More Information about Full Subject Based Banding (FSBB)

1. Are there opportunities for the students to interact across the different streams? Will they be in the same class throughout their 4 or 5 years in school?

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

With Full SBB, we are moving towards one secondary education with many subject bands to better meet our students’ learning needs, and without labelling the stream. 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.

In CTSS, our FSBB pilot began with 2020 Secondary 1 cohort. All students in this cohort are grouped in mixed stream form classes and in consideration of the CCAs they are in. We use students’ CCAs as way of grouping them in mixed stream form classes because there would be greater opportunities for students to bond through academic learning as well as co-curriculum activities. Students in the same mixed stream form class learn together in these subjects, which are also referred to as ‘common curriculum subjects’:

Art
Character and Citizenship Education
Design & Technology
Food and Consumer Education
Music
Physical Education

In all remaining academic subjects, students will be in classes allocated by their academic stream, as posted after PSLE results.

In 2021, CTSS will continue with FSBB. The above arrangement will be applicable for 2021 Secondary 1 cohort of students.

2. My child is posted to Normal (Academic) (N(A)) course. What are the Express subjects that my child can study if he is eligible for them? Does the school offer Subject Based Banding (SBB) or Full Subject Based Banding (FSBB) in 2021? If yes, are SBB and FSBB for all subjects or only some core subjects?

It is possible for some students to take a subject at a more demanding academic stream based on:

his/her PSLE results at the start of Secondary 1;
meeting school academic criteria at mid-year or end-of-year, and teachers’ professional judgement.

These opportunities are referred to as Subject-Based Banding (SBB) at Lower Secondary and Out-of-Stream (OoS) at Upper Secondary. Some of these subjects are English Language, Mother Tongue Languages, Mathematics, Sciences and the Humanities subjects (Geography, History, Literature; from 2021 Sec 2 cohort onwards). SBB and OoS are opportunities given to students to take at a more demanding level, thereby enabling them to learn more and reach their potential in selected subjects that they show strength and aptitude for. In SBB, N(A) students may be offered a subject at Express course based on him/her meeting the school academic criteria and teachers’ professional judgement. Normal (Technical) stream students may similarly be offered to take a subject at N(A) course. SBB students must continue to meet the school academic criteria and teachers’ professional judgement to continue with OoS at Upper Secondary.

3. Will the changes in PSLE Banding in 2021 affect the future cohort in terms of the banding of classes?

The upcoming changes in PSLE scoring will not affect the school’s implementation of FSBB. The school will continue to provide opportunities for students to interact with their peers from different courses in their common curriculum subject lessons as well as at Co-Curricular Activities.

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More Information about Full Subject Based Banding (FSBB)

1. Are there opportunities for the students to interact across the different streams? Will they be in the same class throughout their 4 or 5 years in school?

3. Will the changes in PSLE Banding in 2021 affect the future cohort in terms of the banding of classes?

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