By C
ara
By Ver oni
que
Ga van
Welcome Message from the CEO
This year Tanglin Trust School celebrates its 90th Anniversary (T90) in Singapore. The school was founded by Anne Griffith-Jones OBE in 1925, in the grounds of The Tanglin Club, with just five students. Today, on its campus at Portsdown Road, Tanglin is at the forefront of British-based education, providing a unique learning environment to over 2,770 students from Nursery right through to Sixth Form. Tanglin’s aim is to be the best school in the world, with a dynamic learning community which nurtures and inspires every individual to contribute with confidence to our world. The school is committed to ensuring its continued relevance and sustainability so that it remains vital to Singapore and at the heart of the community it serves. Tanglin is proud to be part of the dynamic hub that is Singapore. Whilst the school’s academic traditions and approach to learning are firmly grounded in an enhanced and rigorous English National Curriculum, there are many aspects of school life that have a global focus which is contextualised to our location in Asia. The result is that our students not only achieve excellent results but are open-minded and develop a natural ability to reflect on the international environment around them.
Tanglin is a place where children can thrive, inspired by passionate teachers and supported by excellent pastoral care. Our students are confident, articulate and engaged and we are immensely proud of all of their achievements and their positive approach to all aspects of school life. T90 is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our heritage, celebrate our achievements, give back to the community and also to inspire our students to make a difference. Throughout 2015 we will be celebrating T90 with a range of events and activities which demonstrate the breadth of experiences and enrichment opportunities enjoyed by our students, as well as our strong community focus. A few T90 highlights include a heritage expedition to the Cameron Highlands and thank you event at The Tanglin Club in January, our Anniversary Day in March when we celebrate as a community, the whole school ‘One Voice’ concert, inspirational performing poets and speakers throughout the year and the return of Scottish Opera in October. I hope you enjoy reading through the pages of this T90 brochure which gives a glimpse of our history, our community and the inspiration that is at the heart of our very special learning environment. The theme of community and inspiration reflects our desire to make this both
Proud sponsors of Tanglin’s 90th Anniversary celebrations:
Tanglin Mission Statement Tanglin Trust School Singapore has a long tradition of providing Britishbased 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.
a celebration of what has been achieved, as well as a focus for where we want to be moving forward. I hope that it demonstrates our balance of tradition and progression and also sets the scene as we look forward to our 100th anniversary in 2025! The Board of Governors and I would sincerely like to thank all members of the community for their hard work in ensuring that T90 is a memorable year. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognise and thank our sponsors who are detailed below. It is through their generous contributions that we have been able to develop a truly inspiring T90 calendar of events that touches every member of our community and which we are very proud of. Enjoy!
Peter Derby-Crook Chief Executive Officer
You can also follow our celebrations on the T90 events website www.tts.edu.sg/newsand-events/90th-anniversary-celebrations
Founded in 1925 by Anne Griffith-Jones, in the grounds of the Tanglin Club, to provide high quality British education to children of expatriate families.
Tanglin moves to existing campus at Portsdown Road in 1981.
Traditionally Tanglin was a primary school, however in 1996 we started to accept students in the new Senior School, starting with years 7 and 8.
In 2001, with new and expanded facilities, we welcomed the first cohort of Sixth Form students. They graduated in 2003 with flying colours.
Introduction of the International Baccalaureate, alongside A Levels, creating a dual pathway for students.
Tanglin is inspected every year within the British Schools Overseas (BSO) framework, recognised by Ofsted. All three schools awarded ‘Outstanding’, the highest possible grade.
T90 Calendar Highlights Reflection, Celebration, Inspiration
In 2015 we celebrate Tanglin’s 90th Anniversary (T90) with a range of events and activities throughout the year. This is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our heritage, celebrate our wonderful community and all our achievements and articulate our vision as we look towards the next 90 years!
T90 Staff Lunch Lift Off!
“Thank you Singapore”
Heritage expedition to the Cameron Highlands
A fun-packed and quizfilled celebratory lunch to share plans with our staff for T90.
The Tanglin Club and Tanglin Trust School will host a joint “Thank you Singapore” drinks reception. As Tanglin Trust School started out in the grounds of The Tanglin Club in 1925 we are delighted that we can share our heritage in Singapore’s 50th year, Tanglin Trust School’s 90th and The Tanglin Club’s 150th year!
A magical trek to the Cameron Highlands. Our NYAA students and enthusiastic staff will make an expedition to the site of the old school in Malaysia’s central highlands.
5 January
15 January
23-25 January
Inspirational Musician - Ben Waters
T90 Red and Gold Day
T90 Book Week
Over the course of the week improvisational musician Ben Waters will be inspiring students across the schools to “pick up and play!”
