River Valley High School (RVHS) is a co-educational government autonomous secondary school in
Boon Lay
Boon Lay (, ta, பூன் லே) is a neighbourhood located in the town of Jurong West in the West Region of Singapore. Its borders very roughly correspond to the URA subzone of Boon Lay Place, situated within the Jurong West Planning Are ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. Founded in 1956 and originally located in
River Valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
, it is one of the
Special Assistance Plan
The Special Assistance Plan (SAP; ) is a programme in Singapore introduced in 1979 which caters to academically strong students who excel in both their mother tongue as well as English. It is available only in selected primary and secondary school ...
schools designated by the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
in recognition of its heritage and excellence in education.
Since 2006, the school has been running a six-year
Integrated Programme
The Integrated Programme (IP) is a scheme that allows high-performing students in secondary schools in Singapore to skip the GCE Ordinary Level (O-Level) examination (typically taken by students at the end of their fourth or fifth year in secon ...
that allows students to skip the
Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level
The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (or Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level) is a GCE Ordinary Level examination held annually in Singapore and is jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Exam ...
examinations and proceed to sit for the
Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (or Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level) is a GCE Advanced Level examination held annually in Singapore and is jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Examin ...
examinations at the end of Year 6.
History
RVHS was founded as the Singapore Chinese Middle School in 1956. It was the first Chinese middle school set up by the government and it occupied the premises of Seng Poh Primary School. It was later renamed Queenstown Government Chinese Middle School and subsequently River Valley Government Chinese Middle School when it moved to Strathmore Avenue.
RVHS admitted its first batch of English-stream pupils in 1979 when it was selected as one of the nine pioneering
Special Assistance Plan
The Special Assistance Plan (SAP; ) is a programme in Singapore introduced in 1979 which caters to academically strong students who excel in both their mother tongue as well as English. It is available only in selected primary and secondary school ...
(SAP) schools in that same year. It moved from its
River Valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
campus to a new campus at
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
in December 1986. Due to the smaller school campus at the West Coast site, the school became a double-session school. It reverted to a single-session school in 1993 after new blocks were constructed. It was among the first six schools in Singapore to become autonomous in 1994. For its achievements in its CCAs, it was also one of the first schools to receive all three available Sustained Achievement Awards when it was first offered by the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
in 2001.
In 2006, RVHS started running a six-year
Integrated Programme
The Integrated Programme (IP) is a scheme that allows high-performing students in secondary schools in Singapore to skip the GCE Ordinary Level (O-Level) examination (typically taken by students at the end of their fourth or fifth year in secon ...
which allows students to skip the
Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level
The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (or Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level) is a GCE Ordinary Level examination held annually in Singapore and is jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Exam ...
examinations, which students in Singapore normally take at the end of Secondary Four, and proceed to sit for the
Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (or Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level) is a GCE Advanced Level examination held annually in Singapore and is jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Examin ...
at the end of the sixth year. The final batch of GCE Ordinary Level students graduated from RVHS in 2007. In June 2006, RVHS moved out of its campus at
Queensway to a holding site at Malan Road. The Malan Road campus housed the school while they were waiting for the new school building to be ready in 2009.
At a press release held by the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
on 21 September 2018, it was revealed that RVHS would be participating in the
Joint Admission Exercise as of 2019, and will accept GCE Ordinary Level graduates from other secondary schools for Years 5 and 6 of its Integrated Programme. Under this exercise, the first batch of students from other secondary schools were admitted into RVHS in February 2019.
The school was the
scene of an alleged killing of a Secondary 1 student by a fellow Secondary 4 schoolmate in July 2021, which made domestic and international headlines.
School identity and culture
![RVHS Sculpture 2017 08](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/RVHS_Sculpture_2017_08.jpg)
RVHS is known for its inclusive and conservative culture, a common trait shared among
Special Assistance Plan
The Special Assistance Plan (SAP; ) is a programme in Singapore introduced in 1979 which caters to academically strong students who excel in both their mother tongue as well as English. It is available only in selected primary and secondary school ...
schools with Chinese backgrounds.
School song
RVHS retains its school song in Chinese. The song, with close links to the school motto, represents the heritage of the school and the aspirations of the founders' hopes in educating the next generation. Students are reminded to bring glory to the school through excellence in both academics and behaviour. The school song is written in
literary Chinese
Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning
"literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning
"literar ...
