Singapore’s new Primary 1 rules: Who lives around the 12 schools getting a wider catchment?

Singapore's Ministry of Education has introduced a new Primary 1 registration system that allows children living up to 3km away from certain schools to apply for a place, depending on their socioeconomic background and the available catchment. The 12 selected schools were chosen based on the housing mix around them, with public housing accounting for a smaller proportion within a 2km radius compared to the national average.

This change could potentially open up these schools to a wider range of families, reducing the advantage of living nearby and promoting more socioeconomic diversity. However, the practical implications of this expanded catchment, such as the feasibility of daily commutes for children and working parents, remain to be seen. The schools with the most public housing units within a 2km radius are Tao Nan School, Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School, and Nanyang Primary School, while those with the fewest are St Margaret's School (Primary), Raffles Girls' Primary School, Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), and Nanyang Primary School.