Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)

Raffles Girls' School (RGS) is an independent girls' secondary school located in Braddell, Singapore. Established in 1879, it is one of the oldest schools in Singapore. RGS, together with its affiliated school Raffles Institution, offers a six-year Raffles Programme, which allows students to skip the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examinations and proceed to take the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examinations at the end of Year 6. The school was recognised by the Ministry of Education in 2006 by being awarded the School Excellence Award (recognising schools with 'exemplary school processes and practices'), among other awards. It was a member of Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia.

1. History

Before RGS became a school in its own right, it existed as a section of Raffles Institution (RI). The precursor to RGS opened in the RI campus of Bras Basah Road on 4 March 1844 with 11 students, five day-scholars and six boarders, who were clothed, fed and instructed by the RI management. The demand for education grew and in 1847, the school moved to RI's eastern wing, extending towards Bras Basah Road. Edmund Augustus Blundell, the Governor of the Straits Settlement, described the school as "a female school designed for the education and religious training of the children of poor Protestant parents" in 1855. In 1871, the school moved into a house, the George Family's Old Mansion at the corner of Bras Basah Road. In 1879, the school separated from RI and M. Nelson was appointed the school's first headmistress. Together with three assistants, she ran the school which had an enrolment of 77. Since then, 1879 has been officially regarded as the year of the founding of RGS. On 21 October 2019, RGS moved from Anderson Road, where it had been located since 1959, to its new campus at Braddell Rise, located opposite RI.

1. Uniform

The school's uniform is usually a deep blue boat-necked pinafore and a white collared blouse, which should not be confused with that of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus schools. For this reason, a tie is also occasionally worn.

1. Awards and accolades

A group of four students from RGS emerged Champion at the Kids' Lit Quiz 2018, and represented Singapore in New Zealand in July that year. Joseph Toh Kim Leng won the Teaching Award in 2016, which honours outstanding teachers of English language, English literature and General Paper in Singapore. Jodie Lai, a 2015 Optimist World Championships Under-15 champion, was conferred the title of Best Sportsgirl for sailing at the 46th Singapore Schools Sports Council (SSSC) Colours Awards in 2016. Students from the school have won the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition.

1. Notable alumnae

Iris Koh, Singaporean anti-vaccination activist Ang Swee Chai, orthopaedic surgeon and co-founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians Kit Chan, singer and actress Beatrice Chia, actress and director Annabel Chong, former pornographic actress Chua Sock Koong, former SingTel group chief executive officer Joanna Dong, singer, actress and television host Faizah Jamal, legal academic and former nominated member of parliament Intan Azura Mokhtar, former member of parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC Amy Khor, former member of parliament for Hong Kah North SMC Stella Kon, playwright best known for her play "Emily of Emerald Hill" Lee Choo Neo, first female medical practitioner in Singapore Jane Lee, first woman from Southeast Asia to scale the Seven Summits Lee Tzu Pheng, award-winning poet Lim Hwee Hua, first female Cabinet minister in Singapore Corrinne May, singer-songwriter Denise Phua, member of parliament for Jalan Besar GRC Judith Prakash, first female judge in the Court of Appeal Quah Ting Wen, national swimmer Rahayu Mahzam, Member of Parliament for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC Sim Ann, member of parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Siow Lee Chin, violinist Stefanie Sun, singer-songwriter Leaena Tambyah, founder of Singapore's first school for children with multiple disabilities Carrie Tan, former member of parliament for Nee Soon GRC Margaret Leng Tan, pianist Tan Pin Pin, film-maker Tang Pui Wah, Singapore's first female Olympian Tay Kewei, singer-songwriter and founder of Sparkle Life Music Jackie Yi-Ru Ying, nanotechnology scientist Emma Yong, actress Zhang Jingna, photographer and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia honoree Mariam Jaafar, member of parliament for Sembawang GRC

1. References


1. External links

Raffles Institution Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) website Raffles Institution website Raffles Institution (Secondary) Raffles Institution (Junior College) Raffles Programme website Archived 9 August 2005 at the Wayback Machine

Nearby Places View Menu

Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng

Singapore Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng is a cultural organisation and columbarium based in Bishan, Singapore with beginnings since 1870. Located at Bishan Lane off Bishan Road, Peck San Theng presently operates a columbarium, two Chinese temples, and ancestral worship services tailoring towards the requirements as well as traditions, customs and beliefs of a cosmopolitan community. It is currently managed by 16 Cantonese and Hakka clan associations.

Charity Landmark

Braddell MRT station

Braddell MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station located on the North–South Line (NSL) in Toa Payoh, Singapore. Due to engineering constraints, it and Canberra station are the only stations on the NSL to have side platforms. Located underneath the traffic junction of Lorong 1 Toa Payoh and Lorong 2 Toa Payoh, Braddell station primarily serves the estates in the northern part of Toa Payoh New Town. Opened on 7 November 1987, Braddell station is one of the first five MRT stations on the network. The station is within walking distance to 3 condominiums, Trevista, Gem Residences and Orie.

Landmark Train

Raffles Institution

Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both boys and girls in Year 5 and Year 6. Since 2007, RI and its affiliated school Raffles Girls' School have been offering the six-year Raffles Programme, which allows students to skip the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level examinations and proceed to take the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level examinations at the end of Year 6. RI is notable for having produced 96 President's Scholars, three presidents, four prime ministers and chief ministers, four deputy prime ministers, four speakers of Parliament, many Cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament, as well as many chief executive officers of statutory boards, agencies and state-owned companies. Its alumni includes former Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, former Chief Ministers David Marshall and Lim Yew Hock as well as former Presidents Yusof Ishak, Benjamin Sheares and Wee Kim Wee. Robert Kuok, Southeast Asia's wealthiest man at the turn of the 21st century, is also an alumnus. RI has one of the highest admission rates to top universities such as the Ivy League and Oxbridge. It had the highest number of admissions to the University of Cambridge in the world, with 48 students receiving offers in the 2022 admissions cycle, while 52 were accepted for Oxford and Cambridge combined in 2021, and 77 in 2022 (2nd highest of all schools globally).

School University

646 m

Mount Alvernia Hospital

Mount Alvernia Hospital is the only not-for-profit general acute tertiary care private hospital in Singapore. With close to 380 beds, Alvernia is supported by more than 300 on-campus specialist doctors and nearly 1,400 accredited doctors.

Hospital Landmark