Swiss Cottage Secondary School

Swiss Cottage Secondary School started in 1962[5] with about 200 pupils, housed at Raffles Institution in Bras Basah Road as the school building along Dunearn Road was still under construction. In July 1963, students and staff moved into a new school premises at Swiss Cottage Estate (along Dunearn Road), which officially opened in November 1963, with an enrollment of about 870 pupils in two media, namely English and Malay.[6] In 1966, the then Minister of Law and National Development, Mr E.W. Barker, described Swiss Cottage as one of the foremost integrated schools in Singapore.

In 1991, the school relocated from Dunearn Road to its current Bukit Batok campus. In 1997, Swiss Cottage was ranked top 19 in Singapore.[7]

The crest is headed by five stars which symbolise Equality, Peace, Progress, Justice and Democracy. These are ideals on which a brotherhood of persons can be built. Below, there is a torch which signifies the light of knowledge and the love of learning. Encompassing it are the five rings symbolising sports and the part they play to link persons together. The five horizontal bands denote the five houses as rivals in competition but steadfast in fraternity.[9]

Swiss Cottage's uniform consists of a white collard shirt with an embroidered crest and long white trousers for all male students, and a white blouse with an embroidered crest and turquoise-blue 4-pleated skirt for female students. [10]

For official functions, students representing the school would wear a turquoise blazer, with a white long-sleeved shirt with long white trousers for males, and a long-sleeved blouse with a pleated white skirt for females. A turquoise tie is worn and formal dress shoes are worn for males, and court shoes for females.

Swiss Cottage Secondary School became one of the six Community Youth Leadership (CYL) schools in Singapore in 2014. To effect the CYL function well, we developed the distinctive Thoughtful Leadership Programme (TLP). The TLP is also the Learning for Life (LLP) curriculum that propels the Thoughtful Leadership focus. It is one of the two Distinctive Programmes (the second being the Applied Sciences for Sustainable Development Programme) of the school.

The Applied Sciences programme was developed and launched in 2014 to educate our youths about sustainable development. The programme provides a platform for students to develop knowledge and confidence about their potential roles in helping to ensure our future.

Started in 2014, the Enhanced Citizenship Programme complements the school’s Humanities Programme and enlivens the outcomes of Character and Citizenship Education by tapping on multiple platforms. The study of Conservation that the programme puts a sharp focus on helps students to navigate the balance between rootedness and openness in an age of globalization and modernity.

Swiss Cottage Secondary School is one of the 28 secondary schools selected by the Ministry of Education to start piloting aspects of Full Subject-Based Banding (abbreviation: SBB) from 2020 onwards. With Full SBB, the school is moving towards one secondary education, with many subject bands, to better meet students’ learning needs, without labels. This is part of the broader shift in the education system to recognise the strengths and interests of students, to help them build their confidence and develop an intrinsic motivation to learn for life in them.[13]

Student are enrolled through the Direct School Admission (Abbreviation: DSA) or the Joint Admissions Exercise (Abbreviation: JAE). Swiss Cottage's cut-off point for the Express Stream has consistently been within the 235-240 range, making it one of the top 40 secondary schools in Singapore. Swiss Cottage does not have affiliations with other schools or institutions.