ST to launch PSLE Companion to help parents support their kids with exam preparation
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Koh Ming Lun
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- Starting January 2026, The Straits Times will launch a PSLE Companion with articles, worksheets and workshops to help parents guide their children.
- A two-year Straits Times subscription grants exclusive access to PSLE Companion resources, including parent workshops that can be attended at SPH News Centre or online.
- Workshops in 2026 will address stress management, exam preparation with Mr Ong Kong Hong and Yeap Ban Har, revision strategies, and secondary school selection.
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Explore the PSLE Companion microsite for more insights and tips.
My son is already getting top marks in Primary 5, and after next year, he wants to go to a top secondary school. Should I send him for enrichment classes so that he can reach his goal?
My twins are starting their PSLE preparation in the new year, but listening to other parents, I wonder: Have I left it too late?
The Primary School Leaving Examination may still be some distance away, but questions are already coming in
This worry and anxiety is not unusual, despite the Ministry of Education (MOE) having taken steps in recent years to reduce the emphasis on examinations and grades.
After five years of running a PSLE Prep Forum to help parents better guide their children through the examination year, The Straits Times has decided to extend that support further.
From January, it will publish a PSLE Companion containing a wealth of resources, including articles packed with information and expert advice on exam preparation. Parents can also look forward to worksheets that they can use to guide their children.
There will also be four parent workshops in 2026, with the first scheduled for Jan 17.
Parents who subscribed to The Straits Times PSLE Companion package will have full access to the articles, accompanying resources and workshops throughout the year.
The workshops, which will be held at the SPH News Centre in Toa Payoh, will have limited seats, but the sessions will be streamed online for those unable to attend in person.
Said ST editor Jaime Ho: “At ST, we are always looking to see how we can deepen our connections with the communities we serve, including parents with school-going children. We want to be able to provide them with useful information and resources.
“We hope this initiative will help parents better support their children, not just for the PSLE, but on their overall parenting journey.”
ST senior education correspondent Sandra Davie, who is leading the editorial team, said that in January 2026, the microsite
“From talking to motivation experts, this is an important first step,” she said.
“The idea is not to get a child to aim for AL1 in every subject, but to think about where his strengths and weaknesses are, and what is an achievable goal. The worksheets will also guide him to consider what actions he needs to take to achieve his goal.”
She added that the worksheets are designed for parents and their children to complete together.
“It’s important that one or both parents sit down with their children to complete the worksheets. Very often, parents have different – and often higher – expectations of their children. It’s an opportunity for parents to reflect on their own expectations and whether they are adding to the pressure on their kids.
“So, again, the focus will be on dialling down the stress and anxiety for both parents and their children by giving them information, resources and expert advice through the year,” she added.
The first Jan 17 workshop will guide parents in managing stress for their children and for themselves.
In April, there will be the PSLE Prep forum,
Parents will be able to ask Mr Ong Kong Hong, MOE’s divisional director of curriculum planning and development, about the exam, including whether it has become more difficult for pupils to get into the schools they prefer.
Sessions by mathematics expert Yeap Ban Har, a textbook author and former National Institute of Education lecturer, are popular with parents because of his useful tips on helping their children with the subject, including the “tricky” questions that are often discussed in online chats.
In July, there will be another parents’ workshop to guide them on what they can do in the last two months of revision. Parents may be tempted to get their children to ramp up their studying, but overdoing it in the final weeks can be counterproductive and may even lead to burnout and anxiety, experts say.
The last workshop of the year will help parents pick the right secondary school, a task many find stressful.
The PSLE year is a long journey, with many parents starting preparations when their child is in Primary 5. By signing up for the ST PSLE Companion package, families can gain year-round access to practical tools, expert advice and guided workshops.
Said Ms Davie: “In the process, we hope to make PSLE parenting easier, less stressful and more rewarding for parents and their children.”
Download the ST 2026 PSLE calendar here. str.sg/psle-signup
