CLOSING DATES FOR SUBMISSION

Closing dates for submission of complete applications are as follows:

2023 Term 3 admission – by 31 March 2023

Pre-admission Assessment Period: January – May 2023

2024 Term 1 admission – by 31 July 2023

Pre-admission Assessment Period: July – October 2023

For application requirements and documents to be submitted, please refer to the information under Admission Criteria and Application Procedures.

Please submit your child’s application using the digitised Special Education (SPED) school application form, at https://go.gov.sg/spedschoolapplicationform.

All applications to study at Grace Orchard School must be made on the proper Admission Form.

The following supporting documents must be submitted together with the completed application form:

1. Birth Certificate of the child (photocopy).

2. NRIC of parent(s) / legal guardian (photocopy).

3. One recent passport-sized photograph of the child.

4. Medical Report (duly completed by a qualified medical practitioner within one year prior to the date of submission of the application form).

5. Psychological Report (completed within 2 years prior to the date of submission of the application form and conducted by a qualified psychologist registered with the Singapore Register of Psychologists maintained by the Singapore Psychological Society, or licensed psychologist in the countries recognised by the SPS).

The psychological report must include the following items:

a. Results of the child’s individually administered intellectual assessment that present an overview of the child’s general cognitive / intellectual functioning. They should include verbal, non-verbal and global scores. If specific IQ scores are not obtained, reasons should be given. Language(s) used during the testing is (are) to be indicated.

b. Results of the child’s social and adaptive functioning as measured by an adaptive behavior assessment.

c. Summary of the child’s individual educational needs.

6. School Reports that include the following items (if applicable):

a. Report book (results for all semesters).

b. Learning Support Programme assessment data (eg, Singapore Word Reading Test results, School Readiness Test score, SMART results).

c. Reports from previous / current class teacher / Learning Support Co-ordinator on the child’s learning, behavior, social skills, etc.

d. Progress report.

e. Samples of child’s work in class or examination papers.

f. Individual Education Plan (IEP).

7. Reports and recommendations from professionals (eg, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Guidance Officers) working with the child.

In addition to all of the above, for children with autistic spectrum disorder, the following must also be submitted:

8. Diagnostic Report that includes data from clinical observations and diagnostic interviews / observations schedules / checklists indicating that the child meets established criteria for autism.

9. Please submit your child’s application using the digitised Special Education (SPED) school application form, at https://go.gov.sg/spedschoolapplicationform.

For transfer from mainstream school to SPED school, please note the following:

10. With effect from 10 October 2022, applications for a transfer from a mainstream school to a SPED school must be facilitated through the student’s mainstream school. Please approach the mainstream school Principal to apply for the transfer.

Direct applications from parents/legal guardians, private professionals, and hospitals will not be accepted.

For more information, please visit https://www.moe.gov.sg/special-educational-needs/apply.

Regarding waitlisting in SPED Schools for Primary 1 / Junior 1 placement, please note the following:

11. With effect from 1 January 2023, a child applying for placement in Primary 1 / Junior 1 in a government-funded SPED school can only be placed on the waitlist if the child has first been placed in another government-funded SPED school¹ which serves the same primary diagnosed condition. Please refer to this link for the list of SPED schools categorised by the primary diagnosed conditions.

¹A child placed in a mainstream school will not be eligible to be on the waitlists for SPED schools. Should there be interest to transfer the child to a SPED school, please refer to the “Transfers from Mainstream Schools to SPED schools” section for more details

This requirement will also apply to returning Singaporeans entering SPED schools at all levels².

²This requirement will not be applied to P3 and above children who can access ASD-NC schools in 2023. This is because Pathlight School is the only ASD-NC school that offers P3 and above classes in 2023. This requirement will be extended accordingly to P3 and above children when the other ASD-NC school, St. Andrew’s Mission School progressively offers P3 and above and secondary levels.

You can also contact the school office at 6561 9128 or email us at admissions@go.edu.sg for further enquiries.

FOR ALL APPLICANTS

The following are the criteria that all applicants must satisfy:

• The child has to be a Singapore citizen or Permanent Resident of Singapore.
• The child needs to be between 6 and 16 years old at the time of application.
• Please note that in line with MOE practices, Singapore Citizens will get priority over Permanent Residents for admission. As we currently have a wait-list of Singapore citizens for a place in Grace Orchard School, we are sorry that we are not able to serve non-citizens at the moment.

The child has been assessed to have mild intellectual disability, defined as:

• Significantly sub-average intellectual functioning in the range of 50 to 70 as assessed on an individually administered intelligence (IQ) test, and limitations in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills.
• The child should not have another significant disability that may affect his or her ability to cope with and benefit from the school’s programmes and curriculum. Examples include, but not limited to, visual and hearing impairment, severe speech impairment or psychosis.
• The child, at the time of admission, should be physically mobile.

In addition, the above mentioned applicants must also satisfy the following criteria:

• The child has been formally diagnosed with Mild Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Admission assessment for these applicants will be conducted across 2 consecutive days in a group-based educational setting (e.g. classroom, canteen, hall).