A parent's guide · S1 Posting 2026
Use all six choices, across a range of cut-off points, with at least two or three schools where your child's score is better than last year's cut-off. Then order them by real preference: posting tries each choice in turn, so an ambitious first choice does not cost your child a safer one further down.
Rules and dates on this page are from the Ministry of Education (MOE) and were checked against MOE's S1 Posting pages on 19 October 2026. MOE is the source of truth: confirm details on the linked MOE pages before you act.
MOE's advice
MOE's guidance for shortlisting is short and worth following closely:
A simple shape
Many families find it helps to think in three bands, using the gap between your child's score and each school's 2025 cut-off point. Lower scores are better, so a school whose COP is lower than your child's score is a stretch.
| Band | Cut-off point compared with your child's score | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Stretch | A little better than your child's score (lower), by one or two points | 1 to 2 |
| Match | About the same as your child's score | 2 |
| Comfortable | Clearly worse than your child's score (higher), by two points or more | 2 to 3 |
Then order all six by real preference, not by band. Because posting tries each choice in turn, a stretch school listed first does not cost your child their place at a comfortable school listed sixth. What you should avoid is placing a school you would be unhappy with above one you would prefer, simply because it feels safer.
A worked example
Suppose your child scores 14 and is in Posting Group 3. A shortlist following MOE's advice might include one or two schools with a 2025 COP of 12 or 13, two schools with a COP of about 14, and two or three with a COP of 16 or higher, all within a reasonable journey. The order would follow which schools your child actually preferred at the open houses.
Use the cut-off point calculator to list every school a score met last year, then the open house list to see which you can still visit. These numbers are an illustration, not a recommendation for any school.
Beyond the number
Four years of the same commute. Try the trip at the time your child would actually travel.
MOE asks parents to start from the child: their strengths, interests and learning style. Some children enjoy being stretched by stronger peers; others gain confidence near the middle of a cohort.
Every secondary school has an Applied Learning Programme and a Learning for Life Programme, and its own subjects and CCAs. SchoolFinder lists them, and open houses show them.
The four-year SEC route (with Full Subject-Based Banding) or the six-year Integrated Programme, which skips the Sec 4 national exam. Government, government-aided or independent, which affects fees. Co-ed or single-sex. SAP or not.
If your child's primary school is affiliated to a secondary school and you want that school, it must be the first choice for affiliation priority to apply.
Worksheet
| # | School | 2025 COP | Journey | Open house visited? | Why this school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 |
The printable version is in the free PDF guide, along with every school's cut-off point by region. MOE S1 Posting has the full rules.
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After the choices are in
The units your child has drawn since P4 become letters in Term 1. Here is how we can help with that step, from December onwards.
December · two days
Mon 7 and Tue 8 Dec, 10am to 3pm, Coronation Plaza or Zoom. Prime factorisation, real numbers and an introduction to algebra, with the tutor's written notes to bring home. S$380, lunch included.
See the Headstart →
From January · weekly
Small classes, recorded lessons and weekly marked homework, onsite or on Zoom, for G3, G2 and IP students. Start with a free diagnostic and trial.
See Sec 1 Math →
Until 31 Dec 2026
Register for 2027 weekly classes now to keep 2026 fees, pick your child's class timing before January, and take the Headstart at half price.
See Priority Registration →
Yes. Students who cannot be placed in any of their choices are posted after everyone else to a school with places near their registered address. Six choices across a range of cut-off points makes that much less likely.
No. Posting considers your choices in order, so a reach school first does not cost your child their later choices. Choice order only acts as a tie-breaker at schools where students tie on score and citizenship.
MOE says they can fluctuate by a few points, depending on each cohort's results and choices. Treat any school within a point or two of your child's score as uncertain in either direction.
MOE encourages it. Children who have visited a school and chosen it tend to settle in faster. Talk about what they enjoyed at each open house, not only the numbers.