Anglo-Chinese Primary School will move to Tengah more than 12 km from Barker Road.

Parents who own or rent a property within 1km from ACS (Primary), at Barker Road, can secure a spot for their sons. The move will take place in 2030. There’s also ACS (Junior), a nearby ACS in Bukit Timah. Buyers do wonder if Tembusu Grand is within a km of the prestigious school.

Tembusu Grand apartments are designed to maximize space and functionality, with open-plan living areas that seamlessly flow into each other.

Due to the distance between the old location and the new one, boys who are admitted in ACS (Primary), will continue at the Barker Road campus through Primary 6. Barker Road will continue to accept Primary 1 students as long as their older brothers are studying at the Barker Road campus.

The school will be consolidated with ACS Junior at Winstedt Road in 2033 as the number of students drops. After operating from both campuses, the school will shift to Barker Road in 2039.

Tengah has higher property prices

This is good news for those who are able to secure a Tengah unit, mainly through the BTO projects and Copen Grande EC, which is now sold out. Property owners can expect a higher property value and a higher rental demand due to the ACS (Primary) status.

Because residents living within 1km of a school give priority when voting for a place, the demand for properties near schools has driven up property prices.

Wong Siew Ying (Head of Research and Content at PropNex Realty) stated that the average price for non-landed private properties within 1km of ACS in Barker Road in 2022 was S$2,451 psf. This is 13.3% more than the average District 11 price of S$2,164 per square foot.

Relocating a school of excellence can have a negative impact on property prices. A NUS study showed that prices for private homes within 1km of a relocated school were down as much as 8.5% and 12.2% respectively within 1-2km. The relocations also led to increased prices in the new location.

Nonetheless, prices for homes near Barker Road Campus shouldn’t be too much affected since ACS (Junior), will eventually move there.

Because the area is still in development, it will take time to see any impact on Tengah’s property prices. The majority of residential projects are HDB flats. Copen Grand is currently the only EC available for sale in this estate.

It wasn’t the first time that a school of excellence was relocated to a new housing development.

Although Tengah’s move is meant to benefit the larger community, it could also serve as a way for more families to purchase a home on the new housing estate.

ACS (Primary), is not the only good school that can move to a new HDB area.

“It was noted that the Government will move good schools to a new HDB community. Huttons Asia Senior Director of Research Lee Sze Teck commented that Nan Chiau Primary School was moved to Sengkang 2000 and Mee Toh School to Punggol 2004.

A Business Times article pointed out that Raffles Institution and Catholic High School (Primary & Secondary) were moved to Bishan in the 1990s as the town was still being built. Raffles Junior College moved there later in 2004. Raffles Girls School moved there in 2019. (Remember the RGS spokesperson’s comment regarding the move to “reach out more to ordinary Singaporeans”? ).

The timing of the announcement suggests that this may be a way to divert demand from Farrer Park ‘s Kallang/ Whampoa HDB-BTO. We are in BTO season and the February 2023 BTO sales exercise ought to be launching soon.

Is the relocation an attempt to increase the declining birthrate, particularly for young couples who are setting up homes in Tengah. Next year will be the Year of the Dragon, the year that more babies are born in Singapore. These kids will be eligible for Primary One in 2030.

Which properties are within 1km of Tengah’s new ACS (Primary Campus)?

The home school distance calculation is now based on the school’s boundary and not the centre.

This will depend on the design of each school. According to MOE’s press release the actual distance will also be confirmed and made public on the OneMap SchoolQuery function.

We’ve identified some Tengah properties that are within the 1-km radius, based upon MOE’s press release and the URA masterplan. These properties are all BTO, except Copen Grand.

• Parc Glen (TOP: 2024)
• Parc Clover (TOP: 2024)
• Parc Residences (TOP: 2025)
• Plantation Village (TOP: 2024)
• Plantation Grove (TOP: 2024)
• Plantation Grange Some blocks are within 1-2km (TOP:2023)
• Plantation Acres Some blocks are within 1-2km (TOP:2023)
• Parc Woods (TOP: 2025)
• Parc Flora (TOP: 2025)
• Garden Vale (TOP: 2024)
• Garden Vines (TOP: 2024)
• Garden Terrace Some blocks are within 1-2km (TOP: 2024).
• Garden Court Some blocks are within 1-2km (TOP: 2024).
• Garden Bloom Some blocks are within 1-2km (TOP: 2025).
• Copen Grand (TOP: 2027)
• February 2023 BTO Some blocks are within 1-2km

There are many properties within 1km of Tengah. A few other projects are also within this radius in Bukit Bak.

• West Scape (TOP: 2022)
• West Edge (TOP: 2019)
• West Ridges Some blocks are within 1-2km (TOP: 2019).
• West Plains Some blocks are within 1-2km (TOP 2020).
• West Hill Some blocks are within 1-2 km (TOP 2026).
• Le Quest Some blocks are within 1-2km (TOP: 2020).
• Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 EC
• Bukit Batok West Avenue 8 EC

What do you think about ACS (Primary), moving to Tengah Comment below.

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