Red Swastika School vs Tao Nan School

At a glance

Differences to explore

P1 Phase 2C

Red Swastika School: 2026 · Vacancies: 40 · Applications: 83; Tao Nan School: 2026 · Vacancies: 42 · Applications: 57. Read the exercise years separately; these are not individual admission probabilities.

CCA

The records share 7 CCA listings. Red Swastika School also lists Chinese Culture and Language (Girls and Boys), Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys), Modern Dance (Girls and Boys), Robotics (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Tao Nan School also lists Basketball (Girls and Boys), Boys' Brigade (Boys), Choir (Girls and Boys), Girls' Brigade (Girls) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.

The daily journey

Nearby MRT stations listed for Red Swastika School: Bedok Reservoir; for Tao Nan School: Marine Parade, Marine Terrace. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.

P1 registration records

How to choose between them

Both are SAP schools in the East with strong Chinese heritage, but they serve slightly different families. Tao Nan's GEP centre and century-long prestige attract parents chasing academic excellence, while Red Swastika offers a quieter, values-centred path with a clear secondary school pipeline.

Consider Red Swastika School if…

• Direct affiliation to Chung Cheng High gives a clearer secondary school pathway
• Smaller, calmer campus culture suits children who thrive in structured, values-based environments

Consider Tao Nan School if…

• GEP centre on-site means gifted children can stay without changing schools
• Over 120 years of heritage with one of the strongest SAP academic reputations in Singapore

Choose Red Swastika if you value a settled secondary pipeline and strong discipline; choose Tao Nan if academic prestige and GEP access are your family's priority.

Get to know each school

Red Swastika School

Red Swastika School began as Wan Tzu School in 1951, founded by the World Red Swastika Society to provide free primary education for poorer families around Somapah Road. It took its present name in 1956 and moved to Bedok North Avenue 3 in 1981. MOE records SAP status from 1990, completion of PERI upgrading in 2019 and a move to a single session in 2020. That history explains its longstanding Chinese-language emphasis without establishing how any particular child will experience the school today.

Tinkers to Thinkers introduces computational thinking through unplugged activities and screenless coding in P1–2, followed by Micro:bit work in P3–4. The digital-literacy page separately lists P1 touch-typing, P2 Google Classroom onboarding and P3 Chinese input lessons. Its second tier gives pupils with a strong interest opportunities through Makerspace activities and the Robotics Club. These interest pathways should not be read as a promise that every pupil joins robotics or enters competitions; families can ask how places and additional commitments are decided.

• Red Swastika School
• 资讯通讯科技（应用学习项目）Information and Communications Technology (ALP)

Tao Nan School

Tao Nan began as Tao Nan Study Hall in 1906, the Singapore Hokkien Association’s first school, teaching in Hokkien on North Bridge Road. It moved to Armenian Street in 1912 and adopted Mandarin in 1916. After the war, classes resumed within two months of the Japanese surrender. Government-aided status followed in 1957; the move to Marine Parade and English-medium teaching came in 1982. Its 1990 SAP status explains the continuing Chinese cultural emphasis alongside English, rather than a wholly Chinese-medium education.

The SAP flagship includes Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn celebrations, Mother Tongue Fortnight, lower-primary calligraphy and ink painting, and upper-primary assemblies and school-produced cultural readers. BiCEP is a separate three-year programme for selected P4 entrants, with P3 selection tests. Its modules cover culture and history, children’s literature and writing, comparisons between Chinese and English, and speaking. The school lists immersion activities within this programme; families should check the 2027 intake briefing for selection, timetable, trip availability and costs. SAP enrolment alone does not secure a BiCEP place.

• Tao Nan School
• 持续前进 (1945年至今) A Continuing Journey (1945 to present day)
• 特选旗舰计划 Special Assistance Plan (SAP) Flagship
• 双文化华文优选课程 Bicultural Chinese Elective Programme (BiCEP)

CCAs and programmes

Red Swastika School

• Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
• Badminton (Girls and Boys)
• Chinese Culture and Language (Girls and Boys)
• Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys)
• Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
• Girl Guides (Brownies) (Girls)
• Guzheng Ensemble (Girls and Boys)
• Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
• Robotics (Girls and Boys)
• Scouts (Boys)
• Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
• Wushu (Girls and Boys)

Tao Nan School

• Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
• Badminton (Girls and Boys)
• Basketball (Girls and Boys)
• Boys' Brigade (Boys)
• Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
• Choir (Girls and Boys)
• Girl Guides (Brownies) (Girls)
• Girls' Brigade (Girls)
• Guzheng Ensemble (Girls and Boys)
• Netball (Girls)
• Physical Science (Girls and Boys)
• Sailing (Girls and Boys)
• Scouts (Boys)
• Track and Field (Girls and Boys)
• Wushu (Girls and Boys)

Questions about these schools