Haze and Schools in Singapore: What Parents Should Know
When haze returns to Singapore, schools adjust the day rather than closing straight away. Outdoor play and PE are the first things to change, air purifiers and indoor rooms take over, and a full closure is considered only when the next-day forecast reaches the Hazardous range. This guide explains how the readings work, what MOE and preschool guidance says, and how you can prepare your child, whether they are 18 months old or in Primary 6.
TL;DR
Schools act on two readings: the 24-hour PSI guides next-day plans, and the 1-hour PM2.5 reading guides same-day changes to activities.
As air quality worsens, schools move activities indoors, then stop strenuous exercise, then suspend PE and after-school activities. Children with pre-existing conditions are excused from physical activity earlier.
MOE will consider closing schools if the next-day PSI forecast is 300 or higher. Even then, MOE schools stay open for students who have no alternative care.
Your part: keep your child’s medication, such as an asthma inhaler, in the school bag and labeled, and see a doctor if your child is unwell.
Ask any school you are considering, including ours, how it handles haze days, before you need the answer.
Table of Contents
Why Singapore gets haze
The haze that reaches Singapore comes from regional forest fires. According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), these start with open burning to clear land for agriculture, and they become a problem for us when the dry season, a shift in wind direction and low rainfall come together. That is why haze is a seasonal worry rather than a constant one, and why some years pass with barely a hazy day while others bring weeks of it.
The Ministry of Health describes the cause the same way: regional fires, made worse by dry spells and unfavorable winds. It also adds a point that surprises many parents. Poor visibility does not mean the air is more polluted, and a burning smell usually, though not always, goes with higher readings. The sky is not a reliable guide. The official readings are.
Reading the numbers: PSI and PM2.5
Two numbers matter for your child’s school day, and it helps to know which one answers which question.
NEA runs sensors that measure six pollutants. It uses their concentrations to compute a rolling 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), and it publishes the 1-hour PM2.5 reading alongside it, as explained in the NEA FAQs. PM2.5 refers to fine particles small enough to be breathed deep into the lungs.
The two readings serve different decisions:
Reading | What it tells you | How schools use it |
24-hour PSI (and forecast) | The air quality averaged over a day, with a forecast for the next 24 hours | Planning for the next school day, including whether to close |
1-hour PM2.5 | What the air is like right now | Same-day changes to outdoor play, PE and breaks |
This split is explained in the Minister for Education’s remarks at the haze press conference: the 24-hour PSI forecast guides next-day operations of preschools and schools, while 1-hour PM2.5 readings guide adjustments on the day itself, including measures to safeguard students with pre-existing conditions.
The Ministry of Health notes that how haze affects a particular person depends on more than the number. The 24-hour PSI and the 1-hour PM2.5 concentration matter, but so do the person’s health, how long they are exposed and how hard they are exerting themselves outdoors. A toddler sleeping indoors and a ten-year-old running laps at PE are in very different situations on the same reading.
What schools change as the air gets worse
Most haze days are not closure days. They are days when the school quietly reshapes what happens, often without you noticing until you hear about it at pickup.
According to the Education Minister’s remarks, schools deploy air purifiers indoors, restrict outdoor activities based on air quality, and excuse students with pre-existing conditions from physical activity. As readings worsen, schools move activities indoors, avoid strenuous indoor exercise, and suspend physical and after-school activities.
In practice, the steps look like this:
Elevated readings. When the 1-hour PM2.5 reading is in the 56 to 150 µg/m³ range, MOE schools avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities and deploy air purifiers, under the 2026 MOE guidance in the same remarks.
Worsening readings. Outdoor time shrinks. Lessons stay in classrooms or enclosed spaces. Children with asthma or other respiratory or heart conditions sit out physical activity.
Very poor readings. Strenuous indoor exercise stops too, and PE and after-school activities are suspended.
MOE says on its haze management page that all classrooms in MOE primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, MOE Kindergartens and SPED schools are equipped with air purifiers, as of October 2026. International schools are not covered by that statement, which is exactly why asking each school directly is worthwhile.
Preschools and the youngest children
The youngest children are the most sensitive to a change in routine and the least able to tell a teacher that their chest feels tight. The multi-agency haze plan published by NEA says preschools are equipped with air purifiers and should have at least one enclosed room with purifiers on, so that a child who becomes unwell or develops respiratory problems has somewhere to go.
For a child aged 18 months to 5, a haze day usually means a quieter, more indoor version of normal. Songs, stories, sensory trays, building and art replace the playground. If your child is used to running outside every morning, expect them to be a little restless, and give them room to burn off energy at home in the evening.
When could schools close?
Closure is the exception, and it follows a clear trigger. If the next-day PSI forecast is 300 or higher, MOE will consider closing schools and moving students, from preschool through secondary, to home-based learning. The Education Minister’s remarks add that MOE schools stay open for students without alternative care, so a working parent is not left with no options.
National decisions are announced through schools and official channels. Closing a school is a next-day decision, so the sensible habit during a bad haze week is to check the evening forecast, then your school’s messages, before you plan the morning. Arrangements for private schools and preschools can differ in detail, so confirm with your own school how and when it will contact you.
It also helps to separate two situations that sound alike:
An Unhealthy reading. School is on. Activities change.
A forecast of 300 or more. Closure is considered, and home-based learning may begin.
Keeping that distinction in mind stops a lot of unnecessary worry on a day when the reading is merely high.
What you can do at home
Your most useful role is preparation, which takes only a few minutes.
Pack the medication. The MOE guidance for parents is plain: make sure your child has their medication, such as an asthma inhaler, or arrange to care for them at home. If your child uses an inhaler, tell the class teacher and the school nurse or office, and keep a labeled spare at school. Some families also use a spacer with a mask for young children so that inhaled medicine reaches the lungs properly; your child’s doctor can tell you whether that suits your child.
