Reflections 2023

2023 Reflections

TANGLIN MISSION

Tanglin Trust School in Singapore has a long tradition of providing British-based learning with an international perspective.

At Tanglin we strive to make every individual feel valued, happy and successful. Responsibility, enthusiasm and participation are actively encouraged, and integrity is prized. Working together in a safe, caring yet stimulating environment, we set high expectations whilst offering strong support, resulting in a community of lifelong learners who can contribute with confidence to our world.

TANGLIN VISION STATEMENT

We aspire to be the best school in the world with a dynamic learning community which nurtures and inspires every individual to be the best they can be.

Foreword

Craig Considine, CEO

There was a collective euphoria in September when we were able to inform the school community that we would be resuming normal schooling. It has been pleasing therefore to have almost a full year of normal activity, following the challenges of COVID.

At the beginning of the year, we adopted some slight modifications to our strategic plan, and this re-positioned into 100 Years of Excellence. This outlined key strategic themes and a number of special projects. We are very proud of our achievements over the last 12 months and my colleagues have reported on key achievements in some detail in this report.

I would like to thank the Governors, the Heads of School, the CFO/COO, and senior colleagues who have led key elements of the strategic plan. They have provided focus and determination to create better opportunities for our students, their families, and the staff. None of this would have been possible without the support of the teaching and non-teaching communities as well as the broader school community - thank you all.

TEAM TANGLIN

In the 100 Years of Excellence framework, we identified Team Tanglin as our key strategic theme. This was first and foremost a response to the challenges of the COVID pandemic and the need to re-establish the Tanglin spirit of engagement. Initiatives were led and supported by the Friends of Tanglin team, and were supported by leadership teams, faculty, and a diverse group of community members. We want to acknowledge the excellent work of the Class Reps who were tireless in making things as good and enjoyable as they were.

The Summer Festival was a great success with our diverse internationalism on display; the oversubscribed movie nights were brilliant; the Tanglin Foundation Golf Day benefited

from some skilful and enthusiastic play; Botanic Beats and the music performances at Victoria Concert Hall were melodic and uplifting; the vast range of performances across Infants, Juniors and Seniors was outstanding; and the list goes on. Coming together to celebrate the Arts is part of the Tanglin DNA and it was symbolic, therefore, that ‘The Brain’ was unveiled in the Centenary Building atrium in January.

The Houses have started to operate more fully across the school. The start of this programme was delayed by COVID, but we are now seeing full engagement across the school. It was delightful to see House Music take place with groupings from Year 5 to Year 8, the House cross country and various House swimming galas - despite having eight Houses and seven lanes! There were many, many more opportunities for House participation. There is nothing better than being in the Infant assembly at the end of the year to witness the unbridled joy associated with the announcement of the winning House. We all look forward to the Houses growing as entities that students feel passionate about and connected to.

Our Admissions policy changed two years ago. The process is no longer about a chronological waitlist, but we consider the learning characteristics and dispositions of students that might shape our community. This ensures that all families can apply for places at Tanglin. This allows us to be a balanced demographic that shares the school’s values of respect, responsibility, and purpose, as well as believing in a holistic education.

BSO INSPECTION

The inspection that took place in November 2022 seems an eternity ago. Much preparation and planning went into this important

assessment. This year we undertook the Inspection as Tanglin Trust School instead of individual Infant, Junior and Senior Schools. This reflected our stated desire to operate as one school and it was a great success. Thank you in particular to the Director of Learning, John Ridley, and the Heads of School who led this exercise brilliantly. The Inspection allows us to retain membership of key organisations across the globe including HMC (The Heads’ Conference), IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools), FOBISIA (Federation of British International Schools in Asia), COBIS (Council of British International Schools) and AoBSO (Association of British Schools Overseas). This focus on being one school is also evident in the reports in this publication from the Heads of the Academic, Co-curricular and Pastoral programmes across the school.

INSPIRED LEARNERS

Academic engagement, and enrichment activities such as MUN, World Scholars, Debating sat alongside the academic outcomes of the students sitting public examinations, which are outlined on page 25 to 27 of this report. It is equally good to know of the level of preparation that occurs before these terminal exams. As an international school we know that members of our community will possibly move on. It is critical, therefore, that students, and their parents, are confident that they are well prepared for their next step in education - no matter what the year level. So, the learning outcomes of our Infant and Junior students are important. These are reported in Ms Craigie and Mrs Harrington Wilcox’s reports. The number of leavers has decreased over the last few years, but we know those who do move on are ready for their next step.

Ms Sugaya, the Director of People, reported last year that the average tenure of teachers at Tanglin is between 7 and 8 years. This is well above the sector norm in international schools. It is always amazing at our start of year celebrations to acknowledge length of service.

Our staff are the fulcrum of a Tanglin education so recruitment and retention of staff is critical. Being one of Singapore’s Top 25 Employers was an accolade we hope to emulate annually in order to ensure we have the very best people working with our students.

FACILITIES

The Centenary Building is now in existence after a lengthy gestation and construction period. Thanks to the contractors Wee Hur, the Architects P&T, and all the consultants who worked on this significant project. The building, while not ‘on time’, was delivered on budget, so again a considerable thank you to Mr Ling (CFO) and Mr Teng (Director of Operations) for their diligence and management. The students are enjoying the use of various facilities in the building - long may it continue.

Other facilities were also completed over the summer break. This included The Hive, which is the new Upper School Common room, and the Senior School Drama and Dance spaces in the Nixon Building. These facilities add to the inspirational teaching and learning facilities across the school. There are lots to look forward to on the (new) stage and in the various performance spaces. Many students undertake university courses in disciplines across the arts, and being co-located with the Film and Media Department will add further impetus to what our talented thespians and visual artists can produce.

Reflections 2023 outlines a very special year. We hope you enjoy reading this ‘annual report’ and hope that it fully encapsulates all that is good about a Tanglin education.

The Business Team

Ling Guan Heng, COO/CFO

The Business Team at Tanglin Trust School comprises Finance, Admissions, Human Resources, Operations, Central Procurement, Corporate Legal, Technology, Transport, and Food Services. This provides an efficient and effective business infrastructure to support each section of the school (Infant, Junior, and Senior) in delivering a world-class education for our students.

The Business Team has had another successful and busy year. Key projects completed include:

• Grand opening of Tanglin Centenary Building.

• Personal Data Protection project.

• Cybersecurity Assessment.

• Due diligence review of the Year 9 Extended Residential Programme

• External audit for FY 2021/22.

The robust financial position of the School was further enhanced by the healthy student enrolment and by exercising financial prudence. An estimated surplus of $3M above budget is expected.

FINANCE

• KPMG issued an unmodified audit report for the statutory audit for FY 2021/22 with no audit points in January 2023.

• Financial performance was buoyed by student enrolment operating near capacity, higher fixed deposit interest income from rising interest rates, and strict observation of budgetary controls to manage costs.

• Secured Finance and Risk Committee and Board of Governors’ approval for Budget FY 2023/24 which included a detailed 3-year financial analysis of cost structure and benchmarking analysis of school fees as well as cash flow projection to Year 2038.

• Completed Internal Audit for Receivables/Billings and Payables/ Procurement conducted by Ernst & Young with no significant audit points in March 2023.

• Achieved a surplus of $500,000 against the project budget of the Tanglin Centenary Building completed in December 2022, despite the inflationary pressure in the construction industry during the last three years.

• Other projects completed and in progress include:

• Transition of GST rate increase in January 2023 and integration of Open Apply to student billings.

• Streamlining of bank signatories and payment infrastructure.

• Finance due diligence review for the Extended Residential Programme.

HUMAN RESOURCES

• Tanglin Trust School has been ranked one of The Straits Times Singapore's Best Employers in 2023, two years in a row, and topped the education category nationwide.

• In AY2022-2023, a new online performance management platform has been implemented for the Management team, Faculty, and Business Staff in managerial positions. The platform enables collaborative objective setting and facilitates ongoing coaching and feedback. The overall framework supports staff to continuously evaluate and enhance their professional practice.

• For faculty recruitment, we partnered with a recruitment agency in the UK for employer branding, targeted recruitment, a seamless process, and robust background checks. 26 new teachers were appointed for

AY2023-2024. Other key appointments recruited during the year include Development Director and Head of Foundation.

• Created a positive and inclusive work environment that fosters employee engagement satisfaction and wellbeing with initiatives such as staff social/wellbeing activities during the Mental Wellness Week, and staff access to the gym and swimming pool.

• Other notable projects undertaken included: Medical insurance negotiation, Salary and benefits review, and implementation of HR e-forms.

OPERATIONS

• The Tanglin Centenary Building finally achieved TOP in December 2022, after being severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers state-of-the-art facilities in the areas of gymnastics, music, aquatics, and many more.

• Operations supported and underwent BSO inspection in the areas of facilities, security, workplace health and safety in November 2022 and all went very well.

• During the year, the school invested a sizable c.$4 million in new and upgrading existing facilities. Notable projects completed during the year included:

• Conversion of music spaces at Level 2, West Wing into a Common Room for Year 10 and 11 students.

• Conversion of gymnastic and office spaces at Level 3, Nixon Building into Senior Drama and Dance spaces.

• The Infant School Library was refurbished with a modern contemporary concept which was well received by users.

• Vinyl floor replacement for all the Infant classrooms from Level 1-4 was completed to give the education spaces a fresh and clean outlook.

• Upgrading of the Junior School Playground was carried out in phases and was finally completed in June 2023.

• Conceptual design for the Junior Arts Centre (c.$6M to $7M) and sheltering of Sky Quad (c.$2M), with the objective of creating an arts hub within the Junior School, commenced with the appointment of the architect and quantity surveyor.

• Other projects in progress that will be completed in the new academic year include:

• Structured shelter over the existing 25m swimming pool.

• Replacement of lifts at the Senior School.

TECHNOLOGY

• Keeping everyone safe in cyberspace and fortifying cybersecurity continues to be a key focus for Technology. During the year, we appointed KPMG cybersecurity experts to conduct a 3-month cybersecurity assessment of Tanglin’s current infrastructure and propose a roadmap to achieve a higher target maturity score. At the same time, we engaged Ernst and Young to conduct a penetration test on 3 external-facing applications. With the help of EY, we closed all gaps found during the test.

