Secondary School Open House Checklist: What to Ask and Look For (2026) | Genius Plus Academy
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A parent's checklist · Open houses 2026

Secondary school open house checklist

An open house is your best chance to see how a school feels on an ordinary day. Plan two or three visits a Saturday, let your child lead some of the questions, and compare schools together on the same day while it is fresh.

Open house dates referred to here are from MOE's Schoolbag list (accurate as of 13 October 2026). Check each school's website before you go.

Before you go

Plan the visits

  • Check the date and whether you need to register. Most 2026 open houses fall on Saturday 14 and Saturday 21 November. Some ask you to register, especially for principal's talks. See every school's date.
  • Pick two or three schools a Saturday, across a range of cut-off points, and plan the route between them.
  • Ask your child what they want to find out. A CCA, a subject, what the canteen is like. Their questions keep them engaged.
  • Read the school's SchoolFinder page first so the visit can go beyond the basics.

At the open house

What to look at

  • How students talk about the school when teachers are not leading the conversation.
  • Notice boards, student work on the walls and what the school chooses to celebrate.
  • The CCA booths your child lingers at.
  • The principal's talk: what the school says it values, and whether the examples match.

Questions to ask

Questions worth asking teachers and students

Learning

  • How do you support students who find Sec 1 Math or Science hard in the first term?
  • How does Full Subject-Based Banding work here, and when can a student move a subject up a level?
  • What does a typical week of homework look like in Sec 1?

Life at the school

  • How are Sec 1 students helped to settle in during the first weeks?
  • How are CCAs allocated, and how much time do they take?
  • What are the school's rules on phones, and how is discipline handled?

Practical

  • What time does school start and end on most days?
  • What are the school fees and miscellaneous fees?
  • What are the Applied Learning and Learning for Life programmes about?

Afterwards

Compare with your child the same day

School ASchool BSchool C
Journey (1 to 5)
Felt welcoming (1 to 5)
CCAs my child wants
Something we liked
Something that worried us

Score each school on the day, while it is fresh. Visiting a school is not required for posting, but it often makes the final order much easier.

Free PDF · for P6 parents

Keep it all in one printable guide

One printable guide with everything on this site in one place. Tell us where to send it, and the download opens straight away.

  • Every key MOE date, from results day to posting day
  • All secondary schools by region, with 2025 cut-off points and 2026 open house dates
  • How posting groups, tie-breakers and affiliation work, on one page

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After the choices are in

Whichever school it is, Sec 1 Math starts with algebra.

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.

Questions parents ask

Do open house visits affect posting?

No. Posting depends only on PSLE score, choice order, vacancies and the tie-breakers. Visiting helps you and your child decide; it does not change the outcome.

What if we cannot attend a school's open house?

Many schools post virtual tours or videos on their websites, and SchoolFinder lists each school's programmes and CCAs. Some schools also offer tours after results day; check the school's website.

Should my child come along?

Yes, if possible. Seeing the school, the CCAs and the students in person usually tells a child more than any brochure, and their reactions are useful when you order your six choices.

More in the PSLE to Sec 1 hub

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