, giving it a poetic touch. The lyrics are written in verses of four characters, a parallel to
Chinese idioms, with the exception of the last two verses.
Crest
RVHS's crest is made of the school initials "RV", with the letter "R" in red colour and "V" in blue colour. The colour of red symbolises radiance, progress and vitality, the colour of blue symbolises steadfastness, graciousness and serenity, while white symbolises purity and receptiveness to innovation.
Uniform
Formal attire
Physical Education attire
Both genders wear a T-shirt and dark blue shorts comprising synthetic materials for PE. The T-shirt is predominantly white, with red and blue accents. Older T-shirts had a zipper and displayed the characters "立化" (
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
: ''lìhuà'') on the left breast. Newer T-shirts have greater red colouration, lack a zipper, and instead bear the school's crest on the left breast. The T-shirt is to be tucked out. The PE attire is not to be worn to any ceremonial occasion or to non-physical activities (e.g. flag-raising).
Other attire
For all students, the PE T-shirt may be worn with the formal attire's trousers, shorts or skirt as appropriate. On certain days, the formal attire's trousers, shorts or shirt may be worn with other T-shirts (e.g. shirts from one's CCA or orientation course).
Song writing heritage
RVHS is known for its popularity in composing and singing campus songs and
xinyao
''Xinyao'' () is a genre of songs that is unique to Singapore. It is a contemporary Mandarin vocal genre that emerged and rose to fame in Singapore between the late 1970s to 1980s. ''Xinyao'' songs are composed and sung by Singaporeans and it is a ...
, a genre of Singaporean Chinese songs originating in the 1980s. RVHS also has its collection of songs written by its former and present students. This associates RVHS with institutions that have strong cultural backgrounds and influence in Singapore's music scene, such as
Hwa Chong Institution
Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) is an independent secondary educational institution in Bukit Timah, Singapore. Formed by the merger of The Chinese High School (1919–2004) and Hwa Chong Junior College (1974–2005) in 2005, it provides secondary educ ...
and
Jurong Junior College
Jurong Junior College (JJC) was a junior college located in Jurong West, Singapore. It was the ninth junior college to be established by the Ministry of Education of Singapore.
History
Jurong Junior College was first situated at West Coast R ...
. RVHS graduates are also seen taking an active role in the continuation of Singapore's song-writing heritage.
Campus
RVHS's campus is the newest among all
Special Assistance Plan
The Special Assistance Plan (SAP; ) is a programme in Singapore introduced in 1979 which caters to academically strong students who excel in both their mother tongue as well as English. It is available only in selected primary and secondary school ...
and
Integrated Programme
The Integrated Programme (IP) is a scheme that allows high-performing students in secondary schools in Singapore to skip the GCE Ordinary Level (O-Level) examination (typically taken by students at the end of their fourth or fifth year in secon ...
schools. It was officially declared open in 2010 and cost over S$70 million in construction.
Located off
Boon Lay Avenue at the former sites of
ITE Jurong and Boon Lay Garden Primary School, the 7.64-hectare campus comprises facilities that supports the educational needs for the six-year Integrated Programme, and strongly encapsulate a strong cultured environment.
River Valley High Student Hostel
The RVHS Student Hostel is located adjacent to the school campus, consisting of two 12-storey buildings and one 15-storey building (Halls 1, 2 & 3 respectively). It provides accommodation for up to 500 boarders and 25 teacher mentors. The building features a dining hall and is supported with internet access. However, this hostel closed in late 2016. As of 2019, the hostel is now privately operated by 85soho, a hostel operator.
Academic information
RVHS, being a
Special Assistance Plan
The Special Assistance Plan (SAP; ) is a programme in Singapore introduced in 1979 which caters to academically strong students who excel in both their mother tongue as well as English. It is available only in selected primary and secondary school ...
school, is strongly influenced by Chinese culture. Chinese language, culture and history are often emphasised in the school. It is compulsory for students from Years 1 to 4 to take Higher Chinese as a subject. Chinese culture lessons are also mandatory in lower secondary and students can opt for Chinese Literature in upper secondary. It also offers the Bicultural Studies Programme (Chinese) also offered in other schools such as
Dunman High School
Dunman High School (DHS) is a co-educational government autonomous secondary school located in Kallang, Singapore, offering the Integrated Programme and the Special Assistance Plan (SAP). It was originally located in West Kallang.
Since adopting ...