To welcome the year of the Goat, all the schools will celebrate Chinese New Year with a focus on community involvement and fun.
T90 Book Week - over the week there will be lots of different activities in the schools recognising Storytelling and Literature over 90 years including storytellers Matt Dickenson and Johnny the Journeyman.
10-12 February
13 February
2-6 March
T90 One Voice Concert
Inspirational Performing Poets
PTA Ball
“Let’s Celebrate!” Held at the University Cultural Centre Hall (NUS), we celebrate 90 years with a festival of Music and Dance with performances from students across the 3 schools.
Sarah Kay, of TED Talk fame, and Project Voice, will perform and work with students and staff inspiring all to find their voice.
Celebrating 90 years in Singapore, the PTA Ball will be held in the InterContinental Hotel, the theme is the roaring 20s, of course!
6 March
9-13 March
14 March
Anniversary Day!
Celebrating our Tanglin Heroes
T90 Cricket Match & Great Tanglin Bake-Off
Let’s have a party! With over 3,000 cupcakes, fun and games as the whole school, students and staff, celebrate 90 years.
Hosted at the British High Commissioner’s Residence, Eden Hall, this is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the amazing people and projects that make Tanglin special. Evening cocktails.
18 March
20 March
Our Tanglin teachers and students will face-off in a thrilling cricket match against Tanglin parents and alumni. Parents and children are encouraged to enter their baking speciality into our Great Tanglin Bake-Off competition. Bring a picnic and enjoy this great family event!
PTA Summer Fete
T90 Festival of the Arts
Inter-schools Computing Games
Our annual PTA fete will take on a T90 theme this year with lots of fun activities for the whole family. As in previous years, this wonderful family fun day is also a successful fund-raiser for many valuable school initiatives.
A wonderful celebration of our Arts, Music, Drama and Dance, this month long festival will focus on some of the amazing talent across the school. Highlights will include the summer musical, Junior School ensembles, dance performances, exhibitions by our talented artists and much, much more!
Involving around 100 under 16 students in teams from Tanglin and 6/7 other international schools, this promises to be an exciting and challenging day involving logic and hardware challenges, coding and games design. Supported by recognised software and computing companies.
23 May
Mid May - Mid June
8 May
11 June
T90 Sports Days
T90 Science Week
Other exciting events include:
The PE departments in the 3 schools are planning lots of fun T90 themed activities for their sports days – look out for the 90m dash!
Students will explore themes in science over the last 90 years and will also imagine the next 90 years of inventions, technology and space exploration!
T90 Our Word Day T90 Scottish Opera T90 Shakespeare Festival T90 FOBISIA Heads Conference and lots more…..
Heritage and Reflection
T90 Curriculum Themes
To commemorate Tanglin’s 90 years in Singapore The Heritage Wall outside the Berrick Performance Hall will be a permanent display of our history.
Across the school the different departments and year groups will be celebrating our 90th Anniversary, and incorporating the themes of T90 into their curriculum. Highlights include - ‘Number 90 themed’ Maths quizzes, Reception celebrates 90 Days, Humanities projects encompassing Regional and Singaporean Geography and History of the last 9 decades. And a peak into the next 90 years for Science!
Miss Griffith-Jones (Miss Griff) 1890-1973 was awarded the MBE. She arrived in Singapore in 1923 and turned her hand to teaching and, although not having any formal qualifications, in 1925 founded Tanglin School in two huts in the grounds of The Tanglin Club with just five pupils. Many children in those days were sent away to boarding school in England at an early age and Miss Griff saw the gap in the market to provide a British-style education in Singapore so that parents could postpone boarding school (and the inevitable long sea trip and separation) until an older age. The school flourished and was soon spilling out from the huts. Assembly was held in the ballroom and The Tanglin Club even offered the use of the Men’s Bar for the school.
