SINGAPORE - The first phase of this year's Primary 1 registration exercise begins at 9am on Wednesday (June 29).

Phase 1, which is the first of five phases, is reserved for children who have siblings already enrolled in the school.

All children registered under this phase are guaranteed places, and the phase will end at 4.30pm on Thursday.

The entire registration exercise will be conducted online - as it has been for the past two years - and there will not be any in-person registration at schools, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said.

This year, more Primary 1 places will be set aside for children who do not qualify for priority admission.

The number of places reserved for this group will be doubled to 40, MOE announced last year.

These places will be parked under Phase 2C of the annual exercise, where priority is given to those who live nearby.

MOE has combined Phase 2A(1) and Phase 2A(2) into a single Phase 2A.

This means children whose parents are in the alumni association will not have priority over those who have parents or siblings who used to study in the school. They will now compete in the same phase.

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said last September that the changes are meant to ensure that schools remain accessible, open and inclusive.

To help parents understand how the changes will affect their children's chances in each phase, and how oversubscribed each school may be based on historical data, The Straits Times has put together an interactive graphic to walk them through the process.