How to appeal for Secondary 1 School Posting in Singapore

Did not get the school choice you opted for?

Every year on secondary school posting results, there will be those who have yet to get into the school of their choice. While there are 6 secondary school choices for PSLE students, a child often might miss a spot in the desired school. In 2021, over 20% of students did not get into the first 3 choices.

This may be due to folly in school selections or, in some cases, confidence in getting into the selected schools based on the grades and thus putting little thought into the remaining choices. This may result in getting into a school that is too far from home, a school whose culture may not be suitable for the child or a school that may need more facilities to cater to special needs students.

For those in this scenerio, there is still hope in getting into the choice school. You can appeal for Secondary 1 School Posting provided the following conditions are met.

For an updated COP for Secondary schools in 2023, refer to this post.

Serious Medical Conditions

If you assess that your posted secondary school cannot accommodate your child’s physical health, you may appeal for a transfer. Appeals can be filed at your posted secondary school in person by 12pm on the following working day after posting results are released.

Important points to note

Appeals will only be considered on an exceptional basis for students with

• Serious medical conditions, such as chronic heart conditions or kidney problems.
• Severe physical impairments, such as those requiring permanent use of a wheelchair.

Appeals must be accompanied by relevant supporting documents such as letters from doctors or medical reports. The staff at the child's posted secondary school will file the appeal and the results will be released in early January.

In the meantime, the child must still report to the posted school on the first day of school until the transfer is approved.

NON MEDical reasons

If you are appealing for a transfer for other reasons, note the following.

• You can only appeal if the child's PSLE score meets the school's cut-off point (COP) for the posting year. If it does not, it will be unsuccessful.

• Appeals are to be submitted directly to the preferred school. Each school may have their own appeal process, so check with the respective website.

• The child must also meet the school's admission criteria

• Do check with schools for vacancies before appealing. Some schools may not accept appeals due to limited vacancies.

• Results may be known from mid-January though there are instances that it is known before the year end from the past exercises.

What to do if you qualify to appeal?

Call the school that you would like to appeal for.

Check the Cut Off Point and vacancies to see if you are qualified and follow the respective school's practice for appeals. Some schools may require you to submit an appeal form in person, so do keep the day of the school posting free.

Prepare reason(s) for appeal.

Common reasons are interest in CCA, distance to school, and religious reasons.

Prepare for interview

Some schools would require students for an interview. The school will assess the students base on the interview to determine if the child is selected.

Wait for the results

While MOE guidelines state results are to be known from mid-January, some schools provide the results as early as a week. In the event of no news of posting, students are require to report and continue their classes with their posted school while waiting for their appeals to be decided.

Good luck in getting to the school of choice!

For an updated COP for Secondary schools in 2023, refer to this post.

Click on photo for latest PSLE COP for 2023