If you used an approved caregiver address for Primary 1 registration and that caregiver is moving or can no longer provide care, contact the school and ask how to inform the Ministry of Education (MOE). Explain what is changing, when and whether the change has already happened. Have the original declaration and registration details ready. Ask which conditions apply to your child before assuming that care at another address can continue on the same terms.
The Declaration of Alternative Child-care Arrangements (DACA) can tie an admission condition to the caregiver and address you declared. MOE’s 2025 guide required families who gained priority admission through the caregiver address to continue that arrangement at that address for at least 30 months from the start of that registration exercise. Your own declaration and exercise determine which dates and terms to check. If the care change is urgent, arrange safe care immediately and tell the school or MOE what happened.
- Find your declaration, approval and original P1 registration details.
- Write down the care change, its start date and how long it is expected to last.
- Ask whether the approved arrangement affected your child’s admission priority and what conditions apply.
- Check how to report the change and whether documents are needed.
- Keep a record of the official response and the dates it covers.
Understand which part of the arrangement has changed
The caregiver has moved
The same adult may continue caring for your child at a new home. Tell the school that the person is the same and the address is different. Give the effective date and ask which official process applies. Your current declaration was made for an address as well as a person. An address that is nearer to school can still be a change to the approved arrangement.
If the move is planned, make the enquiry before it takes place. This lets you describe the intended dates and ask what information will be needed once the address changes. A family that has already moved can give the actual date and the current care plan. Ask how to confirm receipt so the school and MOE are working from the same facts.
The caregiver stays at the address but someone else will provide care
A grandparent may live at the same address while another relative begins handling the school-day routine. Explain who will actually care for the child, at which address and from when. Ask whether the change affects the approved declaration. If more than one adult will share care, describe the usual arrangement and any temporary exception separately.
Give practical details if needed. A change from a grandparent supervising every weekday to an aunt collecting on one day can differ from a permanent change of caregiver. The school or MOE can clarify whether it needs a formal update once it understands what is changing.
The arrangement has paused unexpectedly
Care can be interrupted by illness or a family emergency. Put a safe arrangement in place. Let the school know if authorised pickup, emergency contacts or attendance will change. Separately explain the interruption to the office that handles the registration condition and ask what it needs from you.
Give your best current information on duration. If the family expects to reassess in two weeks, say that. A date for the next update is often easier to provide than a precise end date when circumstances are uncertain. Keep care and pickup arrangements clear for the child regardless of how the administrative question is resolved.
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Check the dates on your own declaration
Find the DACA approval and any copy of the terms from your registration year. Note the commencement date for that exercise and the school entry year. They answer different questions. In MOE’s 2025 example, the stated period ran from the commencement of that year’s registration exercise where the child gained priority admission through the caregiver address.
Ask which period applies to your child and whether the admission was treated as a priority admission based on the caregiver address. Provide the exercise year and the school. If you have an approval email but do not know which admission category was applied, describe what you can see and ask the school or MOE to tell you what record it needs.
MOE’s declaration guide also sets out a potential transfer consequence if the conditions are unmet or evidence is insufficient. It is important to get the outcome for your own situation from the authority handling it. Keep the wording of your enquiry factual and avoid basing a decision on what happened to another family in a different exercise.
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Contact the right people about the two practical tasks
Report the change to the school or MOE
Start with the school’s official office or the MOE registration channel for your exercise. Ask how to notify the authority and whether it requires the original declaration number, proof of the move or another record. If the school directs you to MOE, use the named channel and save the school’s reply.
A short enquiry could say, “We used an approved caregiver address for our child’s P1 registration in [year]. Our caregiver will [move/stop providing care] on [date]. The current plan is [brief description]. Could you confirm how to notify MOE, what conditions apply to our child and whether you need supporting documents?”
Update day-to-day pickup and contact arrangements
Tell the school separately if a different adult will collect your child, the student care location is changing or a contact number has changed. Ask which forms the school uses. Keep the first week’s plan simple enough for the child to remember and agree on a backup if the usual collector is delayed.
An emergency contact or pickup update can help the school on Monday morning. The admission-related enquiry asks a different question about the approved declaration. Keep both records, especially if two adults in the family are handling different messages.
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Two worked examples
A grandparent moves while continuing the same daily care
A grandparent moves to another flat and will still collect the child every day. The parents find the original registration year and tell the school the date of the move. They ask how to report the new address and whether the child’s particular admission conditions are still relevant. They keep the school’s response with the original declaration.
They also test the new walk from school, give the child a clear collection point and update emergency contacts if necessary. The family can do those things before the administrative response arrives.
Care changes suddenly after a family emergency
An aunt who was the approved caregiver becomes unavailable without notice. Another relative can collect the child that afternoon. The parents confirm the school’s pickup procedure, arrange safe care and then report the change with the actual date and their best estimate of duration.
When the arrangement becomes permanent, the family sends a short update through the official channel. They ask whether further information is needed and retain the reply. The child knows where they will go after school each day while the adults deal with the declaration.
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Frequently asked questions
Does the period start on the first day of P1?
Check the declaration for your exercise. The published 2025 example measured the stated period from the start of the registration exercise where the child gained priority admission through the caregiver address. Ask for your child’s applicable dates if they are unclear.
Does a move within the same distance band solve the issue?
Ask MOE or the school about the approved arrangement and the new address. The declaration can refer to the specific address used, so share the actual change even if your own distance estimate looks the same.
Should I wait until I have every document before making contact?
Make the initial enquiry promptly and ask what is needed. If you do not yet have proof of an upcoming move or a firm end date for temporary care, explain what is known and follow the instructions you receive.
Does a change automatically mean my child will transfer?
Ask for the decision on your specific circumstances. The published declaration describes a potential transfer consequence where its conditions are unmet or evidence is insufficient. The office handling the case can tell you what applies.
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Official information and next reading
Checked on 8 November 2026. The 2025 DACA guide is an example of published terms for that exercise. Use your own declaration and the current instructions from the school or MOE.