REGISTRATION AS A PRIVATE SCHOOL

The registration of private schools is currently carried out online through the LicenceOne. Please ensure the following items are completed before logging on to the online application:

renovation and furnishing works are to be completed before application through LicenceOne
application is to be made only by the proposed member of the School Committee of Management

In order for us to process your application promptly, a maximum of 10 teachers and 10 courses would be processed via LicenceOne per application. Our service standard to complete the registration of school is 14 working days after the last correct required document is received. You may submit application to register additional teachers and courses after the school is duly registered.

Definition of a ‘school’

1 A ‘school’ is defined in the statute relating to education and registration of schools as an organisation for the provision of education for 10 or more persons; or a place where 10 or more persons are being or are habitually taught, whether in one or more classes.

2 A facility or an establishment offering instruction deemed to be of a ‘non-academic’ nature, eg. brain/memory training, beauty care, dressmaking, cooking, sports, games, driving, recreation-related, etc, is however not brought under the ambit of this statute. An establishment offering education-related services and not conducting lessons or running classes in its premises/principal place of business is not deemed a ‘school’ and hence is also similarly not brought under the ambit of the statute.

Name of School

A school name should denote a place of learning. If abbreviations are used in the name proposed, applicants are to state what the abbreviations stand for. The name proposed ought to reflect the curriculum and type of courses to be offered by the proposed school (eg. language school named as “—– Language School”).

Where the proposed school is/will be registered as a sole-proprietorship/partnership business with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), both the name of the school and the business have to be exactly the same.

Curriculum

There are certain restrictions in the type of curriculum that a private school may adopt. For instance, private schools are not permitted to operate/function as full-fledged ‘alternative’ primary/secondary schools.

University education requires extensive resources beyond the ability of private schools to provide. Private schools are thus not universities and are not to function as institutions of higher education operating as an university. Hence the word “University” is not to be used by private schools in the proposed school name.

Ownership

To indicate clearly the type of ownership, name and particulars of owner(s), e.g. Sole-proprietorship/partnership business, limited liabilities partnership (LLP), company, society, registration no. assigned by Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)/Registry of Societies (ROS), etc.

Committee of Management

Every private school has to be administered by a Committee of Management comprising a minimum of one and a maximum of 9 members. The Committee is responsible for ensuring that the provisions of the Education Act (Cap 87), the regulations made thereunder and the terms of its school constitution are complied with.

Members of a Committee of Management should not be teachers or staff to be employed by the proposed school unless they are also ‘owners’ of the school. This is to prevent ‘employer-employee’ conflict of interest situations.

The Committee of Management of a school will have one of their members as the Supervisor of the school. If a school has only one member in its Committee of Management, the duties to be discharged by the Committee will be discharged by that member as the Supervisor.

A private school seeking registration has to submit a constitution for approval.

Courses & Teachers

Procedures to follow on courses/programmes to be offered can be found in the ‘REGISTRATION OF COURSES – Procedures for submission of applications’.

The teacher’s application for permission to teach (at least two teachers required for each private school) in a private school must meet the minimum educational qualification and relevant working/teaching experience required by the school. In the REGISTRATION AS A TEACHER form, the supervisor has to state clearly the modules/courses/subjects and the levels that the teacher is proposed to teach.

Premises & Facilities

Applicants are advised to exercise care when selecting and deciding on the premises to house the proposed private school before entering into any firm commitment to purchase/lease/rent it. Things to look out for include prospects of the premises being granted the Written Permission for ‘Change of Use’ by the planning authorities (URA); that any alteration/renovation works planned are likely to be approved/cleared by the relevant authorities (HDB or FSSD/BCA).

Private schools ought to have premises of an acceptable and reasonable size, and in addition to having classroom(s), should have space for an office/administration area/reception-cum-waiting area for students/clients, etc.

Written Permission for `Change-of-Use’

Applicants are to apply for the Written Permission for `Change-of-Use’ of the premises to ‘school’ use at the:
                     Urban Redevelopment Authority
                     Development Control Division
                     45 Maxwell Road, The URA Centre Singapore 069118

Fire Safety & Shelter Department (FSSD)

With regard to alteration/renovation works to the proposed premises, applicants are to:

i     Submit building floor plans for alteration/renovation works to the FSSD (commercial buildings/complexes/HDB buildings)
                     Fire Safety & Shelter Department
                     91 Ubi Avenue 4 Civil Defence Complex Singapore 408827

With effect from 1 October 2005, all renovation works done in a HDB premise have to seek fire safety clearance from the Fire Safety & Shelter Department (FSSD) directly.

ii Submit to MOE via despatch or postal mail, official documented clearance obtained from FSSD (i.e. A1-sized approved floor plan, and its corresponding Fire Safety Certificate & Notice of Approval) for the alteration / renovation works carried out in a school setting.