How many Tanglin parents, staff and students have trooped into the GriffithJones (GJ) Hall in the Junior School for gymnastics without realising who it was named after? Like many of us, Anne Laugharne Phillips Griffith-Jones hit the shores of Singapore thinking she would only be here for a short time – in her case, a 3 month holiday with her brother, O P Griffith-Jones. In fact she ended her days in Malaysia at the age of 83 having dedicated half a century to the education of expatriate children in the Malay Peninsular. Miss Griff (as she was affectionately known) was born in 1890 into a distinguished Welsh family. She had been a welfare officer at a munitions factory in Wales during World War I for which she
In 1934 Miss Griff decided to open a boarding offshoot of Tanglin School in the Cameron Highlands. It was thought that the cooler climate offered a healthier lifestyle for growing children and – although the pupils would inevitably board – the journey from Singapore and parts of Malaya was negligible in comparison with the passage back to Europe. European children could now stay in Singapore at Tanglin School until the age of eight and then attend the Cameron Highlands Boarding School until they were 12 or 13. A newspaper report from 1939 quotes Miss Griff’s satisfaction with her students’ achievements, “they are mentally very alert and compare favourably with any children at Home Schools, and they have taken their places satisfactorily when they go to England.” The 1940’s were a troubled time for the school in the Cameron Highlands
and an outbreak of polio in 1941 meant closure and relocation for the students and staff. This was swiftly followed by the Japanese Occupation of Malaya and Singapore which was a further blow to both schools’ fortunes. Some families made their escape, while other civilians, including Miss Griff, were interned by the Japanese. Needless to say Miss Griff rose to the challenge of internment at Changi and Sime Road Camp and set about establishing a school in the prison. Post-war, Tanglin School continued to flourish and was soon the biggest and most exclusive privately-run school in Singapore. Meanwhile the Cameron Highlands School reopened in 1946 and continued to operate until 1950 when the realities of operating a school during the Malay Emergency, necessitated armed escorts for the students at the start and end of school terms. In 1950 the Cameron Highlands Boarding School was eventually forced to close by the Federal Government for security reasons. Miss Griff sold most of the land and school buildings to the British Army.
Meanwhile Tanglin School in Singapore had gone from strength to strength. It was occupying two buildings: one in Holland Road and one in Orange Grove Road with a combined student roll of approximately 300 pupils. Miss Griff was awarded an OBE for her services to education and in 1962 the Sultan of Pahang bestowed on her the PJK (Pingat Jasa Kebaktian) for meritorious service to education. On 1 May 1958, Miss Griff sold the private company Tanglin School Ltd, to the British European Association (now the British Association of Singapore) for $20,000 and retired to her beloved Cameron Highlands. According to visitors: “Her humble cottage was a little bit of England tucked away in the hills of Malaya” and “tea was always served in the best British tradition with a silver service and immaculate linen.” Miss Griff died at Ipoh hospital in 1973, fifty years after her arrival in Singapore. She is buried at Tapah in the foothills of the Cameron Highlands.
Historical photography sourced from school archives.
A Story of Three Schools
Singapore’s rising prominence in the world increased the number of expatriates employed in the crown colony. In 1954 Raeburn Park School was established by a group of Harbour Board Officials who were concerned about the shortage of educational facilities for non-service expatriate children. Within 18 months the initial intake of 29 students had grown dramatically to a full-capacity school roll of 210 students. The management of the school was transferred to the British European Association (BEA) in 1960. The BEA also managed Tanglin Preparatory School and decided to convert this school into a non-profit educational Trust, Tanglin Trust Ltd. The newly appointed board of governors made a bold move and signed a twenty year lease on an imposing black & white building named ‘Matheran’ on the corner of Tanglin and Jervois Roads. In present day Singapore the Brunei High Commission is located on the school’s former site. On 12 September 1961, Tanglin Preparatory School (TPS) opened with Kathleen Crowe as its Headmistress. The Junior students attended lessons in the main building and a range of purposebuilt classrooms was constructed for the kindergarten children. Memories from former students and teachers reflect carefree days, mentioning afternoon naps from the tropical heat on putup camp beds and sports days which
incorporated not very politically correct (but very popular) events such as the bunny girls race! “We had to bring a wicker suitcase – about 12 x 8 inches to school. This was my pride and joy! It contained a little towel with my name embroidered on it ‘Jane Willis’, a container of Johnson’s Baby Powder and a thermos bottle of Ribena. After recess all of us in Kindergarten stood in a large circle, toweling off each other’s backs and of course shaking baby powder everywhere!” (Jane Burke – nee Willis) Following Singapore’s independence in 1965, the Harbour Board was replaced by The Port of Singapore Authority, which informed Raeburn Park School that their lease would not be renewed after 1972. The school moved to Alexandra Park into the vacated Royal Army Ordnance Corps Mess and the
adjoining cell block (from which the bars were removed!). Demand for school places exceeded all expectations and in 1971 Tanglin Trust Ltd opened a second school, Weyhill Preparatory School, simply to absorb the numbers on the waiting list. In 1974 Raeburn Park School became the third school under the management of Tanglin Trust Ltd. In 1976 with the final withdrawal of British troops, the school moved to Portsdown Road opposite Weyhill Preparatory School. Raeburn and Weyhill operated separately but shared the playing field between them. When the lease expired on ‘Matheran’ in 1981, the three schools merged to form an Infant and Junior School on the current Tanglin Trust School site at Portsdown Road.
