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2020 School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans

Last Updated: 14 Jul 2020

News Press Releases

1. The 2020 School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans (SPERS) will be open for applications from 15 July 2020, for Singaporean children who are returning from overseas and wish to join our secondary schools, junior colleges (JC) or Millennia Institute (MI) at the start of the 2021 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 Returning Singaporeans (RS) who have lived and/or 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 children 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 children seeking admission to Secondary 1 to 3 in 2021 can apply to take the SPERS-Sec tests scheduled from 22 to 24 September 2020. RS seeking admission to Pre-University 1 can apply to take the SPERS-JC/MI tests on 12 November 2020. Since Sec 4 and Pre-U 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 2020, enabling them to join our secondary schools and JC/MI at the start of the school term in 2021.

Supplementary Placement Exercise (Spe)

4. For RS who are unable to return in time to sit for the SPERS-Sec tests in September 2020, MOE usually conducts another round of tests under the Supplementary Placement Exercise (SPE) to facilitate their admission into our secondary schools. The application for SPE will open in October 2020, and is tentatively scheduled for mid-December 2020. SPE applicants will receive their school placement results in early February 2021 for admissions from February 2021.

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 2021 academic year in January together with their peers.

6. Details of the 2020 SPERS-Sec, SPE and SPERS-JC/MI exercises can be found in Annex A. For more information and to submit an application, please refer to the MOE RS website at https://www.moe.gov.sg/admissions/returning-singaporeans.

Assured School Placement for Rs

7. In view of the COVID-19 situation, the conduct of the centralised placement exercises will be subjected to the national measures in place leading up to and during the actual test dates. MOE will keep parents updated should there be any changes or cancellation of these exercises. In this regard, we would encourage RS children who are seeking a place in any suitable school near their Singapore residence to make use of MOE's Assured School Placement service.

8. 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. The RS student need not sit for any centralised test, although the school may conduct school-based assessments and/or an interview to determine the level and course to place the student in. For more information about the Assured School Placement service, please visit https://www.moe.gov.sg/admissions/returning-singaporeans/admission-to-secondary-school/assured-school-placement.

Primary School Admissions

9. As for primary schooling, RS of primary-school age who are seeking admission into primary schools may approach MOE at any time of the year for assistance. MOE will offer the RS a place in a primary school with vacancies near the child's residence, at a level appropriate for the child's age cohort.

10. The RS 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.