School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans – Secondary (SPERS-Sec)
SPERS-Sec is a centralised posting exercise conducted at the end of the year for Returning Singaporeans who wish to join secondary schools at Secondary 1, Secondary 2 and Secondary 3 at the beginning of the next academic year.
As secondary school admission is merit-based, Returning Singaporeans who wish to participate in SPERS-Sec will be required to sit for SPERS-Sec papers comprising Mathematics and English. Based on their performance in the SPERS-Sec papers, applicants would each be provided with a list of eligible secondary schools where pupils with similar abilities are already studying in. Applicants can opt for any six schools in their lists, and MOE would then post them into secondary schools based on their performance in the SPERS-Sec papers, their school choices, and available vacancies. Under SPERS-Sec, secondary schools may admit a small number of students over and above their planned capacity in recognition that returning Singaporeans have been away and were thus unable to seek admission into secondary schools together with other Singaporean children who had taken the PSLE.
SPERS-Sec is not compulsory and is targeted at Returning Singaporeans who return at the end of the year and prefer the convenience of centralised testing and posting. As placement is based on performance in the SPERS-Sec papers, candidates may not be posted to their first choice school. As such, Returning Singaporeans who require flexibility in timing or who have strong preferences for specific secondary schools are encouraged to approach their schools of choice directly for consideration.
SPERS-Sec is conducted in three phases:
- Eligibility Phase
- School Option Phase
- School Posting Phase
Eligibility Phase
During the Eligibility Phase, applicants will be required to sit for English and Mathematics papers to determine the schools they would be eligible for. The papers include non-content-based questions that assess general reasoning skills. This will more holistically assess applicants who have attended overseas schools with curricula different from Singapore’s.
School Option Phase
During the School Option Phase, applicants will be required to indicate a maximum of six choices in their online school option forms, in order of their preference. The school choices must be based on the list of eligible schools provided to them.
School Posting Phase
During the School Posting Phase, applicants will be posted to secondary schools based on their performance in the SPERS-Sec papers, their school choices, and available vacancies. In the instance where an applicant is not successfully posted to any of his / her schools of choice, he/she will be assigned a place in a secondary school with vacancies near his / her home.