| St. Margaret's Secondary School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 111 Farrer Road, Singapore, 259240 Singapore |
|
| Information | |
| Motto | Charity, Patience and Devotion |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christian |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Founded | 1842 |
| Founder | Maria Dyer |
| Principal | Marion Tan |
| Vice principal | Yip-Chang Wai Fong |
| School Colour(s) | Green, white |
| Revenue | $1,114,000 (2005)[1] |
| Website | http://www.stmargaretssec.moe.edu.sg/ |
St. Margaret’s Secondary School (SMSS) is an autonomous government-aided girls’ secondary school in Singapore. It is the first girls’ school in Singapore and is often regarded as the oldest existing girls’ school in the Far East. It is affiliated with St. Margaret's Primary School (SMPS) and Saint Andrew's Junior College (SAJC), and is under the purview of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore.
It was known first as the Chinese Girls’ School, then as the Church of England Zenana Missionary (C.E.Z.M.) School in Singapore, before being renamed St. Margaret’s School. The secondary section split from the primary in 1960 when it moved to its present location at Farrer Road.
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The school's crest is a green background crossed by a white band running from upper left to lower right, with a white cross in the upper-right quadrant.
The school was founded in 1842 by Maria Dyer and her husband, who were travelling from Malacca to China. On arriving in Singapore they were horrified by the sale of young girls as slaves and Dyer was granted permission from the Governor to start a school for young children, under the care of the London Missionary Society. Children were taught English, Christian religious education and domestic skills.[2] The children in the school were mostly of mixed Chinese-Malay blood.[3] As children were removed from slavery by the government and placed in St. Margarets, the school's leadership was threatened by the children's former owners. The school also faced cultural barriers to acceptance as society at the time did not support the education of women.
In 1900 the school was taken over by the Church of England Zenanah Missionary Society and renamed the CEZMS school, expanding the curriculum and adding a science lab in 1928. The school survived through the Second World War despite damage from bombs, and after the war the name was changed to St. Margaret's School.[2] In 1957 the school began plans to open a separate building for secondary students, and in 1960 it was officially opened.
From 1998 to 2000 St. Margaret's was located at temporary headquarters as the site was renovated, officially re-opening in July, 2002.[2] The school achieved the School Distinction Award in 2009. St. Margaret was awarded the status of autonomous school by the Ministry of Education from 2009.
The school uniform is a white and polka-dot top, a knee-length dark green skirt, a school tie, shorts, white shoes with small logos in black, dark blue or dark green. A name tag is worn. The only jacket allowed is the black school jacket, and earrings are restricted to plain studs of green, white, black, gold or silver. .[4]. [5]