Raffles Girls' School (RGS) is an independent girls' secondary school located in
Braddell,
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
. Established in 1879, it is one of the oldest schools in Singapore. RGS, together with its affiliated school
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both b ...
, offers a six-year
Raffles Programme, 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 Ex ...
examinations and proceed to take the
Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examinations at the end of Year 6.
The school was recognised by the
Ministry of Education
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 2006 by being awarded the School Excellence Award (recognising schools with 'exemplary school processes and practices'), among other awards.
It was a member of
Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia
The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (abbreviated as AGSA) is a non-profit organisation that promotes the education of girls in single-sex girls' schools, and promotes the image of, and support the development of, girls' schools in Australa ...
.
History
Before RGS became a school in its own right, it existed as a section of
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both b ...
(RI).
The precursor to RGS opened in the RI campus of
Bras Basah Road on 4 March 1844 with 11 students, five day-scholars and six boarders, who were clothed, fed and instructed by the RI management. The demand for education grew and in 1847, the school moved to RI's eastern wing, extending towards Bras Basah Road.
Edmund Augustus Blundell, the Governor of the
Straits Settlement, described the school as "a female school designed for the education and religious training of the children of poor
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
parents" in 1855. In 1871, the school moved into a house, the George Family's Old Mansion at the corner of Bras Basah Road. In 1879, the school separated from RI and M. Nelson was appointed the school's first headmistress. Together with three assistants, she ran the school which had an enrolment of 77. Since then, 1879 has been officially regarded as the year of the founding of RGS.
On 21 October 2019, RGS moved from Anderson Road, where it had been located since 1959, to its new campus at
Braddell Rise, located opposite RI.
School culture and identity
Uniform

The usual school uniform is a belted, deep blue pinafore and a white collared blouse.
Awards and accolades
A group of four students from RGS emerged Champion at the Kids' Lit Quiz 2018, and represented Singapore in New Zealand in July that year.
Joseph Toh Kim Leng won the Teaching Award in 2016, which honours outstanding teachers of English language, English literature and General Paper in Singapore.
Jodie Lai, a 2015 Optimist World Championships Under-15 champion, was conferred the title of Best Sportsgirl for sailing at the 46th Singapore Schools Sports Council (SSSC) Colours Awards in 2016.
Students from the school have won the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition.
Notable alumnae
*
Ang Swee Chai, orthopaedic surgeon and co-founder of
Medical Aid for Palestinians
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) is a British charitable organization, charity that offers medical services in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Gaza and Lebanon, and advocates for Palestinians' rights to health and dignity. It is in List of organiza ...
*
Kit Chan, singer and actress
*
Beatrice Chia, actress and director
*
Annabel Chong, former pornographic actress
*
Chua Sock Koong, former
SingTel
Singapore Telecommunications Limited, trading as Singtel, is a Singaporean telecommunications conglomerate, the country's principal fixed-line operator and one of the four major mobile network operators operating in the country.
Overview
T ...
group chief executive officer
*
Joanna Dong, singer, actress and television host
*
Faizah Jamal, legal academic and former nominated member of parliament
*
Intan Azura Mokhtar, former member of parliament for
Ang Mo Kio GRC
The Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the North-East Region, Singapore, North-East Region of Singapore. It has 5 wards: Teck Ghee, Buangkok–Fernvale South, Seletar–Ser ...
*
Amy Khor, former member of parliament for
Hong Kah North SMC
*
Stella Kon, playwright best known for her play "
Emily of Emerald Hill"
*
Lee Choo Neo, first female medical practitioner in Singapore
*
Jane Lee, first woman from Southeast Asia to scale the
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. On 30 April 1985, Richard Bass became the first climber to reach the summit of all seven.
In January 2023, ''Climbing (magazine), Climbing'' said "Today, t ...
*
Lee Tzu Pheng, award-winning poet
*
Lim Hwee Hua, first female
Cabinet minister in Singapore
*
Corrinne May, singer-songwriter
*
, member of parliament for
Jalan Besar GRC
*
Judith Prakash, first female judge in the
Court of Appeal
An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...
*
Quah Ting Wen
Quah Ting Wen (born 18 August 1992) is a Singaporean professional swimmer who specialises in butterfly, freestyle and individual medley events. She is currently representing DC Trident at the International Swimming League.
Education
Quah ...
, national swimmer
*
Rahayu Mahzam, Member of Parliament for
Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC
*
Sim Ann, member of parliament for
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
*
Siow Lee Chin, violinist
*
Stefanie Sun
Stefanie Sun Yanzi (; born Sng Ee Tze; 23 July 1978) is a Singaporean singer and songwriter. Known for her Ballad, ballads and girl next door image, Sun made her debut with the album ''Yan Zi (album), Yan Zi'' in 2000. Featuring the single "Cl ...
, singer-songwriter
*
Leaena Tambyah, founder of Singapore's first school for children with multiple disabilities
*
Carrie Tan, former member of parliament for
Nee Soon GRC
*
Margaret Leng Tan, pianist
*
Tan Pin Pin, film-maker
*
Tang Pui Wah, Singapore's first female Olympian
*
Tay Kewei, singer-songwriter and founder of Sparkle Life Music
*
Jackie Yi-Ru Ying, nanotechnology scientist
*
Emma Yong, actress
*
Zhang Jingna, photographer and
Forbes 30 Under 30
''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists published annually by ''Forbes'' magazine since 2011 consisting of 30 notable people under 30 years old in various industries. The American list consists of 600 people, with 30 selected in each of 20 sect ...
Asia honoree
*
Mariam Jaafar, member of parliament for
Sembawang GRC
The Sembawang Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) located in the North Region, Singapore, northern area of Singapore. The GRC has five divisions: Sembawang Central, Naval Base, Woodlands, Ad ...
References
External links
*
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both b ...
Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) websiteRaffles Institution websiteRaffles Institution (Secondary)Raffles Institution (Junior College)Raffles Programme website
{{Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia schools, state=collapsed
Secondary schools in Singapore
Independent schools in Singapore
Schools offering Integrated Programme in Singapore
Educational institutions established in 1879
Orchard, Singapore
Girls' schools in Singapore
Schools in Central Region, Singapore
1879 establishments in Singapore