Choosing Secondary Schools in 2025

By WR!TERS@WORK

With no shortage of factors to consider, choosing the perfect secondary school for your child will no doubt be a challenging task. Not only will you have to take their PSLE AL scores into account that may or may not limit their options, parents and students may not always know how to arrive at an informed decision – especially one that will no doubt have reverberating effects in their child’s future. Secondary school is a crucial chapter for every child studying in Singapore where they will spend their next 4 years after PSLE to prepare for their next academic milestone of their adolescent experience, that is the O Levels examinations. Fortunately for everyone embarking on this journey, WRITERS AT WORK’s teachers often have these conversations with students, so here are 5 common mistakes parents make when choosing their child’s secondary school (and how to avoid them!)

1. Don’t Just Focus on Academics

It’s easy to prioritise academic rankings, but focusing only on grades overlooks the importance of a holistic education. Schools that nurture students through co-curricular activities (CCAs), leadership development, and emotional growth often help children thrive long-term.  Tip: Look at each school’s overall curriculum, culture, and student support systems, such as mentorship programs or well-being initiatives.

2. Consider the Full Subject-Based Banding (FSBB)

Full Subject-Based Banding (FSBB) is a flexible academic framework introduced by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore. First piloted in 2022 and expected to be fully rolled out across all secondary schools in 2024, FSBB sees the removal of legacy categorizations such as Express, Normal(Academic) and Normal(Technical) streams. This allows students to take subjects at different levels (G1, G2, G3). This system allows for more personalised learning, encouraging students to maximise their potential in individual subjects while providing a balanced education across different competencies. Tip: Explore schools offering FSBB, especially if your child excels in specific subjects. Understanding how FSBB can cater to your child’s academic profile can help you select a school that aligns with their strengths and learning needs.

3. Don’t Ignore School Culture and Environment

The school environment plays a significant role in your child’s comfort and engagement. Ignoring factors like school values, discipline approach, and peer dynamics could lead to a mismatch in your child’s social-emotional development. Tip: Visit the schools, talk to current students and teachers, and attend open houses to get a sense of the atmosphere and values.

4. Underestimating the Importance of Location

Long travel times can wear students out and impact their overall performance. Schools may offer excellent programs, but if they’re too far from home, your child may struggle with balancing study, CCAs, and rest. Tip: Consider proximity to your home and your child’s daily commute. Balance convenience with school offerings to ensure sustainability.

5. Overlooking Secondary School Special Programs

Not all parents fully explore the special programs some schools offer, such as the Integrated Programme (IP), which allows students to bypass the O-Levels. Tip: Investigate whether a school offers IP, the International Baccalaureate (IB), or other special programs, and think about whether these align with your child’s long-term goals, such as niche and Specialised CCAs. CCAs are an important part of every secondary school student’s life, as they will be spending a great deal of time pursuing a CCA. A student could join a club or society, a sports CCA, a performing art, or a uniformed group. CCAs are different paths to entering JC, polytechnics, and universities, as schools value students with a diverse range of skills which show holistic development, instead of having a homogenous cohort of students who are only academically excellent. CCAs are a good way to add value to future school applications and subtract points from a student’s L1R5 at the O Level national examinations in Secondary 4.

Attain Stellar Results with WRITERS AT WORK!

English is a compulsory subject which all students must undertake. However, mastering the English language is not something which happens overnight – it takes consistent practice and effort to learn the nuances of the language. Students must read more and practice writing to gradually improve. Cramming for a language subject nearer to the exams is an impossible feat. After all, Rome was not built in a day! Attaining such a skill will have positive implications for not only your child’s education in school, but also employment prospects in future.

At WRITERS AT WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams. With our carefully curated methods of teaching your child how to write well, your child will learn how to present their thoughts and arguments in a coherent and concise manner. WRITERS AT WORK reinforces your child’s language skills and provides a strong foundation for their academic success, keeping up with all aspects of their progress both inside and outside of the classroom to nurture them holistically. For more information about how WRITERS AT WORK makes a difference, feel free to explore our website, watch our YouTube videos and catch us LIVE on TikTok!

If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WRITERS AT WORK has expanded to 9 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WRITERS AT WORK!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1. What Are the Basic Steps in Creative Writing?

A good first step would be to plan out the story – it is important that the story follows a Plot Curve which has a logical sequence of events and a clear conclusion. The main and supporting characters should be clear – there should not be a whole village of characters – just enough to further the plot. Moreover, the central conflict of the story should be clear.

2. What Is an Enrichment Class in English?

An enrichment class allows your child to not only learn the basics of the mechanics of English such as good grammar and sentence structure, but it also teaches your child to appreciate the nuances of the English language. Students in an English enrichment class will learn skills like inference and critical reading – these skills are highly important even when students graduate out of school and go into higher education or the working world, as it will teach them to process and filter information to determine what is being said and evaluate the veracity of the information.

3. How Does My Child Benefit From Writing Classes?

Writing classes build systematic thinking and logic in children. Crafting a story plot is the same as thinking, step by step, what events chronologically happen in the context of a given scenario. Students will be able to express their ideas and thought processes in a coherent and concise manner, which will help them in their other subjects as they will be able to formulate sentences to better understand the material. English proficiency is a highly transferable skill.

4. Which Tuition Centre Is Good for English?

WRITERS AT WORK is an excellent option to help your child prepare for their English Language classes at school at any level. WRITERS AT WORK teaches students how to write compositions which are the basic building blocks for all communication, whether it be in school or outside in the workplace.