Know when to see a doctor. MOE advises seeking medical attention if your child is unwell. Persistent coughing, wheezing, breathing difficulty, or a child who simply seems off after a hazy day are all reasons to call your family doctor or paediatrician rather than wait. If your child has asthma, follow the action plan your doctor has already given you.
Check the right source. Use NEA’s published PSI and PM2.5 readings rather than the look of the sky or a social media forward. The Ministry of Health says NEA readings provide the best indication of air quality.
Keep the indoor air calm. Closing windows and running an air purifier in the bedroom on high-reading days is a reasonable step for children who are sensitive. Keep the room free of other irritants, such as smoke or strong sprays.
Plan childcare early. If schools move to home-based learning, who will be with your child? Settle this before haze season, not on the evening of the announcement. Families without relatives in Singapore, which is common among expats, should have a backup person or a student care option in mind.
Questions to ask a school about haze
Any good school will have thought about haze before it arrives. These are the questions worth putting to an admissions team:
Which reading triggers a move indoors, and who makes that call?
Are there air purifiers in classrooms, and is there an enclosed room for children who feel unwell?
What happens to PE, playground time and after-school activities?
How are children with asthma or allergies supported?
How and when will the school contact parents about closures or changes?
What does learning look like if the school moves online?
The answers show how carefully a school plans, and they show something less obvious too: whether staff know each child well enough to notice who is struggling.
Perspective: why small classes matter on a haze day
We are a small school, and haze days are one of the moments when that matters most. With a maximum of 20 children in a class and an average of 15, a teacher notices the child who has gone quiet, who is coughing more than usual, or who is holding back at the door when the others head outside. In a large class those signals are easy to miss.
Our approach to learning has always balanced time outdoors with time in the classroom, which we explain in our guide to the indoor and outdoor learning balance. That balance is helpful here, because a child who is used to learning in many settings adapts more easily when the outdoor part of the day is paused. Inquiry projects, reading corners, art and science tables work as well indoors as in the garden, and children keep their curiosity even when the playground is closed.
We would encourage every parent, at any school, to treat haze as a question of attention more than of equipment. Air purifiers and guidelines matter, and so does an adult who knows your child’s name, their inhaler and their usual mood. The best learning happens when every child is truly seen and supported, and that is never truer than on a day when the air outside is not what it should be. If you are wondering how this works in practice, you can read more about how to assess class size benefits when you compare schools.
— Elena
Visit Astor and ask us about haze days
If you are choosing a school and haze is on your list of questions, we would be glad to talk it through. Astor International School offers small-class international primary education for ages 5 to 12 in Tanglin, and Astor International Preschool in Holland has two playgrounds and a mix of outdoor and classroom learning. You can look around our campus and see how our spaces work for indoor days and outdoor days alike.
Our published fees are on our fees page: Option A, Flexi Fees, is SGD 17,580 per year, Option B, Fixed Fees, is SGD 23,650 per year, and the one-off admission fee is SGD 1,950. For preschool details, see our Astor Preschool programme, and if you are new to the idea, our guide to what an international preschool is is a good place to start.
How haze affects the rest of the school year
A short haze spell rarely changes learning in any lasting way. What parents tend to notice are the knock-on effects.
Routines. Start times, drop-off and pickup can shift on a hazy day. If you are comparing schools, our overview of school start times in Singapore explains what to expect from different schools in a normal week.
Physical activity. A week of no outdoor play can leave children with extra energy. Short bursts of gentle indoor movement, such as stretching, dancing or a slow walk through a mall’s air-conditioned corridors, are a calmer substitute when the readings are elevated, but strenuous exercise is best postponed on very poor days, in line with the school guidance above. If your child has a respiratory condition, ask the doctor how much exertion is appropriate.
Curriculum. Learning units continue. In an inquiry-based programme such as the IPC, projects can move from garden observations to indoor investigations for a few days without losing their thread. You can read how the primary years are structured in our primary school curriculum guide.
Feelings. Children pick up on adult anxiety. Explain haze simply: smoke from far-away fires has made the air less clean, so we stay inside more and keep our medicine close. A calm, factual explanation helps children feel safe and in control.
A simple haze checklist for parents
Before the season, make sure of five things: your child’s medication is at school and labeled, the school has your current phone number and email, your backup care plan is agreed, you know where to read NEA’s PSI and PM2.5 figures, and your child knows what a haze day looks like. Once that is done, a hazy week becomes an inconvenience rather than a crisis.
FAQ
Do Singapore schools close whenever the PSI is unhealthy?
No. An Unhealthy reading changes activities, not attendance. According to the Education Minister’s remarks, MOE considers closing schools if the next-day PSI forecast is 300 or higher, and even then schools remain open for students who have no alternative care.
Is it safe for my child to play outside during haze?
It depends on the reading and on your child’s health. When the 1-hour PM2.5 reading is elevated, MOE schools avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity, and children with pre-existing conditions are excused from physical activity. If your child has asthma or another respiratory condition, follow your doctor’s advice.
How can I tell how bad the haze is?
Use NEA’s 24-hour PSI and 1-hour PM2.5 readings. The Ministry of Health notes that poor visibility does not necessarily mean more pollution, so the sky alone is not a dependable guide.
What should I do if my child seems unwell after haze exposure?
MOE advises parents to seek medical attention if their child is unwell. Contact your family doctor or paediatrician if your child has persistent coughing, wheezing or trouble breathing, and use any medication, such as an inhaler, as your doctor has prescribed.
Do preschools have air purifiers?
The national haze plan says preschools are equipped with air purifiers and should keep at least one enclosed room with purifiers running for children who become unwell. Ask your own preschool how it applies this.
Sources
Recommended
Comments