Education for Ang Mo Kio | Deyi Secondary 2027 Pilot

Did you know that Deyi Secondary School in Ang Mo Kio is one of six Singapore schools chosen for a classroom redesign pilot beginning in January 2027? The nationwide experiment will explore whether schools can help students learn better by changing how teachers organise their time, use classroom space and give feedback. At Deyi, a particularly interesting idea is to let teachers concentrate on either CCA or committee work in addition to their form-teacher responsibilities.

There is a good reason to look closely at Deyi rather than only reading the national headline. The school already has an Applied Learning Programme in broadcast journalism, arts-based experiences and student leadership. Those programmes involve interviewing, researching, making a claim, responding to criticism and communicating clearly—exactly the kinds of learning where purposeful feedback and well-designed group work can make a difference.

For Ang Mo Kio parents, this guide answers what was announced in September 2026, which parts of the pilot are still being studied, what could happen during the 2027 SEC exam year and how a student might benefit without assuming smaller classes or better results are guaranteed.

Last checked: 25 October 2026. School: Deyi Secondary School, 1 Ang Mo Kio Street 42, Singapore 569277. Important distinction: a pilot is not a confirmed policy change for every class, pupil or school.

Read quickly: Key facts · Teacher work · Journalism and learning · Worked examples · 2027 SEC · Parent questions · FAQ · Sources.

The quick answer: the Deyi Secondary pilot

January 2027: MOE begins its six-school classroom redesign pilot. Deyi Secondary is one of the three secondary participants.
Other secondary schools: Commonwealth Secondary and Jurongville Secondary. Primary participants are Woodgrove, Zhangde and St Anthony’s Canossian.
At Deyi: the principal told CNA that class group sizes would depend on student profiles and how teachers design lessons, not on one universal smaller-class target.
Teacher duties: Deyi plans to retain its teachers’ character-and-citizenship education/form-teacher role while allowing them to focus on CCA or committee work as an additional broad responsibility.
Teaching approach: the national pilot explores more authentic problems, student discussion, flexible spaces and feedback that students can act on.
Existing school strengths: Deyi’s Active Voice Broadcast Journalism ALP, its arts-focused LLP and student leadership are distinct programmes that provide useful contexts for deeper learning.
2027 national examination: the first graduating Full Subject-Based Banding cohort sits SEC, with subject-level G1/G2/G3 arrangements as applicable.
Not announced: a fixed new class size across the school, automatic admission preference, a guaranteed rise in examination marks or the closure of existing CCAs.

It is helpful to divide the 2027 story into what MOE is testing and what Deyi is already doing. The pilot explores possible changes to classroom design and teacher responsibilities. Broadcast journalism, the arts and CCE are documented parts of the school’s existing approach. They can be discussed together without pretending all are brand-new 2027 courses.

Why teacher duties are a major part of the experiment

School teachers do more than prepare worksheets and mark tests. A subject teacher may also be a form teacher, help coordinate a co-curricular activity, sit on a school committee, respond to student welfare concerns and communicate with families. Switching constantly between these different tasks costs attention, even when each task serves a good purpose.

At the September 2026 Schools Work Plan Seminar, MOE said it would examine whether teachers can focus on two of three broad additional duties: form teachership, CCA responsibility and committee work. Minister Desmond Lee cautioned that CCAs and student development remain important. The ministry is studying how teachers, coaches, instructors, non-teaching staff and suitable partners can support them more sustainably.

Deyi’s principal, Chow Weisi, told the media that the school expects its teachers to continue teaching Character and Citizenship Education, which is connected to form teachership. On top of that, they could focus on either CCA or committee duties from 2027. The precise internal allocation is a school management matter. It does not mean all pupils lose their form teacher or that teachers stop contributing outside the classroom.

The hidden benefit: fewer abrupt task switches

Picture a teacher who is designing a lesson on evaluating online information. They want students to compare two news reports, identify claims, check a primary source and edit an inaccurate headline. That takes preparation: the teacher needs suitable examples, a way to assess reasoning and an opportunity to respond to likely misconceptions.

If the teacher has fewer unrelated administrative interruptions, there may be more time to think through those details. That is a plausible benefit to test, not a conclusion that every Deyi teacher will suddenly gain a certain number of hours each week. The project must measure learning and staff workload rather than assume that a good intention guarantees the outcome.

What about CCA days?

Deyi’s 2026 CCA information says co-curricular activities are compulsory and generally run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Parents should not copy that schedule as a confirmed 2027 universal CCA timetable. Ask the school about your child’s actual CCA day, dismissal and any programme arrangements after the pilot begins.