Coming Together to the Present Day In 1981 Tanglin Infant and Tanglin Junior Schools were established following the amalgamation of Weyhill Preparatory School, Raeburn Park School and Tanglin Preparatory School. The schools had a combined school roll of 1,200 students. The school colours were red and grey which were incorporated into the school uniforms. The Infant School was established in the premises vacated by the Weyhill Preparatory School and Raeburn Park School. The buildings were separated by a playing field and renamed ‘North Wing’ (the present Infant School building location) and ‘South Wing’ (the present Senior School building location). The classrooms featured air vents and ceiling fans to encourage air circulation, but no air-conditioning. The Junior School was established in brand new premises with air-conditioned class rooms, a wonderful luxury at that time! Each child entering the school was placed in one of four new houses with Malay animal names: Elang (eagle), Harimau (Tiger), Beruang (Bear) or Singa (Lion). These school house names are still used in the present day Junior School.
In 1987 both the Infant and Junior Schools were put under the direction of one Headmistress, Mrs Veronica Goodban, who was previously the Headmistress of Weyhill Prep and Tanglin Junior Schools. In 1994 Mrs Goodban retired after 27 years’ service. Following the introduction of Mr Ronald Stones as the new Headmaster in 1994, the schools were renamed Tanglin Trust School Ltd in 1996. Meanwhile, Winchester School, the Nursery managed by Tanglin Trust Ltd, opened in 1976 in the idyllic setting of Alexandra Park. Raeburn Park School
had occupied the building from 1972 to 1976 before moving to Portsdown Road. For twenty years, until its closure in 1996, Winchester School gave the children who rolled up at its magnificent doorstep each morning, a wonderful introduction to the concept of school, in a beautiful setting. The prospectus described the school as ‘a bridge between home and the bigger school, providing a setting for the first explorations of the young members of the family outside the family circle.’ The opening of Tanglin Trust School in 1996 followed the amalgamation of Winchester School, Tanglin Infant School and Tanglin Junior School. A new uniform was introduced in support of the rebranding of the school and the same design is still in use today. The new air-conditioned Infant block, including a dedicated Nursery unit, was opened on the site of the demolished North Wing in 1996. The school was immediately oversubscribed and long waiting lists were common place at Tanglin and other international schools in Singapore. Hence the Tanglin Board of Governors decided there was a case for extending the school’s age range to Year 8. The
offered. The new sports complex along Jalan Hang Jebat, a short distance from the school, provided much needed additional sporting facilities. Furthermore, in 2010, the new Sixth Form centre, incorporating a state of the art Senior School library, was opened by the Duke of York. In 2009 the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma was introduced into the Sixth Form alongside the existing Advanced Level (A Level) qualification enabling students to choose the academic pathway which best matches their individual strengths and interests. Chinese language provision was also extended across all three schools.
Tanglin Senior School was well received by students and parents alike, and the Board agreed to extend the age range to Year 11, enabling students to stay on at Tanglin to take GCSE’s. To accommodate the expansion, the South Wing was demolished and a new Senior building, along with a swimming pool, opened in 1999. Initially the Senior School used the same house names as the Juniors, but in 2001 four Senior houses were created. Alexandra, Cameron, Raeburn and Wessex, all reflecting key locations in the school’s history. In 2000 Tanglin celebrated its 75th Anniversary and entered the new millennium with a fresh mandate: to open a Sixth Form and provide education for students from age 3 to 18. And so, in 2001, alongside the construction of the new Junior School building to replace the one which had been purpose-built 20 years previously, a Sixth Form Centre (the present Senior School office block) was built. In 2003 the first group of Tanglin students took their A Level examinations with three students having been at Tanglin for fifteen years since Nursery. In 2004 the Headmaster Ronald Stones was awarded an OBE in recognition of his services to education. He retired in 2006 after 12 years of service.
Completed in 2007, the Berrick Building, a six story Sports and Performing Arts Complex was a significant addition to Tanglin’s facilities. It is named after Sandra Berrick, a long serving Chair of the Board of Governors. Following the appointment of Steven Andrews as the new CEO, Tanglin Trust School continued to grow rapidly with over 950 Senior School students by 2009: an increase of 600 in just five years. Tanglin recognised the need to keep pace and expand both in terms of the facilities and academic options
At the start of the 2010-11 academic year, Peter Derby-Crook took over the reigns as CEO. In the same year ‘Our World’ was introduced as the overarching term to describe the vast range of activities undertaken in and out of school to foster the fundamental life skill of caring for the world and all those in it. To enable the children to develop this life skill, the key skills and aptitudes underpinning the Learner Profile attributes were identified and mapped from the day a child enters Nursery through to Graduation. Today all 2,770 students enrolled at Tanglin are actively encouraged, and provided opportunities, to develop the Learner Profile attributes: Balanced, Caring, Risktakers, Knowledgeable, Communicators, Resilient Inquirers, Principled, Openminded, Thinkers and Reflective.
