SINGAPORE – From 2024, Secondary 1 students in 120 schools will get to take subjects at different levels of difficulty under full subject-based banding (SBB).

Parents with questions about how their children will be able to cope with subjects at a more demanding level will be able to hear from five secondary school principals at an upcoming forum.

The Straits Times Smart Parenting Post-PSLE Forum will be held on Oct 21, from 10am to 12.15pm, at SPH Media in Toa Payoh North.

The forum is open to parents and their Primary 6 children.

Principals from Anderson Secondary School, Bowen Secondary School, Holy Innocents’ High School, St Andrew’s Secondary School and Kranji Secondary School will talk about their experiences in full SBB and take questions from parents.

The session will be moderated by ST’s senior education correspondent Sandra Davie.

The principals will also guide parents on how to select a secondary school for their children and the best strategies to adopt.

In addition, five students from St Andrew’s Secondary School and Holy Innocents’ High School will share how they have benefited from full SBB.

Pupils who have questions on secondary school life will be able to raise them as well.

One of the speakers is St Andrew’s Secondary School principal Lee Han Hwa, whose school has piloted full SBB for the last four years.

He said parents have been asking about the key difference between a full SBB pilot school and a non-pilot school over the past years.

“With the full implementation starting next year, parents will be even more keen to find out what this entails,” he added.

He said that apart from finding out what full SBB might mean for students in Secondary 1, parents should also ask how full SBB affects students’ post-secondary options, as they will be sitting a common exam – the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate, which will replace the current O- and N-level exams.

Another speaker, Kranji Secondary School principal Goh Soon Hoe, encouraged parents to start a conversation with their children on secondary school selection as it is a good opportunity to understand how they think and make decisions.

He said parents can provide wisdom in guiding their children in decision-making and ask them how they would thrive in the school they are posted to.

“These early conversations, before the posting results are out, allow the children and parents to move on even if they are not given their top-ranked choices,” he said.

Guiding students to have a positive mindset will help them handle emotions better and adjust quickly to secondary school life. They will be able to embrace the opportunities, instead of resenting their posted choices, he added.

“School selection is a great teachable moment. These conversations help students be more independent and responsible for their own future,” he said.

To sign up for the ST Smart Parenting Post-PSLE Forum, go to str.sg/postpsle23 and register by Oct 15. ST subscribers enjoy a $20 discount off the $35 ticket with a promo code.