Yio Chu Kang Primary School Goes Single Session

Since the 1950s, Yio Chu Kang Primary School has operated in two sessions. But this year, it became a single session school. The school day now starts at 8 a.m., so that students can wake up later and have a decent breakfast. While the overall school day is about the same length, twice a week it runs until 3 p.m. to incorporate CCA time into the time-table. This gives even Pri 1 and 2 pupils the opportunity to enjoy CCA.

The transition from double to single session was principal Mrs Teo Whye Choo’s first major task when she took over the school in December last year. “There is a lot more synergy now with the single session. I personally enjoy seeing the whole school together and the pupils from different levels interacting together,” she says of the changes so far.

At the beginning of last year, the school began making preparations for the transition to single session. This included reducing slightly the intake of students and communicating to parents the impending change in curriculum time through briefings and letters. But most of the preparations took place behind the scenes, among staff who took on new and different roles.

More interaction and big changes to CCAs

The new timing has allowed for more school interaction across the different levels. The school has an optional daily mass exercise from 7.10 a.m. to 7.40 a.m., before school starts. Games like floorball can be played and the gym is open for pupils’ use. Teachers even join in on Thursdays.

But the biggest impact in the change in school time has been to the CCA programme. While previously each student might participate in more than one CCA, they now focus on only one. Teachers in charge of CCAs were also redeployed. The school has taken this in their stride, trying as far as possible to allocate students and staff according to their interests and strengths. “With more staff available at one time, specialisation of duties is now possible,” says Mr Jasni Mahmood Jasmin, head of department for PE and CCA.

The advantage, however, is that Pri 1 and 2 pupils – who do not typically join CCAs due to their age – now have the chance to sample CCAs through “modular CCAs” incorporated into their time-table. Once a week, for two hours, these pupils take part in either a physical sport module, such as inline skating, or an art or music module.

“The Pri 1 and 2 pupils are so proud that they get a chance to have a CCA, like their older peers. And just imagine, by the time they complete Pri 2, all the pupils will know the basics of inline skating!” says Mdm Mahalakshumi, consortium head for Pri 2 and co-ordinator for pastoral care.

Benefits for families

According to the teachers, pupils have been very happy as they see the longer hours as having “more time with friends”. Pri 2 pupil Cedric Olivas prefers the new timing because it is still early when he gets home, unlike last year when he was attending the afternoon session – by the time he got home and ate dinner, there was not much time left before bedtime.

For Cedric’s mother, Mrs Lorna Olivas, the new timing means the family eats at the same time and her two children can play together. “In the past, when one was in the morning session and the other in the afternoon session, meal times were difficult because one would be playing while the other eating or doing homework. Now everything is synchronised.” Another parent, Mrs Kamisah Atheli, agrees that the in-built CCA module has allowed her Pri 2 son Danish to benefit from it without her having to worry about “ferrying him to and from school”.

For teachers’ families, too, the change has been welcome. Mdm Maha, who has been teaching the afternoon session for about five years, found it a challenge to wake up earlier but now she can spend more time with her family. “When my son was in morning session and I taught in the afternoon session, I would only see him for a short time each day. Now that I’m working at the same time that he is in school, we can spend much more time together.” As for Mr Jasni, he can now see his son off onto the school bus, before he goes to work.

Although the transition is almost complete, the school is looking at feedback from staff, parents and pupils, to see how it can be improved. “At the moment we notice the younger pupils get tired on the long days, and we’re trying to see if we can address that,” Mrs Teo notes. “But the journey has been very exciting.”