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 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 Exa ...

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

(RI). The precursor to RGS opened in the RI campus of

Bras Basah Road Bras Basah Road () is a one-way road in Singapore in the planning areas of Museum and Downtown Core. The road starts at the junction of Orchard Road and Handy Road, at the ERP gantry towards the Central Business District, and ends at the junc ...

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 The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...

, 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 use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

, singer and actress * Beatrice Chia, actress and director *

Annabel Chong Grace Quek (), known professionally as Annabel Chong, is a Singaporean former pornographic actress who became famous after starring in an adult film that was promoted as the ''World's Biggest Gang Bang''. The film was commercially successful ...

, former pornographic actress *

Chua Sock Koong Chua Sock Koong (born 14 September 1957) is the former CEO of Singtel, having held this position from April 2007 to December 2020. Education Chua completed her education at Raffles Girls School and Raffles Institution. Chua holds a Bachelor o ...

, 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 Joanna Dong Ziyan (; born 15 November 1981 in Singapore) is a Singaporean singer, actress and host. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she is the first artiste signed to Singapore label, Red Roof Records. Early life and education The only child of divo ...

, singer, actress and television host * Faizah Jamal, legal academic and former nominated member of parliament *

Intan Azura Mokhtar Intan Azura binte Mokhtar ( Jawi: اينتن ازورا بنت مختار; born 27 June 1976) is a former Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Jalan Kayu div ...

, 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 Amy Khor Lean Suan ( zh, s=许连碹, p=Xǔ Liánxuàn; born 23 February 1958) is a Malaysian-born Singaporean former politician who has served as Senior Minister of State for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the E ...

, former member of parliament for Hong Kah North SMC *

Stella Kon Stella Kon (''née'' Lim Sing Po, born 1944) is a Singaporean playwright. She is best known for her play ''Emily of Emerald Hill'', which has been staged internationally. She is a recipient of the SEA Write Award. Biography Kon was born in Ed ...

, playwright best known for her play "

Emily of Emerald Hill ''Emily of Emerald Hill'' (''Emily'') is a play by Singaporean playwright Stella Kon. The play won the Singapore National Playwriting Competition in 1983. Premise In 1929, fourteen-year-old Emily arrives at Oberon Mansion, the Gan family home ...

" *

Lee Choo Neo Lee Choo Neo (; 7 September 1895 – 7 September 1947) was the first female medical doctor to practice in Singapore. Her father, Lee Hoon Leong, was a merchant of Hakka descent. Her mother was her father's second wife, Mak Hup Sin, who was of ...

, 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 Lim Hwee Hua ( Tan; zh, s=陈惠华, p=Chén Huìhuá; born 26 February 1959) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for Transport concurrent ...

, first female

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

minister in Singapore *

Corrinne May Corrinne May (born Corrinne Foo May Ying; 19 January 1973) is a Singaporean musician, singer, and songwriter. Life and career She graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and began her career as a singer-songwriter in Los Angeles ...

, singer-songwriter *

Denise Phua Denise Phua Lay Peng (;Denise Phua Lay Peng
, Candidate Profiles, People's Ac ...

, member of parliament for

Jalan Besar GRC Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs along with the Central Area of Singapore. The Jalan Besar GRC is the electoral division representing the largest a ...

Judith Prakash Judith Evelyn Jyothi Prakash (née de Cruz; born 19 December 1951) is a Singaporean judge in the Supreme Court. Her brother is ambassador Simon Tensing de Cruz and she is married to Jaya Prakash, a noted independent arbitrator and mediator. Pra ...

, 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 Rahayu binte Mahzam ( Jawi: رحايو مهزم; born 21 July 1980) is a Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been serving as Minister of State for Health and Minister of State for Communication ...

, Member of Parliament for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC *

Sim Ann Sim Ann ( zh, s=沈颖, p=Shěn Yǐng; born 12 March 1975) is a Singaporean politician and former civil servant who has been serving as Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs since 2025 and Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs sinc ...

, member of parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC *

Siow Lee Chin Siow Lee Chin (; born 1966) is a Singaporean violinist. Featured in the ''American Record Guide'' as "a distinguished cultural asset of international stature", and '' The Strad'' as a "trailblazing role model for string players", Siow's Gold M ...

, 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 Carrie Tan Huimin ( zh, s=陈浍敏, p=Chén Huìmǐn; born 11 April 1982) is a Singaporean businesswoman and retired politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the ...

, former member of parliament for

Nee Soon GRC The Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the north region of Singapore. The GRC was established in 2011. The GRC includes most of Yishun town, the private residential areas alon ...

Margaret Leng Tan Margaret Leng Tan () is a classical music artist known for her work as a professional toy pianist, performing in major cities around the world on her 51 cm-high toy pianos. She is also known to be a classical music performer using unconventio ...

, pianist *

Tan Pin Pin Tan Pin Pin (, born 1969) is a Singapore-based film director. She is best known for the documentary film ''Singapore GaGa'' (2005). It was the first Singaporean documentary to have a theatrical run. In 2014, her documentary '' To Singapore, Wit ...

, film-maker * Tang Pui Wah, Singapore's first female Olympian * Tay Kewei, singer-songwriter and founder of Sparkle Life Music *

Jackie Yi-Ru Ying Jackie Yi-Ru Ying (born 30 April 1966) is a Taiwanese-born American nanotechnology scientist based in Singapore. She is the founding executive director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN). Early life and education Ying was ...

, nanotechnology scientist *

Emma Yong Emma Yong Oi-Mun (楊愛曼, 20 January 1975 – 2 May 2012) was a Singaporean actress and singer. She was an actress for MediaCorp from the late 1990s until her death. She appeared in the film, '' The Blue Mansion'', in 2009 and she was in ...

, 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 Mariam binte Jaafar ( Jawi: مريم بنت جعفر; born 8 February 1977) is a Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the 14th Parliament of Singapore, Member of Parliament (MP) representing ...

, 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 Girls' School (Secondary) website

Raffles Institution website

Raffles 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