When does my child start Primary 1?
MOE’s deferment page gives the example of a child born on 1 January 2020, “due for P1 in 2026 as they will be 6 years old as of 1 January 2026”. Our reading: a child is due for P1 in the year they are 6 on 1 January, so one born from 2 January to 31 December starts in the year they turn 7, and one born on 1 January starts a year earlier. MOE’s MK page gives the same rule for K1 (a child born on 1 January 2022 is due in 2026), and MOE describes its Kindergartens as for children aged five to six.
Which dates has MOE published, and which are our inference?
MOE states windows for particular exercises: its P1 registration page gives 2 January 2020 to 1 January 2021, both dates inclusive, for the 2026 exercise, and its releases give K1 windows for 2025 to 2027. For other birth dates we applied the same one-year step; that is our inference, marked beside each result. MOE says the 2027 P1 exercise is for children starting P1 in 2028 but, on its changes page, gives no birth-date window or dates for it. K2 years are ours too.
Our illustration, with fictional birth dates: a child born on 14 June 2022 is in the window 2 January 2022 to 1 January 2023. K1 is 2027 (MOE states this window), P1 registration is 2028 and P1 starts in January 2029 (our inference). One born on 1 January 2022 is in the earlier window: K1 in 2026, P1 registration in 2027, P1 in January 2028.
When does registration happen?
MOE Kindergarten registration ran 16–20 February 2024, 7–17 February 2025 and 23–31 March 2026 (releases of 18 January 2024, 16 January 2025 and 11 February 2026); all three have ended. For P1, MOE’s 29 April 2026 release gives an overall registration period of 30 June to 30 October 2026, but the phases page lists the citizen and PR phases ending on 18 August 2026, and MOE’s vacancies page says the 2026 exercise for citizens and PRs has ended. MOE had announced no later dates on 3 October 2026, so for later birth dates the tool shows the 2026 windows for reference, not as a forecast. Our Primary 1 registration explainer covers the phases.
What if my child was born on 1 January, or is not ready?
MOE’s examples (a child born on 1 January 2020 for P1, and one born on 1 January 2022 for K1) are due a year earlier than peers born in the same year. To enter P1 a year later, apply for deferment between January and May one year before the due year; every application needs MOE’s approval. MOE’s 29 April 2026 release let a child born on 1 January 2021 seek deferment to January 2028 by 31 May 2026. For K1, contact the preferred MK directly. See our K1 and Primary 1 guide.
What does this tool not do?
It covers citizen and PR children in MOE Kindergartens and mainstream primary schools. International students follow a different P1 timeline. We did not check private preschools or childcare centres; ask the centre for its age rule. It does not run MOE’s birth-date checkers or know when the 2027 exercise opens. Our guide to the 2027 changes covers the framework change.
How old must a child be to start Primary 1 in Singapore?
On MOE’s deferment-page example, a child is due in the year they are 6 on 1 January, so one born from 2 January to 31 December starts in the year they turn 7.
When does a child born in 2022 start K1 and Primary 1?
Born 2 January 2022 to 1 January 2023: K1 in 2027 (MOE’s stated window) and P1 in January 2029 (our inference). Born on 1 January 2022, a year earlier.
My child was born on 1 January. Do they start a year early?
By MOE’s windows, yes: they fall in the earlier cohort. For P1, MOE says to apply for deferment between January and May the year before, subject to its approval.
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Sources
- MOE’s deferment page (moe.gov.sg)
- MOE’s MK page (moe.gov.sg)
- MOE describes its Kindergartens (moe.gov.sg)
- its P1 registration page (moe.gov.sg)
- its changes page (moe.gov.sg)
- 18 January 2024 (moe.gov.sg)
- 16 January 2025 (moe.gov.sg)
- MOE’s 29 April 2026 release (moe.gov.sg)
- the phases page (moe.gov.sg)
- MOE’s vacancies page (moe.gov.sg)