Look beyond cut-off points, PSLE scores when choosing secondary schools: Principals at ST forum

Risky strategy

Responding to a question about whether it is advisable to apply to a school when a candidate is one point short of the PSLE cut-off points, Lee Han Hwa, principal of St Andrew’s School (Secondary) (SASS), said it is not.

“If I’ve been studying the school AL score at least over the past three years, by and large, the score doesn’t really change,” he said.

Goh added that with the Education Ministry introducing choice order in 2021 as a tie-breaker for Sec 1 posting, such risk-taking could result in students wasting their first choice. They might also not get into their second-choice school if other children listed it as their first choice.

Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School principal Koh Caiyu said families should optimise all six school choices during the Sec 1 posting exercise, instead of narrowly focusing on their top school pick.

“The last thing we want is that only the first choice is your go-to, and then the five choices, you just close your eyes and anyhow indicate,” she said.

If a child thinks that is the only school he wants to go to, Koh said it can be devastating if the results come out otherwise.

Anderson Secondary principal Tan Po Chin said families should attend school open houses and speak to current and former students to consider a range of schools that would be a good fit.

“That’s where you get the most authentic reflection of the school experience… The students’ experiences are the ones that really would reflect the best of what secondary school life is,” she said.

Classroom diversity

One parent asked how a child with good PSLE results might have his learning experience affected when he enters a school where affiliated students are accepted with much lower scores.

Lee said 60% to 65% of SASS’ Sec 1 students come from St Andrew’s School (Junior), the school’s affiliated primary school.

While affiliated students can enter with AL scores of between 9 and 22, others need an AL score of below 10.

To this, Lee said boys develop at different paces, and some bloom when they are older. Regardless, teachers are well-versed in differentiated instruction to cater to students of different abilities.

He added: “More importantly, we want students who are happy in the classroom, have good interactions with their teachers, and form strong relationships in school.”

Tan Po Chin added that diversity in the classroom allows students to gain different perspectives and hone life skills.

“There’s so much that we can learn from our peers, regardless of their academic score. It’s the way they look at the world, the way they learn… (it) goes beyond just the score you get on the paper,” she said.