| Victoria School 维多利亚学校 Sekolah Victoria விக்டோரியா பள்ளி |
|
|---|---|
|
Nil Sine Labore
Nothing Without Labour |
|
| Location | |
| 2 Siglap Link Singapore 448880 Marine Parade, |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Autonomous, Government |
| Established | 1876 |
| Session | Single session |
| School code | 3014 |
| Principal | Mr Andrew Lim Boon Kong |
| Enrolment | 1600+ |
| Colour(s) | Yellow and Red |
| Website | http://vs.moe.edu.sg |
Victoria School (abbreviation VS) is Singapore's second government secondary school. The all-boys school, founded in 1876, is located at Siglap Link. It is about one kilometre from affiliated Victoria Junior College and a very short walk from East Coast Park.
Previous campuses of Victoria School include the Syed Alwi and Tyrwhitt Road sites. The Syed Alwi site is featured on the back of Singapore's S$2 banknote. See Singapore Portrait Series currency notes. The Tyrwhitt Road site was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in 2007 and was awarded URA's Heritage Award in 2009. [1][2] [3]
Victoria School had its beginnings in an English class formed in Kampong Glam Malay School in 1876. Kampong Glam Malay Branch School was then established with twelve Malay boys. The school enrolment grew but the school provided poor shelter from the weather and was often flooded.
In 1897, the enrolment recorded was 122, and the school's first football team was formed by the school principal, F.W. Hartley.
The school moved to new premises at Syed Alwi, near the Victoria Bridge. The school was renamed Victoria Bridge School.
The first annual sports meet was held in 1915 and the first annual Speech Day the following year.
The National Cadet Corps (NCC) was formed in 1918. Scouting was first started in the school when the 5th Singapore (HQ Malay) Troop was formed in 1919.[4]
By 1920, the school enrolment was 733.
A library was built in 1929 with a donation of $1000 by Mr A.M. Alsagoff.
The House system was introduced in 1929 and House prefects were appointed in 1930.
Until 1930, the school had only primary classes. It became the second government secondary school in Singapore in 1931.
In 1932, the school moved to Tyrwhitt Road, off Jalan Besar, and was renamed Victoria School in 1933.
In 1940, the school motto, 'Nil Sine Labore', was adopted.
During the Japanese Occupation from 1941 to 1945, Victoria School was renamed Jalan Besar Boys' School by the Japanese authorities. The medium of instruction was Japanese, and the teaching of English was said to be forbidden.
In 1950, the first-ever school science and laboratories block in Singapore was built in VS. It was designed by the school principal, R.F. Bomford.
In 1951, Post-School Certificate (present-day GCE 'A' Level) classes were started, and for the first time, girls were admitted into VS. Secondary one to four classes remained boys-only. The school anthem was composed in the same year.
In 1955, the school recorded a 99.5% pass rate at the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate Examinations (present-day GCE 'O' Levels), making it the top school in Singapore.
In 1957, the school had the best results in Singapore for the University Entrance Examinations.
In 1984, VS became one of the first two secondary schools to offer the Art Elective Programme.
With the setting-up of Victoria Junior College in 1984, VS ended its Pre-University intake, and the last batch of Pre-University students sat for the GCE 'A' Level Examinations in November 1985.
The Tyrwhitt Road site was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in 2007. It is one of the few early city-centre schools still in existence and features two school buildings from the pre- and post-war period on a single site. The Hall-cum-Canteen Block is the only known school hall left of this style and configuration in Singapore. The site was awarded the URA's Heritage Award in 2009.
The school moved to the Geylang Bahru campus in 1984.[5]
In 1993 the Minister for Education, Lee Yock Suan, announced that Victoria School would be one of the first six schools to receive autonomous status. This followed the Ministry of Education's decision not to grant independent status to any more secondary schools. VS had applied for the school to go independent in 1991.
In 1994, the school was placed sixth in the Ministry of Education's ST Ranking for all secondary schools in Singapore, based on academic results.
The ceremonial move in 2003 to the new campus at Siglap Link[6] was attended by President S R Nathan, an old boy of VS.
The cost of construction of the new campus, which consists of the school and hostel, was almost S$40 million dollars. A new indoor sports hall costing S$5 million dollars was added in 2009.
The campus was selected to participate at the 9th International Architecture Exhibition at Venice, Italy.[7]
In 2008, Victoria School became the first school in Singapore to offer Physical Education as a GCE 'O' Level subject.[8] It also became one of the four secondary schools in Singapore to offer the Regional Studies Programme.[9]
Victoria School started offering the Integrated Programme together with Cedar Girls' Secondary School and Victoria Junior College in 2012.[10]
A Victorian is ultimately a Gentleman, a Professional and a Sportsman who makes tangible contributions to his family, work, community and nation.
A premier school recognised for its rich tradition of excellence, and its ability to groom upright and balanced individuals with leadership qualities. The school is dedicated to instilling in Victorians a spirit of achievement, and nurturing them into becoming innovative and respectable leaders.