The arts have an important place in Deyi’s school culture: its Learning for Life Programme describes performances, the Arts Ambassador Programme, dance and drama, school showcases and opportunities for students to develop confidence. New teacher-duty arrangements should be judged in part by whether such meaningful experiences can continue with good adult support.

Why Deyi’s broadcast journalism programme matters

Deyi’s Applied Learning Programme, known as Active Voice Broadcast Journalism, is especially relevant in a world where a video clip or AI-generated statement can travel widely before anyone checks whether it is accurate. According to its updated 2026 school page, the programme uses three tiers to develop critical thinking, multimedia skills and student advocacy.

Tier 1: Explore. All Secondary 1–4 students encounter fundamental multimedia and journalism skills, such as storyboarding, filming, audio layering, editing, subtitling and using an augmented-reality journalism trail.
Tier 2: Excite. Young Journalists’ Club CCA pupils can develop more advanced broadcast, podcast, live-streaming and communication work.
Tier 3: Excel. Students identified with relevant interests and talents may receive specialised training and competition opportunities, subject to the school’s arrangements.

The tiers describe the school’s existing programme. Do not assume every student will become a professional journalist, be selected for a competition or present on a live stream. What matters more broadly is the development of a careful habit: make claims that can be supported, listen to another perspective and revise a message when the evidence changes.

An interview is a lesson in listening

A student may prepare a question for a community member about how a neighbourhood has changed. A weak interview begins with a leading question such as “Don’t you agree the old park was much better?” A stronger one begins “What differences have you noticed in the park over the past five years?” The second invitation is more likely to produce useful information rather than simply confirming the interviewer’s opinion.

After recording answers with appropriate permission, students can compare statements with dates, photographs or public documents. If a claim cannot be verified, they can attribute it as a person’s view rather than present it as an established fact. Those are real information-literacy skills, not merely camera-operation tricks.

Video editing introduces another kind of responsibility

An editor can shorten a sentence in a way that completely changes what someone appears to mean. A student who notices that problem learns to ask not only “Does this video look good?” but also “Is this a fair representation of what the speaker said?” An ethical project may need a longer clip, a qualification or clearer context, even if that makes it less dramatic.

Deyi’s 2026 ALP also mentions contemporary issues such as sustainability and artificial intelligence. These create rich opportunities for inquiry: what is the source of a statistic, who benefits from a technology, and what evidence could change the claim? Whether a particular question appears in a 2027 lesson depends on the teachers’ actual programme.

Three worked examples of classroom learning

English and Humanities: when a headline overclaims

A school article says, “Most students prefer shorter school days”, based on a survey of 30 pupils in one CCA. The article’s headline is stronger than the evidence. The survey may tell us about that particular group, but cannot automatically represent all students at the school. A teacher could ask pupils to rewrite it as: “Many pupils in one surveyed CCA preferred shorter school days.”

Then ask whether the survey questions were neutral and whether non-respondents differed from respondents. This moves a classroom exercise from spotting grammar mistakes to evaluating evidence, sample size and fairness. It also reflects the kinds of thinking that students need in Social Studies and general media literacy.

Mathematics: a chart can exaggerate a small difference

Suppose two fictional classes score averages of 72 and 75 in a test. A bar chart begins its vertical axis at 70 rather than zero, making the 75 bar appear more than twice as tall. The real difference is three marks, not a doubling of achievement. A student should inspect the scale, compare the actual numbers and ask what is being measured.

The example is intentionally simple. It prepares students for more demanding interpretation of news graphics, scientific data and economic charts. Better learning is shown when a pupil can explain the misleading effect to someone else, not merely label the graph “wrong”.

Science and technology: one test, one changing factor

A group tests whether a paper aeroplane with wider wings travels farther. In the first attempt they change the wing width, paper weight and throwing force at the same time. Any difference in distance now has several possible explanations. A more careful design holds the paper and throwing method as consistent as practical while changing wing width.

The pupils can repeat trials, record results and discuss uncertainty. If their expected design does not win, the teacher helps them interpret the evidence. The ability to revise a hypothesis is a better indicator of scientific reasoning than guessing the winning model before making it.

These examples are independent teaching illustrations, not Deyi’s unpublished 2027 examination or pilot materials. They show how flexible grouping and purposeful feedback might be evaluated through actual learning.

The other 2027 change: the Singapore-Cambridge SEC

For Secondary 4 families, 2027 is also the first national Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate examination year for the inaugural Full Subject-Based Banding cohort. SEAB will examine registered subjects at their applicable G1, G2 or G3 levels. The transition from separate N- and O-Level certifications is not caused by Deyi’s teaching pilot.

