Singapore Sports School (SSP) is a specialised independent boarding school under the purview of Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of the Government of Singapore that offers an integrated sports and academic programme to secondary and post-secondary students in Singapore.
| Singapore Sports School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
1 Champions Way Singapore 737913 | |
| Coordinates | 1°25′36.21″N 103°47′18.19″E / 1.4267250°N 103.7883861°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent |
| Motto | Learned Champions With Character |
| Established | 2 April 2004 |
| Principal | Ong Kim Soon |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 13 to 19 |
| Campus | Urban; 7 hectares (17 acres) |
| Colour(s) | Red Orange |
| Website | https://www.sportsschool.edu.sg/home |
History
editIn the late 1990s, the Ministry of Community Development (MCD), the Singapore Sports Council and the sports community discussed the idea of forming a sports school to develop sports in Singapore. In 2000, the MCD created a new sports division and was renamed Ministry of Community Development and Sports (MCDS).[1] With the rename, Minister for Community Development and Sports Abdullah Tarmugi formally proposed a sports school in Parliament to develop sports in Singapore.[1] In 2001, the government approved the plans and on 2 April 2024, the SSP was opened by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.[2]
SSP initially focused on eight sports – athletics, badminton, bowling, football, netball, sailing, swimming and table tennis.[3]
Management
editMoo Soon Chong was the first principal of Singapore Sports School.[4] He was assisted by Chua Choon Seng, Director of Corporate Services and Irwin Seet, Director of Sports, Seah Poh Chua, Director of Academics and School Administration, who was Dean of the Academic Wing then, and a core team.
Moo Soon Chong retired on 14 December 2007 and Deborah Tan was appointed as the new principal of Singapore Sports School on the following day.[5] Deborah Tan was appointed to a senior position at the Ministry of Education and left the school on 14 December 2013.
Followed by Deborah Tan's departure, Tan Teck Hock is appointed as the new principal of Singapore Sports School. Tan Teck Hock had served in the Education Service since 1992. He was the principal of Yishun Town Secondary School from December 1999 to December 2005 and Serangoon Junior College from December 2006 to December 2010. Tan Teck Hock was the founding Principal of the Physical Education and Sports Teacher Academy in 2010.
On 15 December 2019, Singapore Sports School announced that Ong Kim Soon would replace Tan Teck Hock. Ong Kim Soon was a PE and English teacher, head of department, vice-principal and special assistant of the principal at Saint Hilda's Secondary School, and Director of Physical, Sports, and Outdoor Education in the Ministry of Education Headquarters.[6]
Sport programmes and achievements
editStudent-athletes in Singapore Sports School are either in an Academy Programme or in an Individual Programme.
The Academy Programmes are in the following sports:
- Badminton
- Bowling
- Fencing
- Football
- Netball
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Track and Field
Singapore Sports School also welcomes high-performing youth athletes to join the Individual Programme sports such as Artistic Swimming, Golf, Gymnastics, Pencak Silat, Sailing and Wushu.
Athlete-Friendly Academic Pathways
editThe Sports School offers the GCE "O" Level Examinations and several post-secondary through-train pathways. Student-athletes on the through-train pathways bypass the GCE "O" Level Examinations and progress onto one of three pathways conducted at Sports School: the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), the customised Diploma in Sport Management (RP-SSP DSPM) from Republic Polytechnic or the customised Diploma in Business Studies (Entrepreneurship Management Option) (BS-EMGT) from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
editSingapore Sports School was the venue for the modern pentathlon, shooting and swimming events of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore.[7]
Notable alumni
edit- Calvin Kang, Sprinter
- Dipna Lim Prasad, Hurdler
- Mylene Ong, Swimmer
- Tao Li, Swimmer
- Narelle Kheng, Actress and singer
- Benjamin Kheng, Actor and singer
- Ben Davis, Footballer
- Terry Hee, Badminton player, 2022 India Open and 2022 Commonwealth Games Champion Mixed Doubles
- Loh Kean Yew, Badminton player and 2021 BWF World Champion[8]
- Dominic Tan , Footballer
References
edit- ^ a b Shereen, NIL:Tay; Singapore, National Library Board. "Singapore Sports School". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ Chan, Gabrielle (26 April 2024). "New Spex undergraduate scholarship for student-athletes to support expenses". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ Teoh, Melvyn (29 April 2024). "Twenty years on, is the Singapore Sports School a success?". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ "Sports school trials under way". Today. 7 August 2003.
- ^ "S'pore Sports School to get new principal next year". The Straits Times. 10 October 2007.
- ^ Low, Lin Fhoong (18 October 2019). "Singapore Sports School gets a new principal, fourth appointment in 15 years". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Singapore Sports School". Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ Ong, Justin (21 December 2021). "'He had that spark': Mentor, badminton association on what made Loh Kean Yew a world champ". Today. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
External links
edit- Singapore Sports School - Official website