• During the year, the Technology team has also completed a few key cybersecurity initiatives:

• Conducted regular training sessions and phishing simulations to equip and familiarise staff with the knowledge to defend against cyber threats and phishing attacks. This proactive approach helps raise awareness and reduce the risk of successful attacks.

• Migrated applications, files, and folders to the cloud for the adoption of Zero Trust Architecture. Zero Trust Architecture is an approach that emphasises strict access controls and authentication, treating all users and devices as potentially untrusted.

• Subscribed to Microsoft Information Protection services to protect sensitive data and prevent data leaks.

• Enabled two-factor single sign-on across almost all school systems, which adds an extra layer of security to the login process.

• We continue to invest heavily in building a digital ecosystem for Tanglin. Another $1 million was committed in FY22/23 to equip staff and students with MacBooks, iPads, Microsoft Tablets, and Software. This investment aims to facilitate secure remote learning and learning in classrooms.

• The software applications team was immensely engaged in rolling out and integrating software and applications across the school. The main initiatives completed include:

• Implemented the "Open Apply" Admissions system to fully automate and digitalise the admissions process. This system simplifies the application and enrolment procedures for prospective students.

• Redeveloped the "Transcripts Report" module to allow greater flexibility in customisation when generating and delivering student transcripts.

• Completed the full roll-out of the "Going Home Arrangement" app in Term 1 of FY2022/23.

• Continuously integrating various school systems to improve user experience and data accuracy by enabling seamless data flow and reducing manual efforts.

CORPORATE LEGAL

• Implemented the enhanced Personal Data Protection policies and processes. This will strengthen our personal data protection framework.

• Undertook legal due diligence for the Year 9 Extended Residential Programme.

• Established contract structure, and terms and conditions for the Centenary Art Trail.

• Provided legal and advisory support for the whole school. Key areas include data protection, Human Resources, and child safeguarding.

CENTRAL PROCUREMENT

• Cost management is achieved through strict adherence to our procurement policy and tender process. A total of 1,474 purchase

orders valued at $17 million were processed. We achieved cost savings of about $1,100,000.

• Reviewed the school’s contracting capacity for electricity and saved about $129,000 for FY22/23 by reducing unutilized electricity capacity.

• Completed Internal Audit jointly with Finance conducted by Ernst & Young with no significant audit points in March 2023.

• Supported more than 60 tenders and RFQs in FY 22/23. Major tenders included:

• Campus Security contract.

• Supply of Electricity contract.

• Replacement of pool shelter & lifts for Senior School

• Conversion of gymnastic and office spaces at Level 3 Nixon Building into Senior Drama and Dance spaces.

• Conversion of music spaces at Level 2 West Wing into Year 10 and 11 Common Room.

• Provision of 2-Year Landscape Maintenance Service.

• Appointment of Architect and Quantity Surveyor for Junior Art Centre and Sky Quad Projects.

• Delivered bulk orders for the start of the new school year FY 2023/24 for Infant, Junior, and Senior schools.

TRANSPORT

• With the school’s Technology team, we launched an upgraded online platform to manage Infant and Junior children’s goinghome arrangements. This replaced the process that was paperbased for Infant children.

• Facilitated new bus arrival and dismissal times with KAL Transport in line with the new Shape of the School Day.

• Increased child safety on board buses by purchasing infant clips for use during bus excursions for younger Infant children.

FOOD SERVICES

• Facilitated the smooth opening of Banyan Café in the Centenary Building. Banyan Café was previously the parent café in the Nixon Building and has since been rebranded as a work-friendly café on level 7 with wifi, powerpoints, and a peaceful ambience in the new building. Parents are welcome to enjoy some F&B at the new café or work in a conducive working space while waiting for their children.

• The Senior dining hall on Level 2, Nixon Building has been refurbished with additional tables and long benches, increasing the capacity for our Senior students.

• ‘Live’ food stations were introduced from time to time to give more variety of food options to the Senior students.

Looking into 2023/24, the Business Team has launched several new initiatives for the coming new year, the key of which is the masterplan to rejuvenate the campus and create new spaces and facilities for the next 15 years.

Team Tanglin

Tom Evans, Director of Marcomms, Admissions & Community Relations

What a year! The 2022-23 Academic Year will go down in the history books as the year that Team Tanglin pulled together to connect with our community. It was the first full year coming out of the pandemic –no masks, no bubbles, no restrictions. Everyone at Tanglin fully embraced this opportunity and our Team Tanglin objective was to re-engage in-person with our community. The full co-curriculum was restored to the delight of students, staff and families alike. School was back to ‘normal’ and we wanted families to experience it in all its glory.

EVENTS/FRIENDS OF TANGLIN

We invited families back to campus with more events than ever before, and with bigger and better events than we had hosted in the past. Some event highlights of the year were:

• A combination of Tanglin’s famous Summer Fete and some traditional concerts, the Summer Festival was the largest event ever held in the history of the school! Over 4000 people attended a day with six hours of musical performances, carnival games, food, vendors, tea/book stalls, and international stalls.

• Movie Nights on the Playing Field were first put on during the pandemic as events that could happen within prevailing restrictions. Now that these restrictions had been removed, we could make Movie Nights bigger and better. Attendance grew from 800 people to 1300 this year. Given their popularity, we doubled the number of Movie Nights - hosting one in Term 1 and one in Term 3.

• The beloved Christmas Fair was back after three years as an in-person event in the Berrick Hall. Over the course of two days, 2500 people visited the fair. The vendors, Santa’s Grotto, and the $10 Shoppe were as popular as ever.

• Other Festivals were also celebrated at school to recognise the diversity of our community. Lunar New Year performances returned to usher in the year of the rabbit. And for the first time, Hari Raya and Deepavali celebrations were held for families at school.

• There was also a celebration fit for a king – the coronation of King Charles III was a once in a lifetime event for the entire school community.

• Year 13 Graduation, at the end of the school year, was our biggest graduation event ever. Hosting it at Mediacorp for the first time allowed more families, friends and students to watch this momentous occasion in person.

ALUMNI

In addition to our current students and families, we also wanted to connect meaningfully with our Alumni around the world. Once again, we were able to host a large-scale alumni event in London. It turned out to be our most popular alumni event with over 450 people attending. Recent graduates turned out to connect with friends, as did alumni from years past. One alumna from the 1977 cohort travelled all the way from Israel to be there for her 45th reunion. In Singapore, over 100 alumni came together for an event hosted at the Institute@Tanglin. Other mini reunions were held throughout the year in Melbourne, Scotland and various cities in California.

This year we were also able to host the inaugural event of the Tanglin 15 club, an event for people who have worked at Tanglin for over 15 years. Incredibly, this staff alumni group consists of 130 people in our 98-year history, many of whom joined this commemorative event, some with over 40 years of service to the school.

ADMISSIONS

The strength and appeal of the Tanglin community were also demonstrated by our Admissions metrics. This year saw a record high number of applications to the school. More than 1250 applications were received for the coming year. It was also a year of record low number of student withdrawals, telling us that our Tanglin families

want to stay. Perhaps the admissions metric that best reflects a school’s appeal is ‘yield’ – the percentage of people who accept an offer of admission. Another record high for the school, 88% of people who were offered a place enrolled.

MARCOMMS

From a Marcomms perspective, we were thrilled that the school was recognised with several awards. Honeykids named Tanglin ‘Best UK Pathway School’ for the second year in a row and gave the school Gold for ‘Most Future Ready Students’. Which School Advisor also awarded us ‘Best UK Pathway School’ as well as ‘Best Post-16 Education’.

The most impressive award by far was being crowned ‘International School of the Year’ in a global competition hosted by ISC Research out of a pool of 291 entries from international schools in 61 countries.

What a year, indeed.

Digital First

Chin Peng Lee, Director of Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education by reshaping the way we teach and learn. In today's classrooms, AI-powered tools and platforms are improving personalised learning experiences, helping educators identify individual student needs, and offering adaptive content to cater to diverse learning styles. While AI makes quality learning accessible, breaks down geographical barriers, and fosters lifelong learning, we will collaborate with experts in the field and carefully assess the benefits, limitations and potential risks of incorporating AI into Tanglin's curriculum.

EDUCATION POST GENERATIVE AI

Personalised Learning: AI can analyse vast amounts of data about individual learners, their preferences, and their performance to create personalised learning experiences. Adaptive learning platforms powered by generative AI can tailor educational content and assessments to meet the specific needs and learning styles of each student, enhancing the effectiveness of education.

Intelligent Tutoring Systems: AI-powered tutoring systems have become more sophisticated, providing students with interactive and personalised support. These systems can adapt to a student's learning style, track progress, identify areas of difficulty, and offer targeted assistance and feedback.

Language Learning: AI-powered language learning platforms have improved in accuracy and effectiveness. These platforms can provide real-time feedback on pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary, and offer personalised exercises and lessons to enhance language acquisition.

Content Creation: Generative technologies have facilitated the creation and curation of educational content. AI algorithms can generate interactive and engaging educational materials, such as quizzes, simulations, and virtual reality experiences. Moreover, machine learning algorithms can curate and recommend relevant educational resources to students and educators.

Data Analysis and Insights: Generative AI algorithms can analyse vast amounts of data and generate insights that can help researchers, educators, and decision-makers make informed choices. For example, AI models can analyse student performance data to identify trends, predict potential learning gaps, or recommend interventions to enhance educational outcomes.

It's important to note that while generative AI offers significant potential, there are also ethical considerations and challenges that need to be addressed. These include issues like bias in data, privacy concerns, and the need for human oversight to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI technologies.

Overall, generative AI has the potential to transform the way we work, teach, and learn by providing innovative tools, personalised experiences, and data-driven insights. Its adoption

can lead to more efficient workflows, improved learning outcomes, and enhanced collaboration.

Our approach to incorporating generative AI into our curriculum will be guided by a careful assessment of its benefits, limitations, and potential risks. We will collaborate with experts in the field, educators, and stakeholders to design frameworks that promote ethical AI use and prioritise the well-being of our learners.

