RECIPIENTS OF THE INAUGURAL PROGRAMME FOR SCHOOL-BASED EXCELLENCE

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7 March 2005

RECIPIENTS OF THE INAUGURAL PROGRAMME FOR SCHOOL-BASED EXCELLENCE

1. 16 primary schools have been named recipients of the inaugural Programme for School-Based Excellence (PSE). At a visit to Fuhua Primary School , itself a PSE recipient, this morning, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education, announced the PSE award.

BACKGROUND

2. At the MOE Work Plan Seminar 2004 on 29 Sep 2004 , Mr Shanmugaratnam, announced that MOE would launch the PSE for primary schools from Jan 2005 to encourage greater diversity in our primary school landscape. Successful applicant schools would receive a recurrent grant of up to $100 000 per year from 2005, so as to further raise the quality and outreach of their school-based programmes/initiatives.

3. The PSE is an important step in our efforts to develop strong primary schools with distinctive character to give more opportunities for our students to develop different areas of excellence.

4. The proposals were evaluated on the following criteria:

a. Demonstrated strength of the school in the proposed area of school-based excellence;

b. Sustainability of the proposal in the long-term (3 to 5 years);

c. Strong educational value, especially in character development for students; and

d. Strong support of stakeholders in the proposed area of school-based excellence.

5. Under the PSE, schools would be given more leeway for developing their niche areas, including hiring of additional staff or instructors, training of teachers in the niche area, and minor infrastructure development.

6. Schools that receive the PSE funding will be asked to submit an annual report on the uses of the funds during the past year, and whether the objectives of the programmes have been reached.

RECIPIENTS OF PSE

7. A total of 64 schools submitted applications. Of these, 16 schools were selected. The list of schools is as follows:

1. Admiralty Primary

2. CHIJ Kellock Primary

3. CHIJ St Nicholas School (Primary)

4. Chong Fu Primary

5. Fu Hua Primary

6. Greenridge Primary

7. Hougang Primary

8. Ngee Ann Primary

9. Park View Primary

10. Pei Chun Public School

11. Rosyth School

12. Rulang Primary

13. St Andrew Jr School

14. St Stephen's School

15. SCGS (Primary)

16. Tao Nan School

8. The areas of excellence identified by the 16 schools cover the various domains of development, including the cognitive, physical and social, aesthetics and moral. More information about the programmes proposed by the schools can be found in Annex A.

SCHOOL VISIT TO FUHUA PRIMARY

9. Fuhua Primary School has an established tradition in employing Information Technology as a teaching approach. With the PSE funding, the school hopes to expand its programmes to allow students to gain more control over their learning when they design and create their own digital learning objects using animation tools. In addition, the school plans to engage in international collaboration and attachments with overseas educational institutions, as well as IT Research and Development projects.

10. The school showcased its IT programmes to Minister during his visit.

Annex A

S/NO.	SCHOOL	PROPOSAL	USAGE OF GRANTS
1.	Admiralty Primary	National Education Village and Learning Trails: Development of a National Education Village with different learning trails to be integrated into the academic curriculum.	- Develop the infrastructure for the various trails - Equipment and materials
2.	CHIJ Kellock Primary	Continued Excellence in Sports (Netball and Mini-Tennis): Further development of a 6-year “Continued Excellence in Sports Programme” to expose all pupils to a progressive approach to motor skills and knowledge development.	- Run gymnastics and sports aerobics programmes for primary 1 - 4 pupils - Provide coaching for netball and tennis teams - Workshops to be organised for teachers of other primary schools
3.	CHIJ St Nicholas School (Primary)	Nurturing Bi-Cultural Leaders of Tomorrow: Development of enrichment programmes to develop leaders who will be articulate, bilingual, aesthetically aware and culturally sensitive.	- Run programmes in speech & drama, oral presentation, Chinese calligraphy etc. - Organise cultural trips and exchange programmes
4.	Chongfu Primary	SpEx - Table Tennis: Further development of the school’s “Talent Identification and Mass Customisation Programmes” so as to support the school’s goal of being a school that produces players of the highest calibre.	- Develop school facilities - Organise a Table Tennis Carnival - Organise international exchange programmes
5.	Fuhua Primary	Exploring Technology for Educational Gain: Development by pupils of their own learning objects using animation tools (eg. iMovie) as an extension of the existing IT programmes prevalent in the school.	- Equip staff with the necessary skills - Develop the infrastructure in the school to support the IT programmes e.g., wireless access - Start-up seed fund for R&D efforts
6.	Greenridge Primary	Funtastick Harmony: Development of engaging National Education activities to be incorporated into the curriculum for P1 and P2 pupils to support the school’s overall NE efforts.	- Develop instructional materials and IT and AV resources - Training for staff, pupils and parents.
7.	Hougang Primary	Outdoor and Adventure Education: Development of an Outdoor Adventure Education programme that is woven into different facets of education eg. English, Mathematics, Science and especially Character Development.	- Staff training - Equipment
8.	Ngee Ann Primary	Grace in Performing Arts: Development of opportunities for pupils to discover their talents in Art, Dance and Chinese Orchestra, and develop them through talent showcases and enrichment programmes for all levels.	- Art gallery - Equipment - Enrichment Programmes - Exchange Programmes
9.	Park View Primary	Modified Sports for All and Sports Excellence Programme: Further development of programmes integrating PE, CCA, TAF and enrichment activities which reach out to all pupils in the school.	- Enrichment programmes for all levels e.g., aerobics, in line skating, rock climbing - Workshops and coaching for the Catch Them Young programme
10.	Pei Chun Public School	Sports Talent Identification and Nurturing Programme: Further development of the school’s programme for talent identification and character development through sports.	– Develop specialised PE programmes for primary 2 – 6 pupils in Sports Classes.
11.	Rosyth School	Programme for Aesthetics Integration: Further development of the school’s aesthetics programme (particularly in the area of music) which reaches out to all pupils of the school.	- Voice and music enrichment programmes for pupils at various levels
12.	Rulang Primary	Realising Every Rulangnite’s Potential in Robotics: Integration of robotics into the curriculum to further develop pupils’ exposure and experience with robotics.	- Training of teachers and pupils - Learning resources, e.g., robot soccer kits, motherboards
13.	St Andrew Jr School	Beyond Converting A Try: Further development of a programme that imparts life-skills and values through rugby.	- Engage a Head Coach - Equipment - Set up a Rugby Hall of Fame
14.	St Stephen’s School	Start Sustain Surpass: Further development of a programme to bring track and field training to all pupils of the school so as to develop motor skills, confidence, teamwork and resilience.	- Training of staff and pupils - Equipment
15.	Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (Primary)	Dance and Develop: Further development of the school’s dance programme as well as extending it to every pupil in primary 1 – 3.	- Conversion of existing rooms to dance studios - Engage coaches - Train teachers
16.	Tao Nan School	Junior Maths Scholar Programme: Building on the current infrastructure and school’s strength in Math to develop a comprehensive, progressive and holistic programme in Math and through Math the development of sound habits of mind.	- Enrichment programmes for pupils at the various levels e.g., Discovery Maths, Olympiad Preparatory Course, Maths Trail at the Zoo