3rd December 2022
Two specialised schools, Crest and Spectra Secondary, will continue to offer the Normal (Technical) course after other secondary schools do away with it in 2024. By 2024, most secondary schools will offer full subject-based banding, which groups students according to their strengths in different subjects. This will replace the Normal and Express streams.
Crest and Spectra Secondary are schools that cater to students who thrive on hands-on learning. They both run programmes that covers academic and vocational subjects. The schools prepare their students for progression to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), as they graduate with both the ITE Skills Subject Certificate and the GCE N(T)-level certificate.
Lower-secondary students get to take taster modules from vocational disciplines, such as mobile Web applications, mechanical design and automation, and Internet of Things applications. Both schools also offer an industry experiential programme to their Secondary 3 cohort, which starts with students applying for internships, attending interviews and then reporting for work at various companies during the school holidays.