DATA PROTECTION AND CYBERSECURITY

Data protection and cybersecurity have been key priorities at Tanglin. We continue to invest heavily in tools and consultants to assist us in the protection of data and systems. Staff receive regular training and phishing simulations to equip and familiarise them with the knowledge to defend against cyber threats and protect our school.

COMMUNITY

We have listened to our community and will be rolling out new features such as up-to-date parent and class list information, student medical records, student billing, and student remote access information in the Parent portal. In view of more sensitive information being made available in the portal, we will be enforcing the use of two-factor authentication for parents in the new academic year.

SOCIAL MEDIA

We monitor digital engagement across social media platforms. This helps us communicate elements of school life and measure how well they are amplified on various platforms. Our number of followers has also increased from 1 August 2022- 1 July 2023.

7,805

TECHNOLOGY FOR LEARNING ROADMAP

Sustainability

Carla Randall and Ali Lott

Sustainability continues to be a key focus at Tanglin and there has been a renewed energy and focus since it was made a whole school priority in February 2022. Guided by our core values and in recognition of the ecological threats we face today, we are strongly committed to reducing our impact on the environment and empowering our students to take positive action and rise to the challenges ahead.

Across the campus, staff and students alike are involved in a number of exciting and successful initiatives including:

• Temperature settings: A minimum temperature of 23 degrees celsius has been set on all air-conditioning units.

• Automatic switch-off: All air conditioning is automatically switched off by our central control system, Intelligent Touch Manager, at 7pm as opposed to 11pm the previous year.

• Light fittings: LED lights have been installed in the Junior School saving over 340 kWh/year.

• E-Waste: Over 95kg of electronic waste was collected during a two-week drive in March.

• Food waste: Over 60 tonnes of food waste was collected from our canteens in collaboration with the NEA where it was converted into biogas, a clean and renewable energy source.

• Reduction of packaging: Biodegradable packaging (Biocups) has replaced all plastic cups and pots across the campus and large storage containers have replaced individually wrapped food in Café M and the Mezzanine. There are still improvements to be made and we continue to work closely with Chartwells to reduce the environmental impact of our canteens and cafes.

• En-Trak: monitoring and reporting of energy use across the campus.

• Swimwear: Collaboration with swimwear company Sandbar to design products made from recycled plastic.

• School Shop: Plastic bags are no longer used in the school shop and biodegradable packaging is now used to wrap new products.

• Eco Vista: Upcycling the walkway with a new display incorporating the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

STUDENTS TAKING ACTION

Student action has been reinvigorated under the guidance of our Student Lead who oversees sustainability and the environment as well as several committees across the three schools. From the Planet Protectors in the Infant School who have been taking care of the edible garden to the Global Guardians who champion initiatives in the Junior School, students have been passionate and proactive about making Tanglin a greener community. In the Senior School, students have created stickers that raise awareness about energy use, have met experts in the sustainability field, and have been involved in the redesign of the Eco Vista with a focus on Sustainable Development Goals. Efforts culminated in

winning the Outstanding Environmental Project Award at the SG Green Awards last November and raising over $3000 during STEAM and Sustainability Week in collaboration with One North’s Go Green Month.

EXCITING COLLABORATIONS

Sustainable efforts on campus can have a positive effect on the whole community and Tanglin continues to forge links with local businesses and schools. From the International Climate Change competition involving schools from Kenya, Saudia Arabia, and the UK, to the excellent NXplorers programme organised by Shell, a global initiative to bring about positive change, exciting collaborations have galvanised students to take a solution-focused approach to environmental issues. The Forest School continues to go from strength to strength with an increase in biodiversity recorded and the school is now part of ‘Every Singaporean a Naturalist’, an initiative run by the Nature Society (Singapore).

We have also been fortunate enough to engage with some of the most innovative scientific and business leaders in the region through The Institute; climate scientist Sammie Buzzard, self-destructing plastic entrepreneurs Polymateria, and sustainability drivers at Microsoft are just a few speakers who have inspired us this year and introduced us to more creative and complex thinking.

Despite making good progress this year, there is a great deal still to be done. Our priorities for 2024 include:

• Developing a more coordinated approach to sustainability through the adoption of a series of schoolwide commitments.

• Establishing baseline measurements of energy consumption, food waste, paper, and water and making this information more widely available.

• Installation of a hydroponics unit which offers multiple educational opportunities for all year groups.

• Enrolment into the WWF Eco-School Programme.

• Continuing to work with the En-Trak to identify effective ways to reduce energy use across the campus.

Schools are in a unique position to instil in the next generation an ambition to become tomorrow’s environmental leaders and together as a community, we have a key opportunity to drive change and reduce our impact on the environment.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ)

Josephine Allen, Head of English Faculty

This year, Tanglin confirmed its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through our DEIJ statement, launched on both the website and the portal.

TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL DEIJ STATEMENT

At Tanglin we value the richness of a community that includes a diverse range of individuals in relation to age, gender identity, sex, culture, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, disability, and neurodiversity. We believe that this diversity makes our school a dynamic learning and working environment and that we all benefit from a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and ideas.

We are committed to ensuring that all members of our community, including students, staff, and parents, can bring their identity to our school and feel safe, included, and valued.

Our commitment to DEIJ at Tanglin supports our core values:

• We RESPECT the unique characteristics of each person and provide an education that builds understanding

• We have a RESPONSIBILITY to learn about each other and to create an environment in which all members of the community feel safe

• Our core PURPOSE is to ensure that all members of our community flourish as individuals and are prepared for the future.

A WIDER RANGE OF CELEBRATIONS

A key focus for the DEIJ committee was recognising a wider range of cultural and religious celebrations in our community. This was achieved by creating a calendar of morning events where students, staff, and parents gathered to mark Deepavali, Lunar New Year, and Hari Raya. Many thanks to the Friends of Tanglin team and the staff and parents who helped to organise these events and supported them on the day.

International Women’s Day was recognised across the three schools. The Women’s Empowerment Society raised money for the charity Aidha, which supports migrant domestic workers and low-income Singaporean women to achieve economic independence through financial education, wealth creation, and entrepreneurship. Neurodiversity Week was celebrated with activities and assemblies across all three schools, a highlight of which was Senior School students visiting the Junior school to share their journeys as neurodiverse students. The Junior School embraced the diversity in our community during Diversity Week in Term 3 with a focus on the different characteristics in various year groups.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

A focus on training has continued with opportunities for staff, parents, and students alike. 22 staff across the three schools have completed LGBTQ training with local consultant Andrew McGeehan. Cyberlite training was completed by Junior School staff and parents. In May, Tanglin hosted the DEIJ Teach Up Conference in partnership with the Singapore Diversity Collaborative, bringing together faculty from across Singapore’s international school community to explore an inspiring range of DEIJ topics. This year, the committee is launching a page on the staff portal with curated resources for staff to access. Our libraries have a comprehensive range of books and digital resources supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Check out the resources on our websites:  https://library.tts.edu.sg/.

The DEIJ committee is looking forward to an exciting 202324. The Junior School has kicked off the year with thoughtprovoking and successful sessions from Andrew McGeehan on microaggressions, delivered to all faculty and support staff. We look forward to this year's programme of cultural celebrations and further student-led initiatives.

International Women's Day

Deepavali celebrations

The Institute@Tanglin

Sohini Brandon-King, Director of Scholarship, Inquiry and Partnerships

It has been an exciting, formative year for The Institute. With the official opening of the Centenary Building in January 2023, The Institute’s vision and its physical spaces have truly come to life.

The Institute events and programmes over the year have brought together different aspects of scholarship, inquiry, and partnerships that underlie the vision for the Institute – to be a forum that promotes excellence, provides thought leadership, and encourages discourse to inspire, challenge and prepare the next generation of leaders in our community. It has been wonderful to work with staff, students, parents, our partners, and visiting experts to deliver events and programmes.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

We have engaged with speakers across a range of disciplines and industries as part of our Speaker Series. Speakers include:

David Faulkner, MBE OLY: He met our parents, and faculty, as well as coaches and teachers from other schools to discuss how best to support our children’s aspirations in sports, athlete development, DEI in sport, and managing high-performing teams. He also engaged with students across the three schools on leadership and the importance of being part of a team.

Ian Murphy: Ian held a drawing workshop with parents who felt inspired by the opportunity to learn a variety of drawing techniques from a Contemporary Fine Artist.

Martin Cox: Students, faculty, parents, and even some grandparents enjoyed a discussion on free speech with the Director of the Oxfordbased Locke Institute. It was great to see that the session sparked interesting questions and discussions between participants and with the speaker.

Dr Sammie Buzzard and Polymateria: The Institute supported STEM week initiatives by hosting talks by climate scientist Sammie Buzzard and Polymateria. Both of these sessions focused on the use of STEM research to impact climate change in different ways. Dr Buzzard discussed how her mathematical models predict how quickly the Poles are melting to support the data used to drive climate change policies while Polymateria talked about the R&D behind the world’s first selfdestructing, biodegradable plastic.

Eugene Tan: Following the success of an art-themed event in Term 2, in Term 3 Eugene (Director of the National Gallery Singapore) addressed the question ‘A Future in Art?’ and talked about the global art ecosystem, shared advice for students pursuing a future in art, the impact of AI on the Art industry and de-bunked the common myths about the study of Art which is increasingly interdisciplinary.

Dr Edward Wickham: We invited Dr Edward Wickham from Cambridge University who also emphasised the significance of interdisciplinary learning, this time in Music. He held a seminar-style

session with the Senior School Music faculty and students, which explored why texts are difficult to hear or make sense of in Music.

Microsoft: Our final event of the year saw a panel from Microsoft discuss ‘How Diversity, Inclusion, and Sustainability Drive Innovation in Technology’. The panel provided detailed insights on the innovation process at Microsoft and the significant business and socio-economic impact of embedding inclusive and sustainable design in their technology.

FEEDBACK

It has been wonderful to hear from students, parents, and the wider community how much they enjoyed the sessions as well as the discourse with speakers during and after the event, which is part of The Institute’s goals. All of our speakers have also commented on how much they enjoyed engaging with our students and parents. Our speakers have taken the time after each event to speak to the students about future plans and encouraged them to follow their interests and broaden their understanding of the range of academic and career opportunities open to them in different fields.