The open book symbolizes lifelong learning. The torch symbolizes truth and the passing on of a tradition. It also illuminates the way of Victorians who venture forth to excel beyond the shores of Singapore.
Yellow stands for dignity and excellence. Red symbolizes brotherhood and equality.
Nil Sine Labore, a Latin expression meaning "Nothing Without Labour", i.e. nothing is achieved without work.
The Victoria School uniform is worn at all times, apart from the maroon blazer which is worn only during formal events. It consists of a white short-sleeved shirt, with either khaki short trousers (for secondary 1 and 2 students) or white long trousers (for secondary 3 and 4 students). A label bearing VICTORIA is sewn on the back pockets of the trousers. Secondary 3 and 4 students wear a black school belt with the school motto engraved on the buckle.
The school socks are white with the initials VS in red on both sides. Shoes have to be at least 70% white. In 2005, an official 'Victoria School' shoe bearing the letters VS on each side was introduced.
Victorians wear a maroon striped tie every Monday and on formal occasions. The school badge is worn above the left chest pocket. Student bodies such as the Prefectorial Board, Peer Support Board and Monitors' Council have their own badges, but the school crest remains the main feature of the badges.
For physical activities and camps, students wear a bright yellow T-shirt with black trim, black shorts and white socks (PE kit). VICTORIAN is printed on the back of the T-shirt. Around 2009, the school adopted a dri-fit material for its T-shirts, making it more comfortable and at the same time preventing their bright yellow colour from fading. Additionally, a back pocket was added to the PE shorts.
Each house has its own running vest (singlet) in the house colours. These are yellow (Rochore), blue (Kallang), green (Kapor), purple (Whampoa) and red (Glam). It is worn during competitive athletic events.
Students, teachers and the principal are referred to and addressed as "Victorians" or "Gentlemen". Victorians are expected to address all male teachers as 'Sir' and female teachers as 'Ma'am'.
The Victoria School student demographic largely reflects that of Singapore as a whole, with a substantial number of ASEAN (South-east Asian), People's Republic of China (PRC) and A*STAR scholars in its midst who reside in the school's hostel, Victoria Hall.[11]
Victoria in Singapore
There are other schools we know
Victoria is something more
The school that watch'd us grow
For here we've learnt and striven too
And played the sportsman's game
Victoria we give to you
The honour that you claim
Victoria thy sons are we
And we will not forget
Victoria thy triumphs see
And victories we share yet
For others came before and went
And carried to the world
Victoria's fame and our intent to
Keep her flag unfurled.
Lyrics by J A Fraser
Music by W E Meyer
Note: The anthem, composed in 1951, was slightly amended in 1987, with the establishment of Victoria Junior College. The word 'School' after 'Victoria' in the lines of the first two paragraphs was dropped. 'Victoria' in these lines is now being sung as 'Vic-to-ri-a' instead of 'Vic-to-ria School'.
The Victoria School Peer Support Board (VSPSB) serves as a friend and facilitator to new students and helps ease the transition from primary to secondary school life.
Intake is at the end of the second year where applicants will be screened in an interview and two training camps, one of which is known as the VELOCI-T Camp.
Peer Support Leaders (PSLs), as members of the board are known, also have roles in both intra- and inter-school activities, helping to facilitate the smooth running of events. They attend the "Victoria Enhanced Leadership/Outdoor Camp Instructor Training Camp", otherwise known as VELOCI-T. PSLs, much like prefects, also regulate discipline to an extent.
Outside school, the executive committee of the PSB has been involved in the 1st ASEAN Youth Convention, both as team members and as liaison officers.
The Prefectorial Board organises school events and helps regulate school discipline, and is the highest student authority in the school. The board is led by a Head Prefect and two Deputy Head Prefects. These three positions are chosen annually by students and teaching staff of the school through an online voting process.[12]
The Prefectorial Board has three departments: Response, Outreach and Inspectorate. The Response department is in charge of the discipline of the students. The Outreach department is in charge of the welfare of the students as well as the prefects. The Inspectorate department is responsible for the Prefectorial Board's internal affairs. Heads and Deputy Heads are chosen from the other Secondary 3 students to form the EXCO (executive committee).
The Prefectorial Board takes in students during the 1st and 2nd year of studies in Victoria School. Students nominated by teachers or CCA leader attend an interview. Selected students serve their probation period as prefects until the Student Leader's Investiture where they are invested.
As part of the school's leadership training program, all prefects in Secondary 2 attend the Victoria Enhanced Leadership/Outdoor Camp Instructor Training Camp.
The Monitors' Council acts as a bridge of communication or dissemination of information between the School Administration, the various student bodies, and students.
The five houses are Kallang, Kapor, Whampoa, Glam and Rochore. They are most active during the inter-house games such as football, as well as during the school's annual Sports Day and annual cross-country championship.
VS publishes a biannual newsletter called the Victoriana, which was first published in 1982. The editorial board consists of teachers and students from the school's Media Club.
