am (Virtual) |
| Northoaks Primary School | 28 Jun (Virtual) |
| Northshore Primary School | 20 Jul, 9am – 11am (Physical) |
| Oasis Primary School | Details pending. (Virtual) |
| Opera Estate Primary School | 12 Jul, 3pm – 5pm (Virtual) |
| Palm View Primary School | 12 Jul, 2.30pm – 4pm (Physical) |
| Park View Primary School | 23 May, 8am – 10am (Physical) |
| Peiying Primary School | 28 Jun, 2pm – 4pm (Virtual) |
| Punggol Green Primary School | 6 Jul, 9am – 11am (Physical) |
| Punggol View Primary School | 5 Jul, 4pm – 5.30pm (Virtual) |
| Qihua Primary School | 20 Jul, 9am – 1pm (Physical) |
| Queenstown Primary School | 29 Jun, 9am – 12pm (Physical) |
| Sembawang Primary School | 27 Jul, 9am – 11am (Physical) |
| Seng Kang Primary School | 17 May (Physical). Registration required. |
| Sengkang Green Primary School | 1 Jul (Virtual) |
| St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School | 26 Jun, 2.30pm – 4pm (Physical) |
| St Gabriel’s Primary School | 25 May, 9.30am – 11am (Virtual) |
| Telok Kurau Primary School | 28 Jun, 2pm – 5pm (Physical) |
| Unity Primary School | 17 May, 8am – 10.15am (Physical) |
| Valour Primary School | 5 Jul, 4pm – 6pm (Virtual) |
| Waterway Primary School | 25 May, 8.30am – 12.30pm (Physical) |
| Xishan Primary School | 5 Jul, 11am – 1.30pm (Physical) |
| Yew Tee Primary School | 17 Jul, 8.45am – 10.20am (Physical) |
| Yu Neng Primary School | 5 Jul to 23 Aug (Virtual) |
| Yuhua Primary School | 5 Jul (Virtual) |
| Zhenghua Primary School | 20 May, 9am – 12.30pm (Physical) 21 May, 10am – 11.45am (Physical) |
KSP Webinar on P1 Registration
Join us for our inaugural KSP Family Huddle! In this parents’ webinar, we’ll discuss the process of selecting and registering for your child’s primary school and talk about how you can best support and prepare for the transition and a new educational season with your child.
Date: 19 June 2024 (Wed)
Time: 8pm to 9.30pm
Session will be conducted on Zoom
Fee: $15 per participating family, with free gifts worth $72 for first 200 families
Find out more here.