We continue to work with The Institute Advisory Group on our overall strategic direction and building our network. The newly formed Institute Committee, which includes the Deputy Heads (Academic) of the three schools, Director of Learning, Development Director and Senior School Academic Enrichment Coordinator, will work together to ideate further Institute programming and events. The Institute will also continue to provide the clubs and societies with avenues to explore programming and workshops with external experts in different fields.

INQUIRY AND INDUSTRY COLLABORATIONS

Aside from the Speaker Series, The Institute also created various opportunities for greater industry collaboration to provide students with opportunities to participate in project-based, interdisciplinary programmes that provide insights into different industries, with training and guidance from external experts. Some of the initiatives include:

SC Ventures: We started the previous academic year with the launch of the SC Ventures programme for Year 12s, which culminated in their final pitches to real venture builders for ‘seed funding.’ It was impressive to see the Year 12 groups, empowered with the right skills and knowledge from their SCV innovation coaches, answer questions and discuss their ideas so confidently with seasoned professionals. The programme will run again during the 2023-24 academic year and we remain the only school in Singapore to provide this exceptional opportunity.

Rolls Royce: We were delighted to have Rolls Royce ambassadors judge our Group 4 IB science projects during STEMposium and have

arranged visits for Year 12 students to their campus in Seletar as part of our curricular visits.

NXplorers: Our first NXplorers team (Energyro), under the guidance of our Physics Specialist Teacher (Chris Dech), presented their final design for a micro-turbine generator that could use rainwater in storm drains to generate electricity during a session with representatives from Shell and the Science Centre. This programme requires students to apply design thinking, analytical tools and use their scientific understanding and research on a specific challenge to find an innovative solution to a sustainability challenge. The Institute will continue to support this programme with external industry experts. We will expand the programme internally to expose a larger number of students to utilising NXplorer tools to design renewable energy solutions.

SCHOLARSHIP

Last but not least, we continue to encourage and celebrate research in the following ways:

Faculty Research Forum: The Institute’s first Faculty Research Forum provided a space for faculty across all three schools to share ideas and encourage greater inquiry and research across different

areas of education. The session opened with a keynote speech from Charlie Park, the Vice President of Floorcare at Dyson, who shared his experience of how research informed design at Dyson and how a similar approach applied in education.

Student Research Forum: In line with its aim to celebrate student excellence, The Institute@Tanglin kicked off the school’s first Exhibition of Excellence in Student Research for the Senior School in March. The showcase included students' core curricular work, as well as co-curricular and external competitions/projects such as the World Scholars Cup. Selected students presented their work in front of peers and faculty, and the CAS TV students produced short videos of several research projects. We intend to host both these forums again and expand the audience and profile for these sessions.

It has been an inspiring start to The Institute and the new Shape of the Day will allow us more leeway to encourage students to attend speaker events, seminars, and programmes that encourage interdisciplinary and in-depth study of different disciplines. We also hope to draw in the wider Tanglin community to join our discussions and engage with the experts across a range of relevant and interesting topics.

100 Years Of Excellence

Shakila Samuel, Head of Community Relations

To be 100 years old is special. Tanglin Trust School started in 1925 at the Tanglin Club premises (hence the Tanglin name) with five students based on a class put together by our founder Miss Anne Griffith-Jones. A single Welsh woman, she had travelled to Singapore to visit her brother and his family. Of course, we now know that her 3-month holiday turned out to be the life-changing stint that would impact the lives of thousands of children who had come out to the far east to live with their parents in Singapore and Malaysia.

Her simple desire to educate expatriate children who otherwise would have very little British schooling saw the school grow and expand to a boarding school in Cameron Highlands. Despite interruptions by the war in the 1940s, she never gave up (even endured being interned at Changi Prison) and rebuilt the two schools after the Japanese left. The Singapore school continued to grow and occupied two buildings – one at Holland Road and another at Orange Grove Road, with an enrolment of 300.

Miss Griff (as she was known to her students) was awarded the OBE (upgraded from an MBE she received for her services in World War 1) and retired in 1958. At her retirement reception, she received gifts from two of her first students – Laurette Shearman and Dr Charles Wilson (Dr Wilson’s great-grandchildren still attend Tanglin today!). Miss Griff sold the schools to the British European Association (or British Association as it’s called now) and lived out the rest of her life at Cameron Highlands where she died in 1973.

1932 Tanglin Club ballroom

Dr Charles Wilson, Miss Griff and Laurette Shearman

Miss Griff retired to her beloved Cameron Highlands.

Demand for schooling kept growing and the various schools managed by the Association – Tanglin Preparatory, Weyhill Preparatory, and Raeburn Park School – finally merged in 1981 to form the Tanglin Infant and Junior School with all three schools functioning out of our current site at Portsdown Road. In 1996 Winchester Nursery School which was previously at Alexandra Park joined the others at Portsdown. That same year we started a Senior School. Fast forward to 2023 and with an average enrolment of 2,800 students a year from ages 3 to 18, from over 50 countries, we are proud to carry on as the oldest British international school in South-East Asia. Miss Griff’s life has been described as one of “courage and dedication”, an ethos we carry on today, especially as we inspire our students.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN OUR CENTENARY YEAR

Our birthday will be recognised in the academic year from August 2024 to June 2025, exactly a year from now! In celebrating this milestone as a school, we are going to mark it with special activities throughout the year, that the entire Tanglin Community – past and present will be able to join in. It will give us a chance to reflect on our past, the present and look to the future.

CENTENARY LOGO

Designed in 2023, we are pleased to share our Centenary logo which will be used in our celebratory year to showcase various events and memorabilia. This was designed by the school’s Design Lead, Lauren Khoury.

EVENTS

Many ideas have been suggested and the programme for the Centenary continues to be refined - to maximise new opportunities and give everyone a chance to celebrate and mark this milestone for students, staff, alumni, and former parents. The school’s history is being documented in a book, a video, and a display. Many former heads of School, Governors, and students from our formative years are being interviewed for this project. Current students will have the opportunity to mark it with tours, music, and other performances.

Parents and alumni will be able to join in some of these events including the Centenary Ball, and our London Alumni event in November 2024. In London, we hope to have some music and entertainment by our alumni to mark this special occasion.

Our annual events such as the Christmas Fair, Summer Festival, and national holiday performances will all carry a Centenary angle to the celebrations. More details for each of these events will be shared by the start of the next academic year, so do keep a look out for it and be sure to join us.

Tanglin Prep School in 1974

1996 July, Infant School

Infant School

Paula Craigie, Head of Infant School

This year of getting back to ‘normal’ has undoubtedly been busy but it has been so rewarding as well, and our children have grown and flourished as a result.

NEW INFANT LIBRARY

One of our highlights has been the launch of our new library. The importance of reading for pleasure and for learning can never be underestimated and children and adults alike feel the same. Book Buddies like Ellen love the cosy corners in the library while Willow and Adrian are fond of the reading pods because they are nice, comfy and cosy to read in. Meanwhile Jacob thinks the library is cool due to the ‘very organised’ books and Ira, along with Laia, loves reading books together in the library.

Even our parents sang praises during a survey we conducted with them:

• “The infant library is excellent, and the library team are outstanding. It’s also been fun to have the makers corner and it has encouraged my son to want to use the library more.”

• “The library team is wonderful and very helpful to find books and make suggestions for specific topics.”

• “A beautiful space. The librarians are always very helpful. Range of books great. My children and I particularly enjoyed the Christmas and Lunar New Year crafts they organised. Beautifully done and great fun.”

We have welcomed back authors ‘in person’ such as Chitra Soundar, who has written more than 60 books, and this has inspired our young learners and colleagues alike.

OUR COLLEAGUES

We also welcomed 17 new teachers and 10 new TLAs (Teaching and Learning Assistants) this past year. They have embraced all that Tanglin and Singapore have to offer. We are very proud of all of our colleagues, both ‘old and new’, who have helped make it Team Tanglin!

Here are some of their thoughts:

• “I most certainly enjoyed my time in Tanglin ever since I started in late October. Being at Tanglin is like being part of a vibrant community, where diversity is celebrated, and ideas are shared. I admire how Singapore’s multi-culture is being integrated into Tanglin as well.”

• “Since joining the Tanglin community in August, it has been an honour and a privilege to be a part of such a diverse, inspiring, and purposeful environment. The teachers are passionate and have a genuine love for what they do. The children arrive at school each morning with huge smiles and an eagerness to learn, play and explore the world around them with confidence and independence. Since moving to Singapore, every aspect of my life has changed for the better, from developing my career to living in one of the most extraordinary countries in the world. Each morning, I remind myself of how fortunate I am to work in the Tanglin Infant School. Thank you for the most memorable and rewarding year of my life!”

• “Joining Tanglin really has been a whole new life for me. Teaching in such an incredibly well-resourced school with such beautifully mannered children, who are eager to learn, and building relationships with families who truly care makes my working day a dream. Singapore itself is mind-blowing…I am still finding it hard to believe I can swim whenever I like and, despite having permanently frizzy hair, I love the fact I never feel cold!”

Our Infant colleagues have continued to develop themselves professionally and holistically, be it through additional leadership qualifications such as National Professional Qualifications (Emily Roberts and Richard Pyatt), Assessment Essentials (new colleagues were asked to complete this 8-hour training over the course of two terms, in line with current colleagues who achieved this last year), or representing Singapore in Hockey (Natalie Ho captained the Singapore team to win Bronze at the SEA Games in Cambodia in May).

This year has not been without considerable sadness, however. In January, our wonderful colleague Michelle Pocklington passed away after a long battle with cancer. This was devastating for us. Please take a moment to visit the Memorial Garden and pause and reflect as you contemplate beneath her beautiful Frangipani tree.

EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECEPTION

Forest School has now become part of ‘what we do’ and based on the success of our Nursery programme, we will be expanding opportunities for Reception as well, from August 2023. As a result, we should be able to extend our children’s learning and love of the natural environment even further as they will bring their Nursery experience with them.

CENTENARY BUILDING

The launch of the Centenary Building has transformed our music provision and the dining experience for Year 1 and Year 2. The children were quick to give their honest appraisals!

