Applying for an exemption from compulsory education to home-school in Singapore

The Compulsory Education Act 2000 requires a child of compulsory school age who was born after 1 January 1996, is a Singapore citizen and lives in Singapore to attend a national primary school regularly. If that describes your child, you need MOE's approval to home-school instead.

Approval to be home-schooled is one of the exemptions MOE lists. If your child has significant special educational needs, or you are considering a designated school, ask MOE which route fits your situation, because the requirements differ.

MOE's exemptions page directs parents to the Compulsory Education Unit for more information. MOE has said it engages parents who express interest in home-schooling before the application process starts, to check their eligibility and commitment. That is one reason nearly all the applications it receives are approved.

MOE does not publish a fixed application deadline for home-schooling in the sources we checked. Most applications are made at Primary 1, so it makes sense to start the conversation well before the Primary 1 Registration Exercise for your child's cohort. For admission in 2027, for example, that exercise ran from 30 June to 30 October 2026.

MOE has given MOE_CEU@moe.gov.sg as the contact for compulsory education queries. Check the exemptions page for current contact details before you write.

MOE's published conditions ask parents to provide:

• An academic learning plan covering English Language, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science.
• A teaching plan for Character and Citizenship Education, showing how you will develop your child's character, deliver citizenship education and build social-emotional skills.

For a child with moderate to severe special educational needs, MOE instead asks for an Individualised Education Plan that sets out the curriculum you will use and the learning outcomes you want.

A practical way to start is with MOE's own primary syllabuses for each subject, so your plan shows how your child will reach the standard needed for the PSLE. MOE will tell you the format it wants, so ask before you write a long document.

MOE considers each application case by case. Based on its published statements, it looks at:

• whether the arrangement will meet the objectives of compulsory education;
• your learning plans for the four PSLE subjects and Character and Citizenship Education;
• whether you have the capability to teach your child effectively and provide a holistic learning environment (MOE refers to parents having the necessary qualifications);
• your commitment to having your child sit the PSLE and meet the PSLE benchmark.

MOE does not publish details of documents, qualifications or interviews in the sources we checked. Ask the Compulsory Education Unit exactly what you will need to provide.

Once your child is approved, MOE has said that you will:

• submit a progress report every year, updating MOE on your child's learning in the different areas;
• possibly receive home visits from MOE inspectors;
• have your child sit a Mid-Term Assessment in Primary 4, which gives you a broad picture of progress halfway through primary school. MOE sends information booklets with test formats and specimen questions in Primary 3.

Keep good records throughout the year, such as work samples and notes on what you covered, so the annual report is easy to write.

Home-schooled children are required to sit the PSLE and meet the PSLE benchmark. MOE has set the benchmark at the 33rd percentile of students in national primary schools taking four standard-level subjects that year, and has listed a National Education quiz before the PSLE.

MOE's PSLE results releases have stated that home-schooled children who do not meet the benchmark must re-attempt the PSLE the following year. See our PSLE for homeschoolers guide for more detail.

• Deferring Primary 1 delays your child's start at school; it is a separate application with its own rules and deadline.
• Mother Tongue Language exemption is also separate, with its own eligibility criteria. Ask MOE how it would apply to a home-schooled child, since the Mother Tongue Language is one of the four PSLE subjects.

MOE has said it reviews the home-schooling criteria every year, so check the current requirements even if a friend applied recently.