SEAB’s 2027 arrangements schedule English and Mother Tongue written papers in September, with remaining relevant written papers mainly in October–November and other oral, practical or coursework components on their own schedules. Pupils should check the actual 2027 SEAB syllabus code and school examination circular instead of relying on an older sibling’s timetable.

Deyi already provides course guidance and a school Student Hub combining counselling, special educational needs support and Education and Career Guidance. These services can be relevant when a student is deciding between post-secondary pathways or coping with examination pressure. A national reform is not a reason to rush a child into a one-size-fits-all tuition plan.

2027 financial assistance: a different calendar

Deyi’s financial-assistance page states that applications for the 2027 MOE Financial Assistance Scheme can be submitted from 13 October 2026 through the Student Finance System or Parents Gateway. Families should use the live system for eligibility and supporting documents. This is a practical 2026 action for qualifying households, unrelated to a class-size experiment.

The school’s August 2026 pocket-money fund notice also described an application period for assistance to be disbursed from 2027. Its published August deadline has passed by this article’s date; families should ask the school about current options rather than assume an old application window remains open.

A parent checklist for the next academic year

Ask what changes for the pupil: does the 2027 pilot affect a particular subject lesson, grouping or feedback routine? Avoid assuming every student receives the same experiment.
Clarify teacher contacts: CCE/form-teacher roles remain important at Deyi. Use the school’s published communication channels for the correct staff member.
Keep the existing strengths in view: journalism ALP, arts LLP and CCAs are parts of the school’s current educational identity, not marketing labels invented for 2027.
Look for feedback in action: invite the child to show an earlier answer, the teacher’s guidance and a revised attempt.
Protect late-day routines: ask for 2027 CCA and additional lesson times rather than relying on a 2026 schedule.
Check the national exam route: 2027 SEC changes and the 2028 post-secondary application system are separate from classroom redesign.
Use support services early: school counsellors, SEN officers and ECG staff may help with wellbeing or choices; ask through the school’s own contact arrangements.
Verify school fit: proximity, subject options, programmes, classroom culture and pastoral support matter more than whether a school was included in a prestigious-sounding pilot.

For a local family deciding if the school is suitable, the existing Deyi Secondary school-fit guide explains journalism, arts and student leadership. This new page owns a different search question: how the 2027 teacher-duty and classroom pilot could work and what has not yet been decided.

What happens between now and the end of 2027?

16 September 2026: MOE announces the six-school pilot and identifies Deyi Secondary as a participant.
October–December 2026: schools plan local arrangements; 2027 assistance applications and student preparations follow their own published timetables.
January 2027: the trial begins and Deyi plans to organise CCE/form-teacher responsibility alongside a more focused second duty.
Throughout 2027: MOE studies the effect of different arrangements on learning, teacher attention and sustainable workloads.
September–November 2027: relevant SEC subjects are examined according to SEAB’s official schedule and registered level.
After evaluation: MOE may consider wider application of successful ideas. It has not set a blanket class-size reduction or a guaranteed national rollout for all elements of the experiment.

Frequently asked questions

Will every Deyi Secondary class become smaller in 2027?

That has not been announced. The principal said the useful group size depends on learner profiles and lesson design. MOE is testing approaches, not setting a universal new class-size cap.

Will Deyi teachers stop doing CCAs?

No such blanket change is announced. Deyi is exploring how to focus responsibilities while maintaining teaching, CCE and school activities. Ask the school how a specific student’s CCA is arranged.

Is broadcast journalism the new 2027 pilot?

No. Active Voice Broadcast Journalism is an existing Applied Learning Programme. The 2027 national pilot examines teaching, feedback, spaces and work organisation.

Will the pilot change what my child sits in SEC?

No. SEC is a national assessment transition with its own subject syllabuses and grading rules. Pilot participation does not rewrite SEAB’s examination requirements.

Can a pupil transfer into Deyi just because it is a pilot school?

The announcement creates no automatic transfer or admission privilege. Follow MOE’s ordinary secondary posting, DSA and school processes as applicable.

How can families evaluate whether a change helps?

Look for clearer student explanations, better corrections, improved confidence in unfamiliar questions and a sustainable daily routine. Avoid treating fewer pupils in one group as proof by itself.

Sources and connected eduKate guides

Fact checked 25 October 2026. Student examples and model activities are illustrative, not official Deyi lessons. Refer to the school and MOE for actual pilot implementation, student care, subject enrolment and admission requirements.

Education for Ang Mo Kio | Deyi Secondary’s 2027 Teacher-Duty and Classroom Pilot