For example, Year 2’s Ziana loves having lunch in the dining hall because she can sit and eat with her friends while Chloe really likes the dining hall because it is calm and quiet. Mika, on the other hand, thinks the big gymnasium is fun due to the awesome balancing beams. Meanwhile, Jago is a fan of the foam pit, the undercover cricket deck and the massive swimming pool next to it. When it comes to music lessons, Reception’s Sophia approves of the many new pianos. Last but not least, Caitlin from Year 2 enjoys going to the Raffles Hall for her ballet and PE lessons.

OPTIMISATION OF INFANT SPACES

With the launch of new Infant spaces in the Centenary Building, it was time to optimise some existing venues in the Infant School. In line with our global focus to create digitally literate and creative learners, what used to be the Blossom Room was transformed into a hub of opportunities to promote STEAM. Meanwhile, the former Music Room became our new Phoenix Room. This meant that the Chinese Department is now working side by side, hence creating more opportunities for collaboration and inspiration.

We also want to enhance our children’s physical development and develop their gross motor and collaborative skills so we will be creating a new playground for Year 1 and 2. The refit will be happening in December 2023 but with a couple of teasers, including a water play feature and a sandpit, unveiled along the way. Our Head of Year 1 and Year 2 have worked very closely with playground designers, our Operations team, Head of PE and Head of School to ensure we maximise the space we have to create a dynamic playground that challenges our 5–7-year-olds.

JOE WICKS

It was incredible to welcome Joe Wicks, British fitness coach, TV presenter, social media personality and author, to Tanglin in Term 2. He was a celebrity to all but was humble and very willing to interact with children, colleagues, and parents. He was very impressed by our facilities and by our approach to PE and physical development.

This year we have loved welcoming parents back onsite to fully immerse themselves in the Infant experience. These have included Sports Days, performances, day trips, workshops, presentations, Open Days, volunteering, graduations, to name but a few, and we will continue to embrace our community as we head towards 100 years of Tanglin.

Junior School

Clair Harrington-Wilcox, Head of Junior School

What an amazing year of success 2023 has been for the Junior school. We achieved many awards for our holistic education along with a highly successful inspection; but most importantly, our children were given the right pastoral grounding so that they could flourish emotionally and achieve well academically, whilst also discovering new talents and passions for them to explore in their future.

INSPIRED LEARNERS

With the 3-14 Curriculum embedded, our attention turned to developing an even more effective evidence-based assessment system. Strong practice is now deeply ingrained: Junior School teachers are working collaboratively within departments, year groups, and across the milestones that link with Infant and Senior School. Our internal moderation of teacher assessment is thorough and the analysis of standardised assessment is strong.

End-of-year standards continue to be impressive, with a large proportion of our students working well above age-related expectations. By the end of Year 6, 98% of students are reaching age-related expectations or beyond in maths and 98% in reading, spelling, and punctuation. Writing attainment in the Junior School is outstanding, with 95% working at the expected level or beyond for their age, and well above other UK and international schools. This confirms the November 2022 BSO report that stated: “The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding across the whole school and contributes to pupils of all ages and abilities making rapid progress and achieving consistently high standards in all subjects''. The English Speaking Board exams continue to demonstrate a positive impact on the children’s confidence with public speaking. The results speak for themselves: 84% of pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 received a distinction, with a Year 6 first where they gained 100% distinctions in the art of debating.

We continue our aim of being able to provide a holistic education for all our learners that is balanced, creative, and inclusive. Reflections from the children at the end of the year highlighted the success of the trips, theme days, and open mornings that showcased our engaging cross-curricular topics. Next year’s aim is to further evaluate our topics in Junior School to bring in some fresh and exciting planning to each year group.

We are thrilled that we were able to increase our Chinese provision, with further differentiated pathways in Years 5 and 6 to support the wide levels of ability in Chinese, from beginners to native speakers. We are so pleased to see the positive impact that this has had on our language provision, with 79% of pupils in Year 6 stating that the level is suited to their needs or appropriately challenging.

FLOURISHING INDIVIDUALS

We are so proud that the Junior school won the Ethical Values Education Award 2023. This was presented by ISC Research, which hosted the awards to highlight and share innovative practices from international schools around the world. We were honoured with this because our staff and children demonstrated that they had embedded the rights of children into the school’s ethos and culture. This was due to the fact we were the first school outside of the United Kingdom accredited as a Rights Respecting School (RRSA). The RRSA is a moral framework based on the 54 articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNICEF). We were awarded the Bronze, Silver, and then ultimately the Gold; twice!

The RRSA reflects the school’s core values of Respect, Responsibility, and Purpose, and provides meaningful learning opportunities, sparks interest in global issues, and, most importantly, empowers children to exercise their rights and to be responsible, active citizens. Through the RRSA, students at Tanglin learn that many children globally do not

have the privilege to access their rights. This awareness has allowed the children to question and develop a keen interest in global events that raise rights issues. The brand new creative playground was designed around these rights by our student leaders for all of the Junior children.

PERSONAL BEST

From the Year 3 class-based performance for our very youngest children to the extravaganza of the Big Top Year 6 production, the arts have provided the medium for our talented children to reach for the stars. Coupled with specialised music recitals in the grand Centenary Building, our children have an inspiring place to learn, discover new passions, and hone existing talent.

From Year 3’s overnight zoo experience, the FOBISIA competitions in Maths and Sport to the Cambodian service trip, it was wonderful to see the return of learning beyond the classroom; this is such a truly valuable experience that has developed student confidence and continued to build independence and resilience.

We ended the year on a high with a 99% participation rate in the co-curriculum and an offering in excess of 200 weekly activities for our Junior children. Furthermore, Year 6 ended the year on an exciting residential trip to Malacca and an emotional graduation ceremony to signal the end of their Junior education.

Senior School

Chris Seal, Head of Senior School

What a year! With the pandemic finally over, Tanglin Senior School roared back to life. As the new Head, I found myself truly fortunate in timing and privileged in my position. Over the course of a hectic, invigorating, challenging, and wonderful year, there have been plenty of moments where the hairs on the back of the neck have been activated. This feeling is one that I used to inaugurate a weekly Tanglin Tingle, a chance for staff to nominate students who have been doing the exceptional to meet with me and sample a donut or two – we have been seriously oversubscribed, and a lot of donuts have been eaten!

81% of (I)GCSE grades were A*, A or equivalent (7, 8, 9)

79% of A level grades were in the range of A* to B

Our IB average stands at 38.7

(compared to a global average of 30.2)

CLASS OF 2023

Wishing the Class of 2023 well from the enormous Mediacorp stage during their graduation was one such moment. They are an incredibly talented and hardworking cohort, truly representative of the school as a whole. Academic excellence, sporting superpowers, musical and dramatic geniuses are all contained within a community-minded group that served as much as they led. Their academic results are excellent against a backdrop of the raw results being lowered by all examination boards – Tanglin performed superbly. The IB average of 38.7 points is on par with the very best schools across the globe, 27% of all A Levels results are A* (considerably higher than the expected return to 2019 levels) and the GCSE results are exceptional with 59% of all grades at A*.

Three students took up their places at Oxford, and two at Cambridge but Tanglin also places students at truly outstanding global

destinations. Six students took places at the University of California with two at UCLA and two at UC Berkeley. Carnegie Mellon and New York University received three Tanglin alumni apiece. Pomona, Tufts, and Wellesley also benefited from our output. Further afield, we have students going to Toronto, Vancouver, Belfast, Amsterdam, Cyprus, New Zealand, and Switzerland on prestigious courses.

AN OUTSTANDING TEAM

Over the course of this successful year, the reformed Senior School Leadership Team has taken to their task well, ably supported by excellent middle leadership and a faculty of teachers whom we are delighted to have with us. Retention at the end of the 2022-23 year has been excellent and we look forward to continually refining our stable group of excellent teachers.

The staff debated and discussed proposed changes to the school day and we are also grateful for the many parental inputs. The hard work to make this work often fell upon our Timetable and Data Manager, Mr Robert Jones. So he, above all, demands our gratitude, alongside Mr Adam Cotton who has designed a new Societies concept from scratch. These outstanding professionals are symptomatic of those I find here at Tanglin, and they support the strategic development of the school in addition to highly capable and established leaders in the Heads of Faculty and Heads of Year groups.

FOCUSING ON THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

The mark of good leadership in schools is that it goes almost unnoticed by the students as we focus on their experience rather than the machinations of the way a school runs. This we have been able to do through an incredible series of events, trips, and experiences. At times we almost overcooked it, creating some very tired and stretched students, but from stretch comes elasticity and the opportunity to further grow and adapt in the future. We know experiences such as the year group residentials are vital for all and we spent much time this year devising a renewed plan for 2023-24 with an enhanced sense of ‘why’ to ensure that the students gain even more from each moment.

A CULTURE OF PASTORAL CARE & LEARNING

Students perform well when safe, happy, and have a clear sense of belonging. As such Mr Goodliffe, Mr Hensman and Mrs Heyworth dovetailed their discussions about community and identity in each section of the school, with the excellent guidance of Mr Sellers and his expert team of coordinated wellbeing services. We have listened to the students through councils and the excellent work of the Head Team, which resulted in a number of areas being revised for the benefit of the students. The new Upper School space designed by Mr Hensman, for example, is a flexible and warm home for his cohorts.

Mrs Russell and Mr Bosch have delivered a new concept ‘Learning to Learn’ and devised a way of reaching more students in 202324. Long have schools bemoaned student study skills without

doing much about it, but at Tanglin, we see a challenge and accept it – knowing that whatever the hardships, the outcomes and experience will be worth it.

Much is written about the generation leaving schools now and references to ‘snowflakes’ being singularly unhelpful. It is my experience at Tanglin that we are preparing our young people for all the challenges ahead and in doing so, we help them build resilience, skills, and knowledge to tackle the very thorniest of problems. I don’t underestimate the challenges ahead but instead reflect on what great schools like Tanglin offer – opportunities. Opportunities to learn, to grow, and to fly. In 2022-23, Tanglin Senior School took flight again and we look forward to the soaring to come.

Careers & University Counselling 2023

by Zoë Williams, Head of Careers & University Counselling

What started off as an uncertain year with masks still being worn, and tentative steps to allow visitors back on campus, ended in a superb year of reconnecting with colleagues from around the globe. The difference it makes in having universities back on campus is huge. A simple conversation with an admissions representative can spark a whole new direction for a student and we are grateful to have these opportunities in abundance this year.

