The pandemic in 2020 has caused much of a panic and chaos and students are affected to a large extent. The usual classroom learning became impossible for a certain period of time and everything had to be shifted to the online platform. Tuition for Secondary school in Singapore has been a huge support for many students during this time. Things have gotten so much more challenging now as opposed to how it was back then and the younger generation has had to adapt and adjust to these drastic changes.
Students who have completed their PSLE in 2020 would move on to the next phase of their school life which is Secondary School. It is important for students to get into a school which they find would best suit them, a school which gives great importance to discipline and whose principles and values aligns with what parents want their children to follow as well.
For many students, they may have performed well but not to the extent to which they may have expected themselves to have done so. They may slip off the cut off by a point or two and miss the chance to get into the school they wish to enter that is indeed disappointing.
You would not need to worry about your child coping up with the rigour in Secondary school as well as there are tuition centres in Singapore that provide top-notch coaching for students to excel in their secondary school academic journey.
Other reasons may include students’ health conditions, specific learning needs and for other specific reasons, they have to be stated clearly (which will then be up to the school’s discretion to accept the student).
IMPORTANT THINGS TO TAKE NOTE OF IN APPEALING FOR A TRANSFER:
- Appeals will be considered on exceptional basis for students with:
- Serious medical conditions
- Specific learning needs
- Certain schools may be the centres for Higher Mother Tongue (this maybe a reason for students to appeal to that school in order to take up the subject)
- Relevant supporting documents need to be presented, such as medical reports, letters from doctors.
- Your child must still report to their posted school; though applying for an appeal.
- Students seeking transfers should continue to attend their posted secondary school until their transfer is approved.
- Transfers depend on the vacancy availability as well.
How can one make a successful Secondary school appeal?
STATING THE REASONS
Parents are likely to have strong reasons if they consider appealing their child to another school. The reasons have to not only be stated clearly, but to also be described with clarity. The school needs to know the motivation behind the student’s desire to be in that school and they need to know why parents prefer their child coming to that school as well.
Should the student have special needs, the school would also check if they are necessarily equipped to care for the special needs of the child. If the child has certain medical conditions, the school would also have to bear responsibility to care for that child in school and hence the school needs to be informed the necessary as well.
Moreover, many schools are designated centres that can offer Higher Mother Tongue and if your child is keen on taking that up in Secondary school and if the school is also in close proximity to home, then that is a strong reason to appeal as well.
In the situation where your child’s PSLE score is very close to the school’s cut off, you can clearly explain that you do not want your child to miss out on the opportunity of studying in the school because of a small slip in the score. You may provide the explanation why you think your child may thrive in that Secondary school as opposed to the one he or she is posted to; if there are enough vacancies, with much consideration by the school, your child may land a chance to get in.
What’s most important is to articulate your thought process as to why you think that school will be the best for your child!
TIMEFRAME
It is best if you could bring your child along to the school you would want to appeal to on the day that you know about the Secondary school positing. Some make the mistake of delaying the process and this may cause the vacancies to be lost. Taking the necessary steps as fast as possible is important and this way you won’t lose the opportunity.
It is also necessary that students report to the school that they are posted in, until their appeal has been approved. This is essential as the appealing process will take a few days to get confirmed and till then students cannot be granting themselves a holiday.
APPEAL INTERVIEW
Not all schools may request for an interview, but some may do so and hence it is important to know about the procedure that the school may follow in order to be prepared beforehand. Apart from the submission of your child’s academic record and the PSLE results, your child may be requested to give an interview. This is not something to be afraid of as it is just something that the school may think is necessary to do in order to see if the student is actually deserving to occupy the available vacancy.
Specifically, for schools that give an extra importance to Co-Curricular Activities (CCA), students will be questioned in the interview about their willingness to commit the CCA groups in the school and be active participants in them. It will be beneficial for students to research about the school’s achievements and expectations before going for the interview so that they can craft their answers to live up to the school’s expectations.
ALL IN ALL, it is essential for parents to find out the guidelines regarding appeal and they should discuss with their child about the available options before coming to a conclusion. In the event that the appeal does not get through successfully, there is nothing to worry about as every school in Singapore is admittedly a good school. What is most important is for you and your child to try your best, but also remember to accept the result whatever it is; everything happens for the good!