just to check, if ur kid get 197 for psle, will u advise ur kid to go neighbourhood Express stream or a better school but normal stream?

I would choose to let him go express. Reason being , it is easier to maintain in the express stream than move up from normal academic to express stream. If child is a late bloomer like upper Sec, they will still have time to do well in olevels. If not they will have to do with nlevels which doesn't coincides with what their potential allows