Sport at Tanglin Tanglin School was fortunate to be founded within the grounds of The Tanglin Club, hence from the start aquatics and physical education were an important part of a balanced curriculum: a healthy mind in a healthy body. One of the key objectives when setting up the school in the Cameron Highlands was to provide a refreshing, healthy, natural setting for students with regular jungle walks, riding lessons and PE sessions.
“We used to go for walks every day in a crocodile line around the course and down the jungle paths which were very beautiful.” John Warden – CHS Alumni
Post-war, Tanglin, Raeburn Park, Weyhill Prep and other schools competed against one another in local sports festivals and students in each school competed in annual sports days. In the 1980’s and 1990’s Tanglin children competed against each other within fiercely contested house sports competitions.
“I used to have riding lessons in a clearing in the jungle; we went down a path with long steps, past trees festooned with orchids and Venus fly traps; there were many different brightly coloured butterflies.” Ray Soper – CHS Alumni
Tanglin was a founding member of FOBISIA (Federation of British Schools in Asia) – previously known as FOBISSEA (Federation of British International Schools in South East Asia). Informal links between interested schools were established in 1984 and were formalised in the first Heads of Schools Conference in 1988. In addition to FOBISIA, Tanglin now has a sustained commitment to ACSIS (The Athletics Conference Singapore International Schools) and SEASAC (South East Asia Student Activity Conference), as well as supporting sports tours in the Middle East and Australia. These conferences promote student/ school activities which provide and
encourage opportunities for healthy competition, pursuit of excellence, social and cultural interaction and the development of friendships within the region. Today, sport is still an integral part of the Tanglin curriculum and students are encouraged to participate in the exciting programme offered from Nursery through to Year 13. Athletics, basketball, swimming, football, rugby, netball, tennis, gymnastics, badminton, cricket, golf, t-ball, softball and volleyball are all established activities that have welldeveloped training programmes in place and offer students the opportunity to compete in inter-school events, both in Singapore as well as overseas.
The Arts at Tanglin The creative Arts have always played a key role at Tanglin. Miss Griff’s first formal hire in 1925 was a teacher who could play the piano. The children learnt a large number of hymns through which they practised their penmanship and their singing. School Christmas plays and recitals were part of Tanglin life and expatriate life in Singapore, much as they are today. A highlight in 1937 was the chance to perform on the BBC radio which was broadcast all the way back home! “All school assemblies started with ‘All things bright and beautiful’ and we had to get into a long line and hold our elbows on our hips and keep our shoulders well back, then walk into the main hall. Miss Griff was most particular about the elbows.” Hazel Booker – Tanglin School Alumni Post World War II, practising creative arts at the newly re-opened Tanglin School was challenging due to the shortage of supplies and sadly only charcoal was available for sketching.
plays an important part in school life. From Nursery to Sixth Form, there are many opportunities for students to experience music, theatre, dance and art to facilitate creative, social and intellectual development. Throughout the year, across all three schools, there are a range of ensembles, recitals, performances and exhibitions. Art is a popular choice for GCSE and A Level and several students each year move onto prestigious Art Colleges around the world.
Tanglin’s first ever AS Level Art student was Beth Stead in 2002. Her original art work had to be sent to London for external moderation, the work was then digitally produced and displayed on a computer which was quite a breakthrough in those days!
Inspiration and teaching also come from the many visitors the school welcomes on a regular basis such as Horrible Histories, Scottish Opera, Loose Canon Theatre Company, and a series of authors, storytellers, artists and professional musicians.
In 2009 an enthusiastic group of students and staff participated in the Singapore Chingay Parade. The costumes and the massive float were all designed and created by the students, supported by our wonderful Art department staff.
The T90 Festival of the Arts takes place mid-May to Mid-June 2015 and highlights include the summer musical, Junior School Ensembles, dance performances and exhibitions by talented artists. Tanglin is also delighted to host the Shakespeare Festival and welcome Scottish Opera back in its 90th Anniversary year.
Today Tanglin has a thriving, vibrant and energetic arts programme which
Throughout T90 there will be numerous celebrations of the arts at Tanglin and the opportunity to showcase the amazing talent across all three schools.
