Singapore Education

Primary

Children in Singapore are required by law to attend at least 6 years of compulsory primary education. This consists of a 4-year foundation stage (Primary 1 to 4) and a 2-year orientation stage (Primary 5 and 6). Primary education is free although students are required to pay up to SGD 11 each month to their respective schools for miscellaneous fees.

At the foundation stage, students are taught the core curriculum of English, Mother Tongue and Mathematics. Science is introduced in Primary 3. Non-examinable supplementary subjects such as Civic and Moral Education, Health Education, Physical Education, Arts and Craft, and Music are also taught throughout the primary school years. In August every year, Primary 3 students will be invited to sit for the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) screening test.

The Gifted Education Programme was implemented in 1984 to meet the needs of intellectually gifted students. The top 3000 students will continue to sit for the secondary round of tests, also known as the selection test, in October. The top 1% of the cohort (about 500 students) will receive invitations to join the Gifted Education Programme in November. There are currently 9 primary schools offering the Gifted Education Programme.

Towards the end of Primary 4, students will participate in a banding exercise that will place them in different academic bands according to their learning aptitudes before moving on to Primary 5 and 6. Students who are linguistically inclined can opt to study Higher Mother Tongue Language at the orientation stage.

All students will sit for the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) at the end of Primary 6. Students will be allocated places in the various secondary schools based on their performance in the examinations.