Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Frequently Asked Questions

(1) What is Zhenghua Secondary's cut-off points?
For the current 2025 batch of Sec 1s:

(2) My Child wants to enter this school but was not offered a place during the Sec 1 posting exercise. How can I appeal for a place?

You can register your appeal by approaching our staff in the General Office, and your child will be put on our waiting list. The online form will be made available after the release of the posting results in December. In the event that your child/ward is shortlisted, we will contact you as soon as we can.

(3) I am a Returning Singaporean, how can i apply for a place in Zhenghua Secondary School?

The School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans (SPERS) was introduced to facilitate the school admission of Returning Singaporean (RS) children who are Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident, returning from overseas and wish to join our mainstream schools.If your child has lived and studied overseas and do not have a place in a local secondary school, you may sit for the SPERS - Secondary to seek admission into Secondary 1-3 in the following academic year. In view that the Secondary 4 is a national examination year, we would generally not encourage Returning Singaporeans to seek admission at this level.

(4) What is the criteria for Direct School Admission into Zhenghua Secondary School?

We take in promising Primary 6 students with strong leadership qualities and/or outstanding contributions to their uniformed groups, CCAs or school through the school’s Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise. Further details can be found on our DSA page here

(5) What is the school's stand on outside tuition?

We do not recommend our students to go for tuition except in exceptional cases.  The students should instead approach their teachers for help.  We also put in place several remedial measures to help our students succeed.

(6) Are handphones allowed in the school? What can the school do to prevent excessive handphone usage?

Students are not to use smartphones during school hours, including recess, self-directed and relief periods, as well as CCA, supplementary/enrichment/remedial lessons, unless special permission is given by teachers. Students who bring mobile phones to schools are to have them kept in lockers from 7.30 am (8.30 am on Mondays) until the end of school hours.

Students may have to surrender their mobile phones for the day if found to be non-compliant. Students are to collect the surrendered mobile phones from 3 pm onwards from the blue room. Parents may be called in to retrieve the mobile phone in the event of repeated violation

(7) Will teachers use Facebook or other social media and Whatsapp to communicate with the students?

While we do not encourage our teachers to use social media to communicate with students, we do recognise that technological platforms can be a useful platform to encourage student online discussions and collaborations.  Hence, unless it is for educational purposes, our teachers will not use social media platforms to communicate with your child. We also recognise that online communication apps like Whatsapp are effective ways to get in touch with students. However, teachers do recognise that not all students have smart phones or data plans and that Whatsapp only serve as an additional form of communication on top of those we already have in class and in school.

(8) When my child is sick, can I just write a letter instead of providing an MC as they have medication at home?

We seek your kind understanding to always get a doctor to look into the health and well-being of your child when he or she is sick and to obtain an MC if he or she is unable to attend school. We accept parent letters only after establishing with you the situation that your child is in.

(9) If we want to apply leave for my child, what must we do?

If your child is sick, please consult a doctor to obtain an MC. If there are other forms of emergencies (e.g. bereavement of a family member), please write a letter to inform your child’s form teachers about the duration which your child needs to be away.  We seek your understanding to not take your child out of school for holidays during curriculum time as this would have an impact on his or her studies.

(10) Who can opt for Higher MTL and where are the lessons held?

Students who offer Mother Tongue Language (MTL) (i.e. Chinese/ Malay/ Tamil) or Higher Mother Tongue Language (HTML) (i.e. Higher Chinese/ Higher Malay/ Higher Tamil) at the PSLE and

o   PSLE MTL score of AL 1/AL 2; or

o   HMTL score of Distinction/Merit

Students eligible for HMTL will be invited by MOE to apply for HMTL immediately after the release of the PSLE results.

Higher Malay Language course will be held in Bukit Panjang Government High outside curriculum time and Higher Chinese Language course is held in the school.

(11) My child does not meet the above criteria to offer HMTL, can my child still opt for HMTL in Secondary School?

Students who scored 75% or higher in G3 MTL are eligible to offer HMTL in secondary three. School has the flexibility to allow students to take HMTL if they are assessed to have exceptional ability in MTL in the end-of-year examination of secondary two and are able to take HMTL without affecting their performance in other subjects.

(12) My child is taking Tamil language. When and where are the classes held?

Students who are offered Tamil will study at the Tamil Language Centre, Choa Chu Kang  Secondary School outside curriculum time. For 2026, depending on the level and stream, Tamil classes will commence at 3pm on the following days:

(13) My child takes part in a competitive sport on a regular basis (e.g. gymnastics, swimming) but this sport is not offered in the school. Can it be counted as my child's CCA?

CCAs are a key component of students’ holistic education. Through CCAs, students discover their interests and talents. CCAs also provide platforms for students to develop their character, learn values, social emotional competencies and other relevant skills to prepare them for future challenges. Participation in a CCA is compulsory for all secondary school students. Secondary school students may pursue their interests and participate in external activities, but not in-lieu of a school-based CCA.  Hence all Secondary school students must participate in a school-based CCA and may continue to participate in the competitive sport outside of their school commitments. Their achievement in the competitive sport can be recorded inside their school records if they meet the criteria.

(For questions on specific CCAs, please contact any of the CCA teachers-in-charge or our HOD/PE&CCA Mr Robin Goh.)

Additional FAQs can be found at:

• SLS Matters (opens in new tab)

For specific questions related to Zhenghua Secondary School, please contact the school at 6763 9455 or  email us at zhenghua_ss@moe.edu.sg