Direct School Admission (DSA)
What is DSA - Sec?
The Direct School Admission - Secondary (DSA-Sec) Exercise allows students to seek admission to Secondary 1 based on their talents and achievements. The DSA-Sec Exercise was introduced by the Ministry of Education in 2004. It seeks to promote holistic education and provide students an opportunity to demonstrate a more diverse range of achievements and talents in seeking admission to a secondary school. The selection will be based on their achievements and talents before the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results are released.
Application for 2024 DSA-Sec can be submitted through the online DSA-Sec Portal. The application is free-of-charge and will be opened from 7th May, 11am to 3rd Jun, 3pm. For more details, please refer to MOE website – www.moe.gov.sg/dsa-sec.
Parents and students are encouraged to choose schools wisely based on the student’s aptitudes and strengths, bearing in mind the schools’ academic and non-academic requirements, and the programmes available to develop the area of talent.
DSA @ Woodlands Secondary School
In line with the school mission to nurture enduring hearts and creative minds ready to serve society, WDL is looking for promising students who have the aptitude in and attitude towards one of these 3 areas, CCA, Learning for Life Programme (LLP) or Applied Learning Programme (ALP).
More specifically they are Football (Boys and Girls) or Sepak Takraw (Boys) for CCA, Community Youth Leadership for LLP or Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) for ALP.
Do refer to the respective pages for more info on each programme.
Shortlisted Applicants
Shortlisted applicants will be notified of the trial and interview dates which the applicants must attend.
Offer of Places
Selected students will receive DSA-Sec offer by mid September.
Successful applicants will be offered a place in Woodlands Secondary School for the academic year 2025.
Criteria and selection process for each of the talent area:
| DSA Domain | Talent Area | Criteria | Selection Process | Programmes and Opportunities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports and Games | Football (Boys and Girls) (Visit CCA webpage) |
1. Achievements in the sport, including zonal, national and/or international level competitions 2. Has achieved at least a “Very Good” conduct rating for Primary 5 and Primary 6 semesters |
1. Trials* for shortlisted applicants (July – Aug) 2. Interview* for shortlisted applicants (July – Aug) 3. Shortlisted applicants may also submit a video snippet of them in a football match (optional) *Information on the trials and interview will be provided to the shortlisted applicants. |
1. Represent the school in the National School Games 2. Represent the school in external tournaments 3. Contribute to the community through CCA based VIA programmes 4. Leadership trainings and opportunities within and beyond CCA |
| Sports and Games | Sepak Takraw (Boys) (Visit CCA webpage) |
1. Achievements in the sport, including zonal, national and/or international level competitions 2. Has achieved at least a “Very Good” conduct rating for Primary 5 and Primary 6 semesters |
1. Trials* for shortlisted applicants (July – Aug) 2. Interview* for shortlisted applicants (July – Aug) 3. Shortlisted applicants may also submit a video snippet of them in a Sepak Takraw match (optional) *Information on the trials and interview will be provided to the shortlisted applicants. |
1. Represent the school in the National School Games 2. Represent the school in external tournaments 3. Contribute to the community through CCA based VIA programmes 4. Leadership trainings and opportunities within and beyond CCA |
| Leadership | Community Youth Leadership (Boys and Girls) (Visit LLP page) |
1. Leadership position in class/ CCA/ school, such as Prefectorial Board, Captain or President 2. Has achieved at least a “Very Good” conduct rating for Primary 5 and Primary 6 semesters 3. Has the passion to help those who are less fortunate and able to empathise and take care of others |
1. Interview* for shortlisted applicants (July-August) 2. Presentation of portfolio from shortlisted applicants on their community involvement within and beyond school (during interview) *Information on the interview will be provided to the shortlisted applicants. |
1. Training opportunities to be Youth Ambassadors where they would mentor and facilitate school events such as Values-in-Action and be a guide for the Woodlands Heritage Trail 2. Opportunities to lead in school-wide events 3. Student Leadership Camps 4. Opportunities to participate in external conferences and leadership program opportunities i.e. National Youth Environment conference, North West CDC Youth Assembly etc. |
| Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics | STEM (Boys and Girls) (Visit ALP page) |
1. Participated and/or achieved awards in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) related competitions 2. Has achieved at least a “Very Good” conduct rating for Primary 5 and Primary 6 semesters 3. Has the passion for mathematics or science, with an inquiring mind, and works well in a team |
1. Interview* for shortlisted applicants (July-August) 2. Presentation of Science portfolio, or sample artefacts / Science project posters or reports that has been done before *Information on the interview will be provided to the shortlisted applicants. |
1. Participate in school’s Science Stretch Programme to develop research skills and deepen understanding in science. 2. Opportunities to represent school in STEM and computing-related competitions |