Meridian Secondary School

Meridian Secondary School
美廉中学
Sekolah Menengah Meridian
Address
31 Pasir Ris Street 51 518901
Pasir Ris
Singapore
Information
Type Government/Co-educational
Motto Unite to Reach New Heights
Established 1999 (as Coral Sec)
2017 (as Meridian Sec)
Session Single Session
School code 3076
Principal Mrs Hilda Thong
Website meridiansec.moe.edu.sg

Meridian Secondary School is a government co-educational secondary school in Pasir Ris, Singapore. It was merger between 2 secondary schools - Coral Secondary and Siglap Secondary in 2017.

History

Coral Secondary School (1999-2016)

Coral Secondary School opened in January 1999 with 6 Secondary one classes (3 classes of Express; 2 classes of Normal [Academic] and 1 class of Normal [Technical]). The initial staff comprised 17 teaching staff and 8 support staff. The school began its lessons at Siglap Secondary School and moved to its new premises on 15 November 1999. RAdm Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, officially opened it on 19 May 2001.

The original name of the school in Chinese is a literal translation of the word 'coral'. However, it had been changed to 'Yunhai', which can be interpreted and written in two versions: the original or the simplified form. The original version literally means cloud and sea. It is believed that corals grow well in the sea with a cloudy sky. The Chinese characters emphasises the importance of tradition and culture as well as the beauty of art and music. Hence, the school has adopted the original version of the interpretation of 'coral'.

Siglap Secondary School (1955-2016)

Siglap Secondary School (Abbreviation: SSS) was Singapore's first co-educational secondary school, was also among one of the first schools in Singapore to offer Malay-medium secondary classes.[1][2] The school was founded in 1955 and shifted from its original location of Cheviot Hill in Siglap to its current location of Pasir Ris in the eastern part of Singapore.[3]

In 2000, the school moved from its old campus at Siglap Road to the new premises at Pasir Ris. The newer campus included upgraded facilities to hold more classes in a morning session and became a single-session school in the same year.[4]

Merger as Meridian Secondary School

In December 2015, the Ministry of Education announced that due to lack of demand, Siglap Secondary School would not receive a new cohort of Secondary 1 students in 2016.[5] This was followed by an announcement in March 2016 that Siglap Secondary School would be merged with Coral Secondary School from January 2017 onwards.[6] The school was renamed to Meridian Secondary School with the absorbing of Siglap Secondary School.[6]

Identity & culture

Motto

The motto of Meridian Secondary School is "Unite to Reach New Heights". This is a reflection of the spirit of the two predecessor schools, Siglap Secondary (with the motto "Sagex et Audax" (in Latin) which meant Wisdom and Courage) and Coral Secondary.

Uniform

The school uniform consists of a polo tee bearing the school colours and navy blue skirts for girls and pants for boys. Additionally, girls can opt to wear shorts under their skirts to prevent their panties from being seen.

Academic information

Being a government secondary school, Meridian Secondary School offers three academic streams, namely the four-year Express course, as well as the Normal Course, comprising Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) academic tracks.

O Level Express Course

The Express Course is a nationwide four-year programme that leads up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination.[7]

Academic subjects

The examinable academic subjects for Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level offered by the school for upper secondary level (via. streaming in secondary 2 level), as of 2017, are listed below.[8]

Notes:

  1. Subjects indicated with ' * ' are mandatory subjects.
  2. All students in Singapore are required to undertake a Mother Tongue Language as an examinable subject, as indicated by ' ^ '.
  3. "SPA" in Pure Science subjects refers to the incorporation of School-based Science Practical Assessment, which 20% of the subject result in the national examination are determined by school-based practical examinations, supervised by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board. The SPA Assessment has been replaced by one Practical Assessment in the 2018 O Levels.[9]
Sciences Language & Humanities Arts & Aesthetics
  • Additional Mathematics*
  • Mathematics*
  • Physics (SPA)
  • Chemistry (SPA)*
  • Biology (SPA)
  • Science (Combined)
  • English Language*
  • English Literature
  • Mother Tongue Language* ^
  • Higher Mother Tongue Language
  • Geography
  • History
  • Combined Humanities (Social Studies & another Humanities subject at elective level)*
  • Art
  • Design & Technology
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Music

Normal Course

The Normal Course is a nationwide 4-year programme leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination, which runs either the Normal (Academic) curriculum or Normal (Technical) curriculum, abbreviated as N(A) and N(T) respectively.[10]

Normal (Academic) Course

In the Normal (Academic) course, students offer 5-8 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination.Compulsory subjects include:[11]

  • English Language
  • Mother Tongue Language
  • Mathematics
  • Combined Humanities

A 5th year leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination is available to N(A) students who perform well in their Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Students can move from one course to another based on their performance and the assessment of the school principal and teachers.[10]

Normal (Technical) Course

The Normal (Technical) course prepares students for a technical-vocational education at the Institute of Technical Education.[11] Students will offer 5-7 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination.[11] The curriculum is tailored towards strengthening students’ proficiency in English and Mathematics.[11] Students take English Language, Mathematics, Basic Mother Tongue and Computer Applications as compulsory subjects.[11]

Notable alumni

Coral Secondary School

  • Justin Chua: Singer; Male Runner-up of Project SuperStar (season 3), Mediacorp TV Channel U

Siglap Secondary School

  • The Siglap Five: Popular pop band in Singapore in the 1960s.

References

  1. ↑ "Sang Nila Utama Secondary School". National Library Board. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Siglap Secondary at Cheviot Hill, Official Opening - 14 March 1955". Siglap Alumni. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  3. ↑ "SPEECH BY RADM TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF SIGLAP SECONDARY SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAY 5 JULY 2000 @ 6.45 PM AT 10 PASIR RIS DRIVE 10". Ministry of Education, Singapore. July 5, 2000.
  4. ↑ "SPEECH BY RADM TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF SIGLAP SECONDARY SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAY 5 JULY 2000 @ 6.45 PM AT 10 PASIR RIS DRIVE 10". Ministry of Education, Singapore. July 5, 2000.
  5. ↑ "No Secondary One intake for 7 schools next year". Today. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  6. 1 2 Yuen Sin (4 March 2016). "Ministry of Education to merge 22 secondary schools into 11 schools by 2018". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Express Course Curriculum". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  8. ↑ "School Information Service". Ministry of Education, Singapore. Ministry of Education, Singapore. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "GCE O-Level Syllabuses Examined in 2018". Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB). Retrieved 2017-04-16.
  10. 1 2 "Secondary School Courses". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Normal Course Curriculum". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
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