MOE Press Release on 2021 School Placement Exercise For Returning Singaporeans on 6 July 2021

2021 SCHOOL PLACEMENT EXERCISE FOR RETURNING SINGAPOREANS

1. The 2021 School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans (SPERS) will be open for applications from 7 July 2021, for Returning Singaporean (RS) students who are returning from overseas and wish to join our secondary schools, junior colleges (JC) or Millennia Institute (MI) at the start of the 2022 academic year. The application can be done via the following links:

2. SPERS is a centralised placement exercise held towards the end of each year for RS students who have lived and studied overseas and now want to seek a place in a local school. With SPERS, Singaporean parents working abroad can apply for re-entry into the mainstream school system for their children when the family relocates back to Singapore. RS students will only need to sit for one set of centralised SPERS tests, and then indicate their school choices before MOE posts them to a suitable school.

3. RS students seeking admission to Secondary 1 to 3 in 2022 can apply to take the SPERS-Sec tests scheduled on 21 September 2021. RS students seeking admission to Pre-University 1 can apply to take the SPERS-JC/MI tests on 11 November 2021. Since Secondary 4 and Pre-University 2 are national examination years, RS students generally will not re-enter the school system at these levels. SPERS applicants will receive their school placement results in December 2021, enabling them to join our secondary schools and JC/MI at the start of the school term in 2022.

Supplementary Placement Exercise (SPE)

4. For RS students who are unable to return in time to sit for the SPERS-Sec tests in September 2021, MOE will conduct another round of tests in December 2021 under the Supplementary Placement Exercise (SPE). The application for SPE will open in October 2021, the SPE tests are tentatively scheduled on 7 December 2021, and SPE applicants will tentatively receive their school placement results on 4 February 2022 for admissions from February 2022.

5. While RS students can choose to take part in either the SPERS-Sec or SPE exercises, they are advised to apply for SPERS-Sec if they are able to return in September, since this would allow them to start the 2022 academic year in January together with their peers.

6. In view of the COVID-19 situation, the conduct of the SPERS-Sec, SPE and SPERS-JC/MI exercises will be aligned to the national safe management measures leading up to and during the actual test dates. This means that all candidates are required to complete their Quarantine Order or Stay-Home-Notice prior to the test date to ensure the safety of our candidates and examiners, and safe management measures will be in place during the conduct of the tests. MOE will keep applicants updated should there be any changes or cancellation of these exercises. More details of the 2021 SPERS-Sec, SPE and SPERS-JC/MI exercises, including the application form, can be found in Annex A and on MOE RS website at https://www.moe.gov.sg/returning-singaporeans ↗ (opens in new tab).

Assured School Placement for RS Students

7. RS students have the alternative option of enrolling in a secondary school near their Singapore residence, without the need to sit for any centralised test, under MOE’s Assured School Placement service. The Assured School Placement service is a convenient admissions route whereby MOE will guarantee RS admission into a school with vacancies near their residence, even before they return to Singapore. While the RS student need not sit for any centralised test, the school may conduct school-based assessments and/or an interview for placement purposes. For more information about the Assured School Placement service, please visit https://www.moe.gov.sg/returning-singaporeans/assured-school-placement ↗ (opens in new tab).

Primary School Admissions

8. For RS students of primary-school age who are seeking admission into primary schools, they may approach MOE at any time of the year for assistance. MOE will offer the RS student a place in a primary school with vacancies near the child’s residence, at a level appropriate for the child’s age cohort.

9. The RS student will not have to sit for any placement test for admission, although the primary school may conduct school-based tests after admission. This is to ascertain the child’s current attainment level and provide the appropriate assistance to help the child settle into the school.

Annex A

SPERS and SPE Format

Eligibility Phase – Applicable to SPERS-Sec, SPE & SPERS-JC/MI

1. SPERS-Sec and SPE: Under the Eligibility Phase, applicants suitable for the centralised test will sit for English and Mathematics tests to determine the schools they would be eligible for. Besides assessing applicants’ literacy and numeracy skills, the tests will also include non-content-based general ability items which assess reasoning and thinking skills. This will provide a more holistic assessment of RS students who have attended overseas schools with curricula different from Singapore’s.

2. Based on their performance in the tests, applicants will each be provided with a list of schools that they are eligible to apply for. This will ensure that RS students are of similar abilities as the students in the schools that they are applying to. RS students can indicate their school preferences during the School Option Phase, and they will be posted to a suitable school with vacancies.

3. SPERS-JC/MI: Under the Eligibility Phase, applicants suitable for the centralised test will sit for the English, Mathematics and General Ability tests to determine the schools they would be eligible to apply for.

4. As the number of RS students seeking admission to JC/MI is usually small, there is no need for MOE to conduct a centralised posting exercise for this group. Hence, there is no School Option Phase or School Posting Phase under SPERS-JC/MI. After the RS students receive the list of JC/MI they are eligible to apply for, they can approach that JC/MI for the school’s admission consideration.

School Option Phase – Applicable to SPERS-Sec and SPE Only

5. During the School Option Phase, applicants will be required to submit their school choices online. Applicants can submit a maximum of six choices based on the list of eligible schools given to them.

School Posting Phase – Applicable to SPERS-Sec and SPE Only

6. During the School Posting Phase, some additional school places are set aside for RS students. This recognises that RS students have similar abilities as their cohorts.

7. The School Posting Phase will take into account the performance of the RS students at the SPERS-Sec and SPE tests, their school choices, and the places available in these schools. In the event that an applicant is not successfully posted to any of the chosen schools, MOE will assign the applicant a place in a secondary school with vacancies near the applicant’s residence.

8. After receiving their postings, applicants should complete the admission formalities at their posted school. If they choose not to accept the posting, they could approach another school directly via email or phone. The school will consider the application, subject to the availability of vacancies and suitability of the applicant.

Schedule for 2021 SPERS-Sec

Schedule for 2021 SPERS-JC/MI

Supplementary Placement Exercise (SPE)

9.         The SPE is applicable for admission to Secondary 1 to 3 and is intended for RS who are unable to take part in SPERS-Sec. The SPE is similar in structure to SPERS-Sec and involves the same three phases – namely the Eligibility Phase, the School Option Phase and the School Posting Phase.

Schedule for 2021 SPE (Tentative)