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Singapore : Internal school organisation

Last updated: 29-Oct-2009

• 4.2 Second phase: Primary, age 6/7 - 12
• 4.2.1 Organisation of teaching groups
• 4.2.2 Student progression through the phase
• 4.2.3 Class size
• 4.2.4 Teacher specialisation

 

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4.2 Second phase: Primary, age 6/7 - 12 [see 3.2.2]

 

4.2.1 Organisation of teaching groups

In the primary school foundation stage (Primary 1 to Primary 4, children aged 6/7 to 10), children are grouped by age and taught in mixed-ability classes.  ⁹¹ 

Prior to 2005, children in Primary 5 and Primary 6 (aged 10 to 12) were generally placed in one of three main streams (EM1, EM2 or EM3) suited to their pace of learning.  Children in all streams followed essentially the same curriculum, but were taught at different levels of complexity. EM1 students studied mother tongue at the first language (higher) level; EM2 students studied mother tongue at second language level and EM3 students studied mother tongue at basic level. In EM3 a modified curriculum was also provided for English, mathematics and science. This focused on core content and skills and the emphasis was on achieving the required proficiency in English and mathematics.  ^{26, 15, 25}  The EM1 and EM2 streams have now been merged and, in the 2008 academic year, the EM3 stream began to be phased out.  As a result, there is more flexibility for children to study subjects at a mix of standard or foundation levels. ^88 91

 

4.2.2 Student progression through the phase

The primary sector is divided into two cycles or stages:

• The foundation stage (Primary 1 to Primary 4, age 6/7-10), which aims to provide students with 'a firm foundation in English, their mother tongue ([Mandarin] Chinese, Malay or Tamil) and mathematics'.
• The orientation stage (Primary 5 and Primary 6, age 10-12), designed to prepare them for the secondary sector course best suited to their abilities.³⁵

Continual and semestral assessments form the basis on which students progress through the different courses of study. In general, students do not repeat classes during the foundation stage. Students may repeat the Primary 5 year if the school or parents deem this necessary. This is generally the only occasion (unless there are exceptional circumstances) when primary school students repeat a year.⁹² 

4.2.3 Class size

In 2005, all government-funded schools began to reduce class sizes in Primary 1 (age 6/7) from 40 to 30. This reduction was extended to all Primary 2 classes (ages 7/8) from 2006. The main aims of this change in class size were to:

• Allow teachers to cater for the wide range of children's needs in each class.
• Provide Primary 1 and 2 children with more individual attention to give them a strong grounding in literacy and numeracy.
• Ease the transition from pre-school where the class size is usually less than 30.⁸⁰

Based on recommendations of the Primary Education Review and Implementation Committee in April 2009, the Ministry of Education plans to reduce the pupil to teacher ratio in primary schools from 21:1 to 16:1 by 2015.⁹⁵ 

4.2.4 Teacher specialisation

Primary school teachers are generalists, that is they are trained to teach all subjects.  Further information on initial teacher training for this phase is provided in section 7.2. ¹⁸

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