BACK ON THE ROAD

It was a pleasure to re-establish links face-to-face at Tanglin, through work placements in Singapore or further afield with international university visits and tours. Travel was back on the agenda for our team, and we were happy to cover a lot of ground between us visiting universities in Spain, England, Scotland and the USA. We also attended and represented Tanglin at three international conferences in the US, Spain and Thailand and one regional conference here in Singapore. The connections and relationships we establish and maintain with universities have been invaluable over the years. This was highlighted in April with an additional university tour1 to California in which I was accompanied by Andy Goodliffe and Chris Seal. Our tour encompassed 13 different colleges and various opportunities to meet with alumni students. The perspectives of our alumni students on their university experiences are invaluable. It allows us to provide unique context and support to our community as they navigate their own future pathways.

WORK EXPERIENCE

In May our work experience programme (WEX) hit the Year 10s as a tour de force, after a three-year hiatus, and we are so grateful to the Tanglin community for facilitating work placements for 190+ students. The opportunity to explore work environments and gain hands-on experience is vital in supporting our students’ journeys through Senior School. As daunting as those first few hours can be in a new and strange environment, it was rewarding to see the great leaps our students had made in their confidence and ideas about potential future careers. The World Economic Forum Future Jobs Report2 emphasises the need for students to gain a variety of experiences and highlights the skills students need to have for their future careers. Employers feedback centred on how impressed they were with the attitudes and commitment our students had to their placements, which ranged from dentistry and laboratory work to fashion design and software engineering.

UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCES

Concern surrounding the potential re-adjusted grade boundaries post Covid was taken into account as we navigated the role of coaching students through a myriad of decisions for their university applications. Students overall were pragmatic in their approaches, and this is a testament to the research they had undertaken ahead of their final decisions. Students received offers from 155 different institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, St Andrews, Trinity College Dublin, UCLA, UC Berkeley, NYU, University of Tokyo, and University of British Columbia to name but a few, with 96% of our graduating class securing their 1st or 2nd choices. We saw 15 different countries applied overall, with steady numbers matriculating to the US, Australia, and Europe. Canada saw a slight increase in applications from us again this year and remains an excellent choice, offering reasonable tuition fees, fantastic universities and a high standard of living and safety. A full list of acceptances for the Class of 2023 can be found on page 28.

SHIFTING APPEARANCE OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS WITH AI & CHATGPT

A big topic of conversation for our counselling community was AI and ChatGPT and the role it will play in college applications as we move forward. The consensus is it will form part of a student’s toolkit and our attention needs to focus on mature and responsible usage, but we fully expect to see universities amend their admission tests or college essays in response to this. Having spoken with leading universities on the topic, such as Brown University and Columbia University, it is recognised this will factor in how they review applications; accepting students are likely to use it, in much the same way they would use peer or parental support with college essays. Our relationships with university admissions teams will therefore continue to be crucial, as universities rely on us to validate a student’s authentic application materials and credentials.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2023/2024

This month we will host our largest-ever Lion City Fair, expertly organised by Lieve Perera. It consists of 170 universities from over 15 different countries in attendance and we are delighted to be able to host an additional eight international schools from Singapore. The Lion City Tour is undertaken in collaboration with international schools in Singapore and has become a highly recognised event in the region, with universities registering for a place since March.

Our plans for travel this year are focused on attending the CIS conferences in Thailand and Ireland this autumn, followed by a summer conference in Singapore and concluding with the large International ACAC conference in July taking place in Canada. These conferences provide a unique opportunity to personally connect with the individual universities and to explore the surrounding areas with various university tours. Closer to home we are hosting a range of college and university visitors at Tanglin and will continue to attend webinars throughout the year. Students can view the upcoming visitors via our Cialfo platform and on Teams and can review information on various application systems and timelines on our microsite3

STAFF MOVEMENT

We are delighted to welcome Ms Ingrid Dávalos this year. Ingrid has spent the last nine years in Europe working at two international schools in The Netherlands and Switzerland. She has a background in teaching the IB Diploma Anthropology and TOK courses and is a strong advocate for DEIJ, and we are thrilled to be working alongside her. We also welcome two University of Oxford interns again this year, Annabel Thomas and Isobel Moore. This is an annual programme we run with the university and we have been recognised as a Gold Internship provider by the University of Oxford Careers Services for the last three years. Ms Takac has returned to the US but we look forward to seeing her at future conferences. A strength of our team is the variety and differing perspectives we can offer. A key focus for us will always be placing the student at the centre of all our decisions, sharing good practice, continual learning and developing our connections with counsellors and University admissions teams.

1 https://issuu.com/tanglintrust/docs/universities_west_coast_2023-v3

2 https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/

3 https://sites.google.com/tts.edu.sg/universitycounselling/home

Examination Results: (I)GCSE

(I)GCSE Results Table

% of A*/A grades achieved by Tanglin students

2023 (I)GCSE Examination Results (Class of 2025)

(I)GCSE Summary for 2023 (Class of 2025) 185

students took (I)GCSE examinations in 25 subjects.

59%

of all grades achieved were A* or equivalent.

of all grades achieved were A*/A or equivalent.

of all grades achieved were A* to C or equivalent.

Examination Results: A Level

A Level Results Table

A Level Summary for 2023 (Class of 2023)

2023 A Level Examination Results (Class of 2023)

pass rate of A Level students. of grades were at A* or A, while 93% were in the range A* to C.

of students taking the EPQ achieved an A*; we are increasingly finding that the EPQ is being valued by universities.

of students taking the EPQ achieved an A* to A. 100%

Tanglin students

by Tanglin

Examination Results: IB Diploma

IB Diploma Summary for 2023 (Class of 2023)

100% pass rate for all our students who completed a regulation IB Diploma.

42 13 students achieved 42 points or more.

45 1 student scored 45 points.

3 students achieved the prestigious bilingual diploma.

100% scored 30 points or more.

2023 University Offers

Asia

The University of Tokyo, PEAK (Japan)

International Medical University (Malaysia)

Australia

The University of Sydney

Canada

Brock University

Huron University College

Lakehead University

McGill University

The University of British Columbia

Trent University

University of Alberta

University of Toronto

University of Calgary

University of Waterloo

Western University

York University

Europe

Amsterdam University College

Constructor University

EHL, École Hôtelière de Lausanne

IE University

Kühne Logistics University

Politecnico di Milano

Queen Mary, Malta Campus

Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele

University College Cork

University College Dublin

University of Amsterdam

University of Nicosia

Vrije Universitiet Amsterdam

Vita-Salute San Raffaele University

UK

Abertay University

Arts University Bournemouth

Aston University, Birmingham

Bangor University

Bath Spa University

Bournemouth University

Bristol, University of the West of England

Brunel University London

Buckinghamshire New University

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Cardiff University

City, University of London

Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London

Coventry University

De Montfort University

Durham University

Falmouth University

Goldsmiths, University of London

Harper Adams University

Hartpury University

Imperial College London

Keele University

Kingston University

King’s College London, University of London

Lancaster University

Leeds Beckett University

Leeds Trinity University

London School of Economics, University of London

London South Bank University

Loughborough University

Manchester Metropolitan University

Newcastle University

Northumbria University, Newcastle

Nottingham Trent University

Oxford Brookes University

Plymouth Marjon University

Queen Mary, University of London

Queen’s University Belfast

Regent’s University London

Royal Holloway, University of London

Royal Veterinary College, University of London

SOAS, University of London

St George’s, University of London

St Mary’s University, Twickenham

Swansea University

Teesside University, Middlesbrough

The University of Edinburgh

Ulster University

University Centre Myerscough

University College London, University of London

University of Aberdeen

University of Bath

University of Bedfordshire

University of Birmingham

University of Bradford

University of Brighton

University of Bristol

University of Cambridge

University of Central Lancashire, UCLAN

University of East Anglia, UEA

University of Essex

University of Exeter

University of Glasgow

University of Kent

University of Leeds

University of Leicester

University of Lincoln

University of Liverpool

University of Manchester

University of Nottingham

University of Oxford

University of Plymouth

University of Reading

University of Roehampton

University of Salford

University of Sheffield

University of Southampton

University of St Andrews

University of Strathclyde

University of Surrey

University of Sussex

University of the Arts London

University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)

University of Warwick

University of Winchester

University of Wolverhampton

University of York

York St John University

USA

Boston University

California Lutheran University

Carnegie Mellon University

Claremont McKenna College

Emory University

Georgia Institute of Technology

New York University

Northeastern University

Northwestern University

Occidental College

Orange Coast College

Penn State University

Pomona College

Purdue University

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Santa Clara University

Springfield College

Texas A&M University

The University of Texas, Austin

Tufts University

University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Davis

University of California, Irvine

University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Riverside

University of California, San Diego

University of California, Santa Barbara

University of California, Santa Cruz

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

University of Notre Dame

University of Southern California

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Villanova University

Wellesley College

The Tanglin community gave Head Team Lead Students, Suzanne Goveas and Haider Majeed, a resounding cheer as they walked past during the Graduation Parade.

Academic Committee Inspired Learners

John Ridley, Director of Learning

The Academic Committee oversees Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment across the school. The Committee took a leading role in preparing evidence for the BSO Inspection in November 2022. This marked the first time that Tanglin Trust School was inspected as a whole school under the BSO framework. The same inspectors visited lessons from the Infant School to the Sixth Form, gaining a clear picture of progression at Tanglin.

The glowing inspection report is a testament to the hard work of the curriculum leaders across the school as well as the classroom teachers who bring the curriculum to life. About our curriculum, the report says, "The quality of the school's curriculum is outstanding. The curriculum is broad, ambitious and progressive. It promotes the Tanglin values of respect, responsibility and purpose. In meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse pupil population, the school has maximised the freedoms of the national curriculum for England with a full review of current arrangements to ensure that opportunities for pupils' deeper learning and conceptual understanding are prioritised.”

The report also points out that "the school's work in establishing its own 3 to 14 curriculum, bespoke to Tanglin, is a good example of the commitment to meeting each pupil's needs. Academic leaders from across the school collaborated to create an exciting and aspirational curriculum with clear milestones agreed in each of the subject areas."

