Average Timeline of SPED School Placement Process for 2,880 Unenrolled Children

Ms Hany Soh asked the Minister for Education of the approximate 2,880 Singaporean children who did not participate in the 2025 Primary One Registration Exercise (a) how many of them (i) are in the process of or (ii) have received placement in special education (SPED) schools; and (b) what is the average time taken for a child to secure a place in a SPED school.

Mr Desmond Lee: Of the approximately 2,880 Singaporean children who did not participate in the 2025 Primary One Registration Exercise, 885 applied for Special Education (SPED) schools. Of this, 864 applicants have been offered places. We are still processing the remaining 21 applications, which were received mostly in November and December 2025.

The average time between the application date and the date that the child is offered a place is six months. However, the wait time can be longer if we need to identify an alternative school due to vacancy constraints, or when further professional advice is sought to ensure that the child is placed in a suitable SPED school which meets the child's needs. In particular, as demand for a SPED school children with autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability have grown significantly, children with this profile may face longer wait times.

The existing 26 SPED schools have been expanding their capacity to increase student enrolment. We will further expand SPED school capacity and will continue to work closely with social service agencies operating our SPED schools to attract, retain and develop our SPED educators.