Perse School Singapore Wins EduTrust Status, Opening Admissions to Student Pass Holders

The Perse School Singapore was awarded four-year EduTrust certification by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency on August 4, a regulatory milestone it formally announced on August 13. In its announcement, the school confirmed that the certification means it can now enrol children holding a student pass, rather than being limited to those on dependent passes or with Singapore permanent residency status.

The distinction matters more than it might appear. Without EduTrust accreditation, a school can only admit children who already have the right to reside in Singapore through a parent's work pass or residency. EduTrust clearance allows the school to sponsor student passes independently, bringing it within reach for internationally mobile families whose children would otherwise need a different school or a longer wait. Achieving that clearance in only its second year of operation puts the Perse School ahead of the typical timeline for newer entrants to Singapore's international school market.

A school still building its roll

The Perse School opened its junior school from Nursery to Year 6 in January 2025 and added Years 7 to 10 in August of that year. Year 11 followed in 2026, completing the IGCSE pathway. The Chestnut Drive campus, close to several of Singapore's nature reserves, has capacity for around 1,500 pupils; current enrolment is approximately 700. The school follows the Cambridge curriculum and is affiliated with The Perse School in Cambridge, one of England's older independent schools.

Fees begin at around S$22,750 per year, positioning the school well below most of Singapore's established British international schools, where annual costs regularly exceed S$40,000. That pricing appears deliberate. An academic scholarships programme launched for the inaugural Year 10 IGCSE cohort offers awards covering between 25 and 100 percent of tuition, suggesting the school is actively competing for students across a range of family budgets, not only the corporate-package tier.

Who the certification reaches

The admissions implications are immediate. Families arriving in Singapore from China, South Korea, India or other markets who come without dependent pass eligibility can now place their children at the Perse School where previously they could not. That pool, particularly among employees on intra-company transfers and short-term postings, is not trivial in Singapore's international school market, where mid-year admissions flexibility is a genuine competitive advantage.

The school is also preparing a sixth form offer, with an A-Level open evening held on September 3 described as a launch event. The trajectory from a Nursery-to-Year 6 opener in January 2025 to a school with EduTrust status and a sixth form programme in prospect by late 2026 is a notably fast build. Whether it can sustain its fee positioning as the roll fills, or will face upward pressure as costs rise, is the question that families enrolling now will be watching.