SINGAPORE - Changes to the Primary 1 registration exercise from 2027 have prompted parents to rethink school choices, with some now considering schools that were previously out of reach.

Families without prior links to schools nearby now stand to benefit from more places, after the Education Ministry announced on Sept 10 that 60 places will be reserved for Phase 2C, up from 40 currently.

The increase in Phase 2C spots applies to schools with intakes of 180 or more P1 pupils.

But parents who had moved homes to get their children into popular schools said the latest changes have disrupted plans they had made years in advance, particularly for those targeting schools in the Bukit Timah area.

For marketing specialist Janice Lim, 40, the increased number of spaces in Phase 2C could help her five-year-old son secure a place in Hong Wen School, a five-minute walk from their home.

The family had applied for the school in the same phase for their daughter in 2025, but were unsuccessful.

“We thought it would be good for our girl given its emphasis on Mandarin. But we were out-balloted at Phase 2C,” she said, adding that her daughter is now studying in another school nearby.

Though the changes do benefit them, Lim and her husband know there could be other roadblocks, as the school has faced balloting in Phase 2C in past years.

“There has been quite a few BTO developments popping up in our estate in recent years, so this change may also be mitigated by a potentially larger pool of applicants who live within 1km of the school,” she said.

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