Academics at Tanglin From its humble beginnings in an attap hut at The Tanglin Club, academic standards have been an underpinning principle at Tanglin Schools. Obtaining places at prestigious boarding schools in the UK or Australia and the satisfactory transition into education ‘back home’ were key drivers to ensure Tanglin’s expatriate children received a firstrate education. Academic achievement prizes were first awarded back in 1928. Today achievement awards are presented at year group assemblies for academics as well as achievements in sports and the Arts. Tanglin welcomes the opportunity for external bench marking and has always been subject to external inspection. In 1929 the Inspector of Schools in Singapore wrote to the UK government to confirm there was now a viable preparatory school in Singapore to which European children could be sent. He commented: “It promises to be of better standing than usual and should in time compare favourably with schools of a similar type in England.” When the inspectors visited the newly created Tanglin Infant and Junior Schools in 1984, student Andrew Marshall commented: “When they came into my classroom I bit my lip because I thought they were here to see how fast we all could write. They were really here to make notes and compare our school to schools in England.” As Tanglin celebrates its 90th Anniversary, it continues to be a vibrant coeducational school, now hosting over 2,770 students from 3 to 18
years, representing over 50 different nationalities. Assessed annually within the BSO (British Schools Overseas) framework, recognised by Ofsted, all three schools have been awarded Outstanding, the highest possible grade. Tanglin is unique amongst international schools in Singapore in offering both A Levels and the International Baccalaureate in Sixth Form, both of which yield consistently outstanding academic results to complement the excellent results at I/GCSE. High academic standards continue to be a key driving force of the school, however, equally important, is developing in students the skills to be
life-long learners, to make a meaningful contribution to the community and to lead rewarding and happy lives. This foundation is set by the Infant School and carried through to Sixth Form. When Miss Griff first opened Tanglin School in 1925 with just five students, her aims were simple: to provide organised British-based primary school teaching for the growing number of expatriate children in Singapore. Over the years the school has expanded to increase its numbers and provision, however, Miss Griff’s vision and her legacy continue in the Tanglin Trust School of today.
“This outstanding school successfully meets its aim to make every individual feel valued, happy and successful. The excellent teaching, underpinned by an imaginative, engaging and challenging curriculum, enables students to make excellent progress….. Students’ exemplary behaviour, positive attitudes and thirst for learning are also pivotal factors in the school’s continuing success.” British Schools Overseas Inspection 2014, awarded Outstanding.
Outdoor Education at Tanglin Tanglin has a long history of providing educational opportunities outside the classroom. Even in the early years the benefit of outdoor education for children chartered the course of the school’s history. In 1934 Miss Griff acquired land in the Cameron Highlands to create a daughter school to Tanglin School in Singapore, aimed at teaching older children in a healthy outdoors environment. Overseas trips aimed at expanding the children’s understanding of the ‘natural world’ started at Tanglin Preparatory School in the mid-seventies. In those days children would travel to Taman Negara in Malaysia by train or to Brunei by ship. The first Malacca trip took place in 1979, which makes this the 36th year Tanglin students explore Malacca as part of their Year 5 curriculum. Today, Tanglin’s Outdoor Education programmes are designed to develop the whole person, promoting a holistic approach to learning and decisionmaking, whilst allowing time for reflection on how choices and values influence others and the environment. Balanced, relevant and thoughtprovoking, programmes vary in focus and length, increasing in the level of challenge as students move through the school. In the Infant School students are introduced to the world around them through a variety of imaginative and exciting opportunities outside of the class room with day trips such as Labrador Park and Bollywood Veggies. In the Junior school programmes to Pulau Ubin, Malacca and Sarawak enrich the curriculum by allowing students to use skills learned inside the classroom in a different environment whilst also increasing cultural awareness. Senior year group programmes range from exciting adventure programmes in Gopeng or India to optional discovery programmes such as skiing
in Switzerland, an adventure week in Western Australia, studying art in Bali, and even a chance to climb to Everest Base Camp. All programmes aim to give students a sense of independence, resilience and responsibility and are a key part of the school’s focus on developing local, regional and global perspectives in the curriculum as well as being closely linked with the Tanglin Learner Profile. An exciting T90 outdoor education initiative involves a heritage trek to the Cameron Highlands. NYAA students and enthusiastic staff will make an expedition to the site of the old school in Malaysia’s central highlands. They will also visit the Christian cemetery in Tapah and pay their respects at Miss Griff’s final resting place.