On pedagogy and assessment, “the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding across the whole school and contributes to pupils of all ages and abilities making rapid progress and achieving consistently high standards in all subjects."

The full inspection report is available on our website at https://www.tts.edu.sg/about-tanglin/inspections-awards.

Such a positive inspection report is only achieved with a continual review and development of our provision. Here is a summary of key projects undertaken by the Academic Committee in 2022-23:

CURRICULUM

Tanglin's 3-14 Curriculum continues to be a significant focus for us and 2022-23 saw the curriculum fully rolled out across all year groups and subjects from Nursery to Year 9. We have begun work on a framework to ensure a common approach to monitoring and evaluating the impact of the new curriculum across the school. This 'Impact Review' will be led by curriculum leaders and will draw on a range of evidence including classroom observation and student outcomes.

In collaboration with the DEIJ Committee, a Diversity Audit was completed in March 2023. With The Institute@Tanglin now having a physical space, we have also been actively exploring ways that the Institute initiatives can extend and enrich the curriculum. The Director of Scholarship, Inquiry, and Partnerships now sits on the Academic Committee to facilitate this.

BRITISH SCHOOLS OVERSEAS INSPECTION REPORT 2022

PEDAGOGY (HOW WE TEACH)

Taking advantage of the launch of our new performance management system for staff, Clear Review, the Academic Committee drafted new 'Academic Competencies' for teachers to help them set objectives for personal development. Further work has been done to link these competencies to recommended training materials and to strengthen the cycle of teacher development to include peer coaching and peer observations. The standard of teaching at Tanglin is very high and our aim is very much to move practice from 'good to great'. There is overlap here with the work of the Institute as some teachers will carry out action research as part of their professional development.

ASSESSMENT

As part of the preparation for the inspection that took place during Term 1 2022-23, the Academic Committee collated assessment information from across the school, so that data from Infants, Juniors, and Seniors was presented in a similar way. This alignment will enable us to better track cohorts through the school in the future.

The Director of Technology sits on the Academic Committee and has been working hard with his team to create 'data dashboards' that will provide teachers with key information on students pulled from various sources. There have been some delays with this project, but a lot of work has been done behind the scenes to make the data easier to access. This will be a key focus for us in 2023-24!

Pastoral Committee Flourishing Individuals

Richard Sellers, Director of Pastoral Care

Post-Covid, the school community has demonstrated both drive and enthusiasm to ensure that its young people are again provided with a diverse range of opportunities, activities, and initiatives that help support wellbeing, develop our children and young people, as well as proactively address mental health and safeguarding issues.

PASTORAL DATA

The Pastoral team has been unwavering in providing the necessary support for students to thrive in an environment that ramped up quickly regarding opportunities and expectations and is very different from what many had become used to during the global pandemic. The use of data within Pastoral Care has been an important feature this school year. The Komodo wellbeing surveys are now embedded into both the Senior and Junior Schools and will be introduced to Year 2 Infants this academic year. This has enabled Pastoral teams to support individual students on specific issues they face, ensuring they receive the care they need in a timely manner, which is responsive to their needs. The data has also identified themes and trends across different cohorts, which allowed us to implement appropriate programmes, initiatives, and interventions that can help educate our young people and tackle specific issues.

Category of Questions

* 0% Very Poor – 100% Very Good

TRAINING FOR STAFF, PARENTS & FORMER STUDENTS

Safeguarding training for teachers and staff has been consistently applied for many years. So far, we have developed a range of further training opportunities for students and alumni as well as reintroduced opportunities for our parent community.

(Suicide alertness for everyone

ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training)*

Safeguarding training for parent volunteers

Annual Safeguarding Training**

The Council of International Schools (CIS) Child Protection Foundation Course & Deep Dives*

Advanced Safeguarding Training*

CPOMS – Reporting and Recording Safeguarding concerns**

* Essential training for all Tanglin Designated Safeguarding Leads

** Essential training for all Tanglin staff

PARENTWISE SESSIONS

We were excited to launch our first Pastoral Parentwise seminar in May, which provided the community with a fantastic opportunity to learn from the Pastoral leaders and Coordinated Wellbeing Services team on various topics, including sleep, bullying, teenage brain development, self-care for parents, suicide awareness, and restorative practices. This year, a rolling programme of Parentwise events is planned to augment the Parentwise Day. Hope Virgo, author and multi-award-winning campaigner for people with eating disorders, spoke to our community about body image issues, exercise addiction, and disordered eating. Margaret Thorsborne, an international expert on relational approaches to behaviour management, came to present an introductory seminar to parents about restorative practices in parenting.

Training Parents Tanglin Staff Tanglin Designated Safeguarding Leads

SafeTALK

SAFE SPACES

Safe Spaces and new areas for children and young people are being developed across the school. The Pastoral Committee has recognised the importance of providing safe and supportive environments for students to learn and grow. Developing new areas for students has helped promote positive wellbeing and ensure that students feel supported and valued. It provides a valuable space where students can go if they feel overwhelmed, lonely, or don’t want to be out in the hustle and bustle of the playground. These spaces are designed so students can use them independently but with staff available when required.

THEMED WEEKS

Anti-Bullying Week in Term 1 allowed students to celebrate their uniqueness and individuality, emphasised by Odd Sock Day. Students were reminded about caring for one another, and how to get support and help from a trusted adult in school when needed. Senior students took a survey on bullying behaviours, allowing Heads of Year to focus on tackling specific issues and promoting our Upstander programme. Our first Mental Health Week followed on to address the survey data in Term 3 and was an excellent opportunity for students to support each other, raise important issues, and share positive wellbeing strategies. Gratitude trees were placed in each school for students to add a leaf, and information tables were established with handouts and reminder cards about how to help a friend or seek help. In 2023/24, we will continue to develop these themed weeks with the addition of Safer Internet Week, which will be held in Term 2.

to participate in welcoming activities alongside their peers. The safe spaces within classes and year groups have also provided quiet zones that provide the opportunity to regulate when required.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

We are so proud to be a Rights Respecting School, and this year the Junior School, having been the first international school to achieve the Gold Award in 2020, successfully achieved the Gold reaccreditation. UNICEF runs the Rights Respecting School initiative, which encourages schools to place the rights of the child at the heart of their ethos. At Tanglin, we believe that learning about rights uplifts our values of Respect, Responsibility, and Purpose, and one of the ways that we have demonstrated our commitment to rights education is through our beautiful Creative Playground redesign. Inspired by the 54 articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is a fun and inclusive space heavily influenced by the student voice. As a result of our outstanding work in rights education, we were delighted to be recognised by the ISC Research’s International School Awards for Best Ethical Values Education Award.

Other students leave me out / Stop me joining in.

I am hit or kicked by other students.

I am called names / verbally abused by other students.

* Tanglin results come from an internal 2022 Senior School survey

* Global & Singapore Statisticss come from the 2018 PISA Results

INFANT SCHOOL

Good Life Goals have been more visible within the Infant School through emojis within lessons and in the library. Resources highlight the important messages of the Good Life Goals, which will continue to be a focus in the curriculum moving forward. Playtimes have been lots of fun for Infant children as Junior School has sent over buddies to join during break times. Staff have also been leading social communication games on the playing field, allowing children

SENIOR SCHOOL

In order to complement the Whole School's core values of Respect, Responsibility, and Purpose, the Senior School is emphasising the need for student growth ensuring that our young people learn to learn, learn to belong, and learn to thrive. This has been embodied by the 3 C’s - Confidence, Curiosity, and Community, student voice opportunities have emerged strongly Our Head Team is now leading whole school initiatives, including Academic Edge, Student Welfare, Environment and Sustainability, Digital First, 100 Years, as well as Team Tanglin.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Tanglin Trust School has undeniably emerged from the shadow of COVID-19 and has returned to being a thriving community presenting an extensive selection of curriculum and co-curriculum offerings. Nevertheless, it is also important to remember that merely observing our children and young people's behaviour or making assumptions and inferences about their wellbeing is insufficient. We must continue to inquire and create opportunities for our children and young people to express their inner feelings by collaborating as a community to bolster their wellbeing and facilitate their growth into flourishing individuals.

Co-curricular Committee Personal Best

Michael Holiday, Director of Co-Curriculum

The Co-Curriculum serves as a crucial pathway to broaden our students’ horizons at Tanglin, presenting them with avenues to explore a diverse range of skills, interests, and enjoyable pursuits that will continue to enrich their lives beyond their school years. The academic year 2022/23 witnessed an exceptional array and impressive engagement in a full gamut of Co-Curricular possibilities. At Junior School, 100% of students took part in weekly Co-Curricular Activities, with more than 90% choosing to take part in a second activity. This is on par with Senior School, where over 90% of the student body took part in a weekly activity.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Outdoor Education at Tanglin is designed to provide students with transformational experiences and opportunities to develop greater independence and resilience. It was a source of great enjoyment and a highly valuable education experience that saw a near-full return to our exciting overseas trips and visits programme. From Year 6’s Malacca trip and Year 12s as far afield as Japan to Year 3 students camping in Singapore and Year 9s back in India, we have provided a wide variety of trips that challenge our students to get out of their comfort zone and to look beyond their usual horizons. The Duke of Edinburgh programme also saw strong cohorts across Bronze and Silver in addition to the 8/9 students who achieved the prestigious Gold Award this year.

35

Number of day trips

1226

Residential trips

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

Students involved in residential trips

A major focus for this year, and next, is the continued refinement and creation of the school’s clubs and societies. These activities which are led by faculty staff provide academic and intellectual stretch, and the opportunity to develop other skills and passions and to spend time with like-minded students. Oftentimes these activities are gateways to conferences or competitions held outside school, allowing our students to engage with other students from across the region and even further afield. This year we enjoyed success in debating competitions held here in Singapore and abroad, academic and artistic conferences such as the ARTiculation public speaking initiative, the Across Asia Film Festival, MUN and the World Scholars Cup. At the Global Round of the World Scholar’s Cup in Bangkok, Tanglin enjoyed huge success by winning First Overall Team for Seniors and First Overall Scholar in the Challenge. Tanglin also hosted its successful Singapore MUN Conference with over 180 delegates from eight local schools working together throughout the course of the weekend.