,
Hwa Chong Institution
Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) is an independent secondary educational institution in Bukit Timah, Singapore. Formed by the merger of The Chinese High School (1919–2004) and Hwa Chong Junior College (1974–2005) in 2005, it provides secondary educ ...
and
Nanyang Girls' High School
Nanyang Girls' High School (NYGH) is an independent girls' secondary school in Bukit Timah, Singapore. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest schools in the country. NYGH offers a six-year Integrated Programme, which allows students to skip the ...
. The programme aims to nurture independent and passionate individuals who uphold strong moral character, effectively bilingual in English and Chinese, and have a global perspective that allows them to face challenges in the changing world. River Valley High School's BSP includes camps, enrichment electives which complements the ministry's programme.
Starting in 2006, RVHS has been offering the six-year
Integrated Programme
The Integrated Programme (IP) is a scheme that allows high-performing students in secondary schools in Singapore to skip the GCE Ordinary Level (O-Level) examination (typically taken by students at the end of their fourth or fifth year in secon ...
, allowing its students to take the
Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (or Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level) is a GCE Advanced Level examination held annually in Singapore and is jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Examin ...
examinations at the end of the sixth year.
Notable alumni
*
Ang Mong Seng
Ang Mong Seng ( zh, s=洪茂诚, p=Hóng Màochéng; born 30 September 1949) is a Malaysia-born Singaporean former politician. He was a Member of Parliament for the Bukit Gombak ward under Hong Kah Group Representation Constituency (Hong Kah GRC ...
, former member of parliament for
Hong Kah GRC
Hong Kah Group Representation Constituency was a five-member Group Representation Constituency located in the western area of Singapore. The constituency covered the areas of Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang, Upper Bukit Timah, Jurong West and Lim Ch ...
*
Marcus Chin
Marcus Chin On Kang (, born 22 September 1953) is a Singaporean host, actor and singer. He left Mediacorp as a full-time artiste.
Career
Chin joined the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation during the 1970s. During the 1990s, he was mainly know ...
, television presenter, actor and comedian
*
Goh Meng Seng
Goh Meng Seng () is a Singaporean politician who is a member of the opposition People's Power Party.
Political career
Goh contested in the 2006 general election with the Workers' Party in the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (Aljunie ...
, opposition politician and leader of the
People's Power Party
*
Kym Ng
Ng Kwee Khim (; born 1 July 1967), best known by her stage name Kym Ng (), is a Singaporean television host and actress. She is known as one of Mediacorp’s Variety Ah Jies (综艺阿姐).
Ng has received numerous accolades locally and regio ...
, actress and television host
*
Peh Chin Hua
Peh Chin Hua (; born 1947) is a former Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Jalan Besar GRC from 1988 to 2001. He retired from politics in 2001.
Political ca ...
, former member of parliament for
Jalan Besar GRC
Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs surrounding the Central Area of Singapore. There are four wards in the GRC: Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng, Kolam Ayer, Wham ...
*
Tham Yew Chin, writer and
Cultural Medallion
The Cultural Medallion is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film. It is widely recognized as Singapore's pinnacle arts award.
Histor ...
winner
*
Xiaxue
Cheng Yan Yan Wendy (born Cheng Yan Yan; 28 April 1984), better known by her pseudonym Xiaxue, is a Singaporean blogger and online television personality who writes about her life, fashion and local issues in a provocative style. Her main blog ...
, blogger and online television personality
Gallery
File:RiverValleyHigh (2).png, River Valley High School RV Spirit Sculpture.
File:RiverValleyHigh (3).png, Classroom block of River Valley High School.
File:RiverValleyHigh (4).png, Auditorium (明辉堂) of River Valley High School.
File:River Valley High School Hostel.jpg, River Valley High School Hostel building, taken in 2014.
See also
*
Education in Singapore
Education in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education (MOE). It controls the development and administration of state schools receiving taxpayers' funding, but also has an advisory and supervisory role in respect of private schools. Fo ...
*
Special Assistance Plan
The Special Assistance Plan (SAP; ) is a programme in Singapore introduced in 1979 which caters to academically strong students who excel in both their mother tongue as well as English. It is available only in selected primary and secondary school ...
*
Integrated Program
References
External links
School Website
{{Authority control
Secondary schools in Singapore
Autonomous schools in Singapore
Boarding schools in Singapore
Schools offering Integrated Programme in Singapore
Educational institutions established in 1956
Boon Lay
1956 establishments in Malaya