“Jungle walks and riding lessons used to be a regular feature of school life. We had riding lessons in a clearing in the jungle. The school maintained its own riding stables down the steps below the main school building.” John Warden – CHS 1939-1941
Facilities at Tanglin
Following its 90 years of expansion, relocation, amalgamation and construction, Tanglin’s most recent addition to its campus was a five story extension to the Senior School (the West Wing), a green mark building, which was completed in August 2012. As well as providing more curriculum space for the growing Senior School, it also joins the Senior and Junior School buildings. Tanglin’s facilities have transformed over the years, even since its arrival at Portsdown Road. New buildings and latest technologies have been introduced to support both the growing student body and latest learning styles. Today, Tanglin’s Infant and Junior Schools incorporate architect-designed classrooms set around bright and colourful common areas to promote a sense of community. Throughout the three schools, the buildings feature large multi-purpose assembly and sporting halls, music rooms, indoor facilities for orchestras and choirs, suites for the study of Information and Communications Technology, drama studios and science laboratories. Tanglin also has four well-resourced libraries on campus, one for each of the Infant, Junior and Senior Schools and a professional development library for staff. Each school also has its own health centre staffed by professional nurses. Additional facilities include an eight-lane 25 metre swimming pool and learner pool, large outdoor playgrounds, tennis
courts, playing fields, running track, fitness centre, outdoor chess corner, shaded lunch areas, two cafés and a bakery shop! Tanglin will be embarking on a new phase in its site development this year to further improve the campus, enabling the school to offer the best facilities of any school in Singapore, whilst maintaining its enviable central location in One North. T90 is not only an opportunity to celebrate its heritage but also a platform on which Tanglin can build towards its Centenary in 2025. It intends to do just that!
Caring for the Community Tanglin’s community has always been one of the key pillars underpinning the school. The Tanglin Club hosted the school in the early days, and Tanglin families generously opened their homes to accommodate evacuated school children leading up to the fall of Singapore (World War II). The British Government at the Istana hosted the Cameron Highlands School when it closed due to a polio epidemic and Raeburn Park parents showed resilience when fighting to keep their school open in the seventies. Unwavering support was also given by parents during the SARS epidemic in 2003 and today the PTA continues to be an invaluable link between school, parents and the community. Tanglin’s community has always been, and continues to be, its greatest strength. Giving back to the community and developing community spirit in students has been part of the school’s DNA since the 1920’s when children initiated fundraising for the ‘Waifs and Strays Society’. Over the years many Tanglin, Weyhill and Raeburn children have danced, performed, run, cycled and baked to raise funds for diverse charities in Singapore. In 2005 the entire community embarked on a huge fundraising and outreach project to support schools in Aceh, Indonesia following the Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004. Today, Tanglin students understand the importance of social responsibility and caring for the community through local, regional and global perspectives in the curriculum, environmental awareness, cultural visits, overseas trips, fundraising, service projects and the students’ own personal development. Such activities build on the school’s mission statement and in particular its closing phrase, “to produce a community of lifelong learners who can contribute with confidence to our world.”
Tanglin’s Learner Profile attributes, which are firmly embedded in learning and behaviour across all three schools, encourage students, staff and parents to be principled, with a strong sense of social justice and respect for others, to be committed to service and to care about the community and want to make a positive difference to those around them. Through Ch@t (Charities @ Tanglin), all students are encouraged to look beyond their normal sphere of experience and to take an active and meaningful role in supporting charitable organisations and causes in Singapore and globally. Tanglin’s outdoor education programme is designed to develop the whole person, to help bring a subject to life and to provide an opportunity for students to reflect on the world around them. From as early as the Infant School, children develop relationships with local schools in the community, inviting chidren from Chen Su Lan Children’s Home, Jamiyah Kindergarten and Yuhua Primary School to assemblies and concerts. Whilst in the Sixth Form, the service strand of CAS (Creativity Action Service) provides opportunities for students to engage with the local
community, including working with Genesis School for Special Education in Singapore and ‘Beyond Social Services’, an initiative which supports local school children in an HDB estate in Tiong Bahru. Tanglin also actively encourages teachers to support and engage with projects beyond school such as ‘Caring for Cambodia’ (CFC). The CFC project is ongoing with continuous support and commitment to the development of teacher training in the area. Community is at the heart of Tanglin’s T90 celebrations; recognising and celebrating the school community but also developing relations and serving its community in Singapore and in the wider region.
Introducing TTS Foundation TTS Foundation was established in 2012 to fund exceptional opportunities and provide members of the Tanglin community with life-changing experiences that support the school’s mission to develop a community of lifelong learners who contribute with confidence to our world. This is currently achieved through the four key areas of Community Links, Grants & Awards, Capital Projects and Enrichment Opportunities.
experience of Tanglin students beyond the curriculum. Music Awards are available in the Junior School and are intended to encourage students who have shown potential in music lessons to develop their talent further by inviting recipients of the award to enrol for subsidised instrumental music tuition for a fixed period of time in a particular instrument. The Deirdre Lew Service Award is available in the Senior School, to encourage students to learn more about the world they live in, make a positive contribution and exercise responsible citizenship. Meanwhile, the Alumni Grant is available for use once a student has graduated from Tanglin from Year 13. It is intended to give support and encouragement to graduating students to expand their horizons before University or during the first year of their studies. Capital Projects In future, it is hoped that TTS Foundation will provide a vehicle for fundraising for aspects of the site development plan and other capital projects.
