How IFS ensures the safety and health of students and staff in the event of a haze episode (severe air pollution)

The school monitors the official air quality indicators published by the Singapore authorities on the NEA website. The 24-hour PSI readings and hourly PM2.5 readings are checked several times a day to adjust recess, physical education (PE) classes and extracurricular activities as necessary.

IFS bases its Haze Protocol on data and health guidance issued by Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA), the government authority responsible for monitoring ambient air quality in Singapore.

Some websites and applications, including AQICN (World Air Quality Index), may display significantly different figures or classifications. These figures should not be directly compared with Singapore’s PSI.

In fact, for Singapore, AQICN states that the underlying air-quality data displayed on its website are provided by NEA. The difference therefore does not necessarily arise from different measurements, but primarily from the methodology used to convert those measurements into an air-quality index.

NEA specifically explains that websites such as aqicn.org use different methods of computing air-quality indices and their values are therefore not directly comparable with Singapore’s 24-hour PSI.

NEA continuously monitors air quality through a network of specialised monitoring equipment across Singapore. Its framework provides two complementary indicators:

• the 24-hour PSI, together with the official health advisory, which is intended for planning activities and assessing exposure over a prolonged period; and
• the 1-hour PM2.5 concentration, which reflects more immediate changes in air quality and is intended to inform decisions about activities taking place in the short term.

IFS therefore considers both indicators in accordance with their intended purpose: the 24-hour PSI for planning and the 1-hour PM2.5 reading for immediate operational decisions.

Using the official NEA framework also ensures that the School’s decisions are aligned with the health guidance and response framework established by the Singapore authorities, rather than with a third-party index calculated according to a different methodology.

Parents may of course consult other air-quality platforms for additional information, but IFS must apply a single, consistent and authoritative reference point when making school-wide health and operational decisions. For this reason, IFS relies on NEA / haze.gov.sg / myENV.

Yes. The school follows a rigorous protocol structured around four alert levels, based on the 24-hour PSI and hourly PM2.5 readings, in accordance with the recommendations of the NEA and the Singapore government. Measures are implemented progressively and proportionately to ensure the health and safety of students and staff.

Students with lung or heart conditions who have an Individualised Health Plan (PAI) are subject to enhanced monitoring. Their physical activities are adapted, and they remain in air-conditioned, filtered indoor areas as soon as the first alert thresholds are reached.

• PSI ≤ 100: Activities proceed as scheduled, provided the hourly PM2.5 reading remains below 56. If the PM2.5 level exceeds 55, sports sessions, recess, and cafeteria operations will be progressively adjusted.

• PSI between 101 and 200: All outdoor activities are suspended, including outdoor dining. Should the PM2.5 level exceed 251, indoor sports activities will also be suspended, and outdoor movement will be restricted to the absolute minimum.

• PSI between 200 and 300 (Indoor Confinement): A general indoor shelter-in-place protocol is implemented across all grade levels. All recess, sports, and cafeteria operations are relocated indoors. Additionally, all indoor sports activities are suspended.

• Kindergarten, Elementary students, and students with an Individualised Healthcare Plan (PAI): Students consume meals indoors or in the villas as soon as the 24-hour PSI reaches 101 (recorded at 10:00 PM the prior evening) or if the hourly PM2.5 exceeds 151 at 7:00 AM.

• Secondary: Middle school students will eat in the indoor cafeteria as usual. High school students are not permitted to leave the campus and must dine in designated enclosed areas (e.g., the cafeteria or Petit Bistro).

Student drop-off and pick-up procedures remain unchanged. Drivers are required to set the air conditioning to recycled/recirculated air as soon as the 24-hour PSI exceeds 100.

The school is automatically closed and the Distance Learning protocol is activated if the 24-hour PSI reading recorded at 10:00 PM the previous evening exceeds 300, or upon instruction from the Singapore authorities.

School closure decisions are communicated directly to parents by email and SMS. If the decision is required overnight, parents are informed at 6:30 AM.

If the PSI exceeds 300 during the day, students remain safely indoors in their classrooms and the school day finishes at regular hours. For secondary students, a special timetable minimizing student movement is implemented.

Field trips generally follow the same guidelines as outdoor activities; however, adjustments may be made depending on the destination and planned activities. Under indoor confinement conditions (PSI between 200 and 300), all field trips are cancelled. School travel and overseas trips will either proceed or be modified based on the health and safety conditions at the destination.

The school’s air conditioning and air treatment systems filter incoming air to ensure optimal air quality for all indoor activities. In the event of severe and/or prolonged haze, the school will deploy supplementary air purifiers in the most exposed areas.