Full Subject Based Banding (Full SBB)

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“I enjoy learning and studying because I don’t feel intimidated in my form class even though I know there are classmates from the different courses of study. I feel more confident when speaking to others and it’s a lot easier to make friends! I felt motivated to volunteer in the Lunar New Year Hamper distribution to needy families in our Punggol community. Working together with my classmates and students from other classes was a really fun and meaningful experience.”

Nurwaliyah Binte Mohammad Fareed
Year 1 Eisenhower, 2019

“I enjoy Literature and Geography lessons and the activities being planned! It is fun and interesting as I could learn more things. The class is really disciplined and focused which I really like as everyone can listen to the teacher properly and pay attention in class. We can help each other and guide each other better since we have different strengths. It is fun as we can learn new things and at a more demanding level. In addition, we can set higher standards and goals for ourselves.”

Tan Yi Lin
Year 2 Euler, 2020

Edgefield Secondary School is one of the 28 secondary schools selected by the Ministry of Education to start piloting aspects of Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB) from 2020 onwards.

Purpose of Full SBB
With Full SBB, we are moving towards one secondary education, with many subject bands, to better meet our students’ learning needs, without labels. This is part of the broader shift in our education system to recognise the strengths and interests of our children, to help them build their confidence and develop an intrinsic motivation to learn for life in them.

By 2021, the pilot schools will have fully implemented the following aspects of Full SBB:

Organising Secondary 1 form classes in new ways; or
Offering of Humanities subjects at a more demanding level from Secondary 2.

Full SBB Pilot in (Edgefield Secondary School) from 2020 onwards


Offering of Humanities subjects at a more demanding level from Secondary 2 and Organising Secondary 1 form classes in new ways	As part of the pilot, our school will be implementing the following: (a) Reorganised form classes at Secondary 1 This is applicable to Secondary 1 students entering our school from 2020 onwards. • This common learning experience creates a valuable setting for students to mingle, build meaningful friendships, and appreciate different perspectives. It can also help reduce the inadvertent labelling associated with streaming. • Each form classes comprise students from the Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical Stream) • Students take half of their lessons, such as CCE, PE, Art, Design and Technology and Music together as a form class while they are regrouped for subjects English, Mother Tongue languages, Mathematics and Science (b) Providing Secondary 2 students with the opportunity to offer Humanities subjects at a more demanding level This is applicable to students who are in Secondary 2 Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical). • Eligibility criteria is based on Sec 1 Overall results and subject teacher’s feedback • Students who met the eligibility criteria will receive a Letter of Offer • Consideration factors to offer the Humanities at a more demanding level includes the strengths, interest in the subject and an appropriate overall academic load for the child: o Once your child offers Humanities at a more demanding level, he or she would sit for the same examinations as students in Express. o Should he or she be unable to cope, he would be advised to take the subject at the Normal (Academic) level.

Offering of Humanities subjects at a more demanding level from Secondary 2

and

Organising Secondary 1 form classes in new ways

As part of the pilot, our school will be implementing the following:

(a) Reorganised form classes at Secondary 1

This is applicable to Secondary 1 students entering our school from 2020 onwards.

• This common learning experience creates a valuable setting for students to mingle, build meaningful friendships, and appreciate different perspectives. It can also help reduce the inadvertent labelling associated with streaming.
• Each form classes comprise students from the Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical Stream)
• Students take half of their lessons, such as CCE, PE, Art, Design and Technology and Music together as a form class while they are regrouped for subjects English, Mother Tongue languages, Mathematics and Science

(b) Providing Secondary 2 students with the opportunity to offer Humanities subjects at a more demanding level

This is applicable to students who are in Secondary 2 Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical).

• Eligibility criteria is based on Sec 1 Overall results and subject teacher’s feedback
• Students who met the eligibility criteria will receive a Letter of Offer
• Consideration factors to offer the Humanities at a more demanding level includes the strengths, interest in the subject and an appropriate overall academic load for the child:
o Once your child offers Humanities at a more demanding level, he or she would sit for the same examinations as students in Express.
o Should he or she be unable to cope, he would be advised to take the subject at the Normal (Academic) level.

For more information on how our school would implement Full SBB, you can contact us at edgefield_ss@moe.edu.sg. The school will also be engaging parents of cohorts of students who are involved in the pilot in 2019/2020.