518

14

38 CCAs

Students participating in MUN, debates, and conferences 131 MUN, debates, and conferences

HOUSE TRIUMPHS

The whole school House system continued to provide exciting opportunities for competition and collaboration across the entire age range of students. Another hotly contested year saw Raeburn crowned the winner of the Senior School House Competition.

52

Number of House Events

SPORTS

The Sports programme this year was again the largest to date, with 23 sports including Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Climbing, Cricket, Cross Country, Dance, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Netball, Parkour, Rugby, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Touch, and Volleyball. Sport has also benefitted from the opening of the Tanglin Centenary Building, which complements our existing facilities (25m pool, five multipurpose halls and full-size playing field) with a state-of-the-art Athletic Development Gym with a physiotherapy clinic, an Aquatics Centre with a 50m pool, and a specialist Gymnastics Centre. Aside from our high participation rates, we also enjoyed a remarkably successful return to both national and international competitions with many of our teams ending the year as champions of their respective leagues and competitions. From Ball Skills and Games in the Infant School to the Under 19 representative teams, there is a strong and supportive pathway that allows our sportspeople to achieve their personal best.

992 553

Number of Fixtures

Number of students playing in representative sport teams Overseas sports trips

ACSIS Netball Division 1

ACSIS Touch Division 1

ACSIS Netball Division 1

ACSIS Touch Division 1

ACSIS Girls Swimming

ACSIS Touch Division 1

ACSIS Girls Swimming

ACSIS Touch Division 1

ACSIS Touch Division 1

ACSIS Boys Badminton Division 1 & 4

ACSIS Boys Football Division 1

ACSIS Rugby Division 1

ACSIS Touch Division 1

ACSIS Volleyball Boys Division 2 and 3

SEASAC Girls Football

16&U and 19&U Pan Pacific All Schools Touch

FOBISIA 19&U Netball

SEASAC Girls Swimming

FOBISIA Climbing

SEASAC Rugby

FOBISIA 16&U Rugby

19&U Tanglin Lions Netball

SEASAC Boys Badminton

TSG Mixed Touch Youth Cup

CREATIVE ARTS

The creative arts were also well served throughout the year with year group level performances from Reception to Year 6. These were staged for parents and supporters who were delighted to be back on campus to witness live performances. Music and Drama students who have committed themselves to their performances also showed enormous resilience and fortitude as they put on performances that they can be hugely proud of. The vibrancy of the performing arts community at Tanglin speaks to the impressive culture of both risk-taking in throwing yourself into action, and participation. A major addition to the school’s musical life has been the Centenary Building, which devotes two whole floors entirely to music. With our new Rehearsal and Recital Rooms, Percussion Studio, Recording Studio as well as teaching rooms, we are well-placed to continue developing and nurturing musical talent at Tanglin.

Some of the year’s highlights include the amazing production of West Side Story in January, a return to the Botanic Gardens for the Music Department in March and a variety of year group shows undertaken by Infant and Junior children who were both talented performers and enthusiastic audience members. Equally impressive are the numerous student-led drama productions and recitals that added such richness to the school’s cultural life. All of these eventually culminated at the inaugural Tanglin Summer Festival where over 500 students performed throughout the day to more than 4000 eager audience members, a fitting end to a busy and dazzling year of creativity and performances.

24

performances

282

62

performances

Our People

Ayako Sugaya, Director of People

The end of the school year is traditionally when we bid farewell to some much-loved members of our community. Following the higher-than-usual attrition last year due to the pandemic, the faculty attrition rate has gone down to 8%, which is in line with our historical figures. We are grateful to them for their commitment and dedication to the school and our students, and we wish them all the very best as they embark on new adventures. A number of new teachers, leaders, business staff, and educational support staff also joined us in August.

TOP 25 BEST EMPLOYERS 2023

We are delighted to share that Tanglin was once again ranked among the top employers in The Straits Times Singapore’s Best Employers 2023, two years in a row, and topped the education category nationwide. The list, which was released by The Straits Times and global data firm Statista, stems from an online survey of around 17,000 employees of companies and institutions with at least 200 employees. The companies were given a score based primarily on whether their staff members would recommend their company to a friend or family member. Six categories were assessed - atmosphere at work and potential for development; image; working conditions; workplace; salary; and diversity.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

In AY 2022-2023, an enhanced performance management framework was rolled out, which includes a new online performance management platform. The platform enables collaborative objective setting and facilitates ongoing coaching and feedback. A set of teachers and leadership competencies help staff and leaders to reflect on their practice and their impact on others. We are fortunate to have highly experienced leaders contributing to the development of the school and its programmes at all levels. The overall framework supports staff to continuously evaluate and enhance their professional practice.

STAFF ENGAGEMENT AND WELLBEING

Tanglin continues its efforts to create a positive and inclusive work environment that fosters employee engagement and wellbeing. This is in line with our firm belief that Tanglin staff will give their best when they feel valued and supported. Committees and support groups are set up with various initiatives, such as wellbeing and mental health, maternity, diversity, and inclusion, and activities and events are organised for staff. These are great avenues for conversations that inform our staff policies and practice.

FACULTY RECRUITMENT

Tanglin partnered with a recruitment agency in the UK for employer branding, targeted recruitment, seamless processes, and robust background checks. We have been pleased to appoint 26 outstanding teachers for AY 2023-2024. Other key appointments recruited during the year included the Development Director and Head of Foundation.

OTHER NOTABLE PROJECTS

Tanglin is always looking for ways to improve its processes and the HR team is no different. During AY 2022-23, we took on notable projects that included the following:

• Medical insurance negotiation.

• Salary and benefits review.

• Digitalisation of HR forms.

STAFF DIVERSITY BY THE NUMBERS

Our staff come from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and this has greatly enriched the Tanglin community in more ways than one. You can see this represented in the following figures, recorded as of June 2023.

Tanglin By The Numbers

679

Faculty Tenure 2022-23

Governance

Mee King Chen, Group Corporate Secretary

Tanglin Trust School Limited (formerly known as Tanglin Trust Limited) was incorporated on 21 August 1961 as a public company limited by guarantee. It was registered under the Charities Act on 29 December 1984.

Unique Entity Number (UEN)

Registered Address

Banker

Auditor

Governing Instrument

196100114C

95 Portsdown Road, Singapore 139299

Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

KMPG LLP

Tanglin Trust School Limited Constitution

Governing Board Members of Tanglin Trust School Limited

Dominic Nixon

Governor and Chair of Board of Governors and Chair of Board Building Real Estate and Campus Development Committee

(Member since 19 March 2002)

Charles Thomas

Governor

(Member since 25 April 2023)

Clare Wijeratne

Governor and Chair of Board Education Policy and Schools Curriculum Committee

(Member since 1 March 2017)

Colm McCarthy

Governor

(Member since 7 March 2013)

Diana Dawson

Governor

(Member since 25 April 2023)

Fang Eu-Lin

Governor and Chair of Board Finance and Risk Committee

(Member since 1 May 2016)

Gina Lee-Wan

Governor (Member since 19 February 2005)

Chen Mee King

Group Corporate Secretary and Member of Management Team

Rajan Raju

Governor (Member since 2 July 2016)

Neil Tottman

Governor and Chair of Board Development and Alumni Committee

(Member since 13 September 2007)

Rashpal Bhatti

Governor (Member since 25 April 2023)

Richard Routledge

Governor and Chair of Board Talent Committee (Member since 1 September 2020)

Robert Arbuthnott

Governor (Member since 16 February 2012)

Sue McNamara

Governor and Chair of Board Pastoral and Safeguarding Committee (Member since 1 September 2009)

Chris Riley1

Governor

(Member 1 July 2017 to 25 April 2023)

1 Resigned as Governor on 25 April 2023

Some Governors have served beyond 10 years. The Board, collectively, wishes to retain these Governors as they have the necessary skills, relevant experience and commitment to serve Tanglin Trust School Limited. Board succession planning includes the appointment of new Governors.

Board membership is voluntary and not remunerated. There are no paid staff who are close members of the family of the Chief Executive Officer or Board Members for the period 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023.

Committees

The Board appoints separate committees in relation to the following areas of responsibility:

• Real Estate and Campus Development (formerly known as Building)

• Education

• Development and Alumni

• Finance and Risk

• Talent

• Pastoral and Safeguarding

Attendance Record for Board of Governors’ and Board Committees’ Meetings

Period: 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023

Governors’ Attendance

No. of Meetings Held

Dominic Nixon

Charles Thomas*

Chris Riley#

Clare Wijeratne

Colm McCarthy

Diana Dawson*

Fang Eu-Lin

Gina Lee-Wan

Neil Tottman

Rajan Raju

Rashpal Bhatti* Richard

Joined Pastoral and Safeguarding Committee Meeting on 28 November

Note: Due to business travel, work commitments and/or being in countries with different time zones, a few Governors were unable to attend some of the Board and Board Committee meetings.

Management Team 2022/2023

Craig Considine Chief Executive Officer Appointed August 1, 2018

Ling Guan Heng Chief Operating Officer/ Chief Financial Officer Appointed April 13, 2009

Paula Craigie Head of Infant School Appointed August 1, 2014

Ayako Sugaya Director of People Appointed March 21, 2022

Clair Harrington-Wilcox Head of Junior School Appointed August 1, 2016

Chris Seal Head of Senior School Appointed August 1, 2022

Tom Evans Director of Marcomms, Admisions & Community Relations Appointed June 17, 2019

John Ridley Director of Learning Appointed September 1, 2011

Sohini Brandon-King Director of Scholarship, Inquiry and Partnerships Appointed 17 April, 2022

Chin Peng Lee Director of Technology Appointed August 1, 2022

Michael Holiday Director of Co-Curriculum Appointed January 1, 2020

Lyssa Carneiro

Director of Risk & Compliance Appointed October 22, 2019

Brian Teng Director of Operations Appointed January 22, 2007

Richard Sellers Director of Pastoral Care & Deputy Head (Senior School) Appointed August 11, 2021

Mee King Chen Group Corporate Secretary Appointed December 15, 2021

Whistleblowing Policy

Tanglin Trust School has a Whistleblowing Policy. The Policy is posted on the School’s website (tts.edu.sg) and may be used, if needed, by employees, suppliers, business partners and others in the school community.