Community Links Tanglin students have a unique opportunity to benefit from the geographical proximity of cultural and socially diverse communities on their door step. Tanglin endeavours to build sustainable relationships with organisations across the region for the mutual benefit of both communities. Over the past few years TTS Foundation has supported the Community Links Programme. Firstly, providing grants
to Tanglin Staff taking part in teacher training on behalf of Caring for Cambodia and secondly through a pilot scholarship programme providing scholarships to two students from Lamdon School, Ladakh, to attend Tanglin Sixth Form College. Grants and Awards T90 will see the further development of the Grants & Awards programme which is aimed at broadening the
Enrichment Opportunities Our World Projects are enrichment activities or events championed by Tanglin students or staff that are funded by the TTS Foundation rather than the school’s operating budget. As such they are projects that support the school’s mission but are not immediately possible given budget constraints. For example, TTS Foundation supported the cost of bringing two Team GB swimmers to Tanglin to work with the TTS Merlion swim squads. It paid for performers Loose Canon and Toy Box to perform to the Infant and Junior students and helped establish the High Commissioner Award in the Junior School. In Tanglin’s 90th Anniversary year, the school will launch its first Annual Fund to actively fundraise for TTS Foundation to support further enrichment opportunities for its students.
Inspiration and Community A good school teaches students to survive and thrive in our ever changing world, but a great school also inspires students to make a difference in the community and our world. So, while recognising its 90 incredible years, Tanglin is also excited to use the celebrations as an opportunity to focus on the themes of Inspiration and Community.
Inspiration
Community
Many things inspire; people, talent, ideas, technology, experiences and challenges. In 2015 Tanglin is looking to find as many opportunities as possible to inspire its students and also to recognise those students who are inspiring.
To make a difference in any community, it is first essential to understand it. In 2015 Tanglin is committed to deepening its relationships and increasing its awareness of ‘its community’. Tanglin also intends to highlight the many community projects and recognise the incredible people who make them happen, whether in school, in the local community or in the wider world.
Throughout 2015 Tanglin will welcome extraordinary individuals; authors, adventurers, artists, scientists, thinkers and doers to be part of its ‘Inspirational speaker series’ – opening students’ eyes to a world of possibilities.
Inspiration and Community are at the very heart of T90.
The Last Word by Peter Derby-Crook, CEO
T90 gives us an opportunity to celebrate our history in Singapore over the last 90 years, but it also provides a strong platform on which to build for our 100th Anniversary and all that the future holds. We are delighted that our lease on this site at Portsdown Road has been extended to 2038. We are very much aligned with our neighbours, OneNorth’s vision ‘to create an ideal worklive-play-learn environment conducive for creative minds to excel and where innovation reigns.’ Tanglin is proud to be included in their plans to develop a ‘melting pot of talent and ideas’. Having this confidence in our future, means that we can look to develop and improve our facilities further, in the knowledge that we will be on this site for many years to come. Immediate development plans involve a new gateway building between gates A and B, which will become the new frontage to our school. This state of the art building will create space for new arts and exhibition spaces as well as gymnastics facilities, offices, social spaces and eating areas. We also intend to renovate the green area
in the middle of our campus into one seamless astro pitch. Not only will students benefit from the additional sports facility, but the whole community will be able to watch and support sporting events going on at the heart of our campus. This project is scheduled to start in June for completion in 2016. It is a very exciting time and I look forward to enhancing our school to offer some of the best facilities of any international school in Singapore. I feel very proud to be CEO of Tanglin Trust School, and never more than in our 90th year. Tanglin is a very special learning environment and community. I am amazed on a daily basis by the dedication and energy of our staff and their commitment to providing the most inspiring, exciting, memorable learning for our students. The care and support that goes in to ensuring every child has
the opportunity to achieve, whatever their strength or talent, I believe sets us a part. I am also extremely proud of our students who are bright, hard working, confident and articulate but also balanced, caring and principled. The vision of Tanglin is not just to deliver outstanding academic attainment but to nurture a community of learners who will go out and contribute with confidence to our world. As we celebrate our 90 years of heritage and focus towards our centenary, I look forward to building on this incredible platform. Throughout our 90th year, we intend to reach out and develop new and deeper connections with Singapore and in particular with our new local neighbours in One North. Our celebrations coincide with Singapore’s own 50th Anniversary so there are lots of reasons and opportunities to come together in our joint anniversary year. I look forward to recognising our themes of community and inspiration throughout 2015, and to an exciting year of celebrations!
The inside cover and mural designs throughout the brochure are from a collaboration between students and visiting author and illustrator James Mayhew – supported by TTS Foundation.
Tanglin Trust School 95 Portsdown Road, Singapore 139299 t: +65 6778 0771 f: +65 6777 5862 www.tts.edu.sg