The Victorian Spirit, a sense of pride in the school, live on in the Victorian even many years after he has left the school.[13][14]
Victoria School offers the Integrated Programme, GCE 'O' Levels Physical Education Programme, Art Elective Programme, Regional Studies Programme, and Higher Mother Tongue Languages in Chinese, Malay and Tamil. VS students may also enrol in the Music Elective Programme in Secondary Three, or a third language (French/German/Japanese). However, these lessons are held at external venues. VS students of foreign languages take part in the Ministry of Education Language Centre's (MOELC) month-long Study-cum-Immersion Programmes (SCIP) in countries such as France, Germany and Japan.
Victoria-Cedar Alliance Integrated Programme (VCA IP) is an Integrated Programme (IP) which allow VS students to skip the GCE 'O' Levels and take the GCE "A" levels. The students complete their secondary education in VS before joining Victoria Junior College in Year 5.
VS started offering the IP together with Cedar Girls' Secondary School and Victoria Junior College from 2012, thus placing VS on equal footing with other IP schools such as Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Institution.
In 2008, Victoria School became the first school in Singapore to offer Physical Education (PE) at GCE 'O' Levels, gaining the Ministry of Education's approval in 2006. The course involve both theoretical and practical aspects, including modules on weight training, football, hockey, and cross-country running, among others.
Students take the 'O' Levels theory exam at the end of the course (i.e. November of the graduating year). This exam contributes 40% of their overall grade, the other 60% coming from the practical component, assessed over a period of time.
In order to better acquaint students with the style of GCE PE lessons, PE Theory lessons are also conducted in lower secondary classes, as an examinable subject. The selection process for GCE 'O'-Level PE candidates is carried out towards the end of Secondary Two, and pupils whose applications have been approved by the PE department are notified prior to the subject combination allocation process at the end of the school year.
The Art Elective Programme leads to the GCE 'O' Levels Higher Art examination. The AEP is offered to academically good students with talents in art. For lower secondary classes, the AEP class is not entirely made up of AEP students, thus half of the class will be taking their AEP lessons while the other half will have Home Economics or Design & Technology classes. For upper secondary classes, AEP lessons are conducted after normal school hours.
Students in the RSP take Bahasa Indonesia as a third language, and learn about Southeast Asian culture and contemporary society. The curriculum includes overseas immersion programmes and structured enrichment modules spread throughout the course.
VECTORS is a school-based talent programme aimed at nurturing students who demonstrate high abilities with Mathematics and Science. Students are given a wide range of opportunities to learn beyond the curriculum. The programme also provide students with the opportunity to participate in enrichment modules at junior colleges, polytechnics and universities, research mentorships and so on.
The school holds performing arts and sporting activities, with intra-school events such as the biennial Rhapsody, Drama Festival (Dramafest) and Evening of Music and Drama (EMD), as well as the annual Victoria School Sports Day and Cross-Country Championships.
Football is the most popular sport in VS. The Ambok Shield, started in 1927, was the first inter-school football competition in Singapore. VS won the Ambok Shield title in 1928, 1932 and 1933.[15][16] Victoria School was the first English school to break the dominance of Chinese schools in basketball by winning the national B Division Boys title in 1970. In 1970, half the Singapore national hockey team were former Victorians.[17] In 1978, the captains of the Singapore national teams for hockey, rugby and cricket were former Victoria School students, and a few others were in the national football team at the same time.
In 1940, Ali Ahmad broke the Singapore 100 yards sprint record which also equalled the Malayan record when he was still a schoolboy at Victoria School.[18] Lieutenant-Colonel Kesavan Soon, coached by Ali Ahmad, was Singapore's champion sprinter when still studying in VS and was Singapore's only schoolboy representative to the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.[19] In 1970, Fok Keng Choy broke the national shot put record and was its record-holder for almost 20 years;[20][21] and R. Alagirisamy became the first Singaporean to break the 4-minute barrier for the 1500 metres in 1972.[22]
VS contribution to Singapore football has included Choo Seng Quee, who is the only person who have coached the national football teams of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia; Dolfattah, the 1930s football legend and former Singapore football captain;[23] Abdul Rahman, another Singapore captain who played in a record nine Malaya Cup finals for Singapore from 1933 to 1950;[24][25] and Charlie Chan, who played for Singapore in the Malaya Cup when he was still a 17-year-old at VS.[26][27] Other Malaya Cup and Malaysia Cup football stars include Sharif Madon, Wee Seng Pah, Yong Chong Fatt, Eric Paine, Ho Kwang Hock, Ronnie Liew and E Shanmugaretnam. Football officials include former Football Association of Singapore chairman, Major Abbas Abu Amin, Dr Low Wing Kee, Dr Lau Teng Chuan and former national coach, Vincent Subramaniam.
Dr A. Vijiaratnam is the only Singaporean who had represented Singapore in four sports - hockey, cricket, football and rugby.[28] He later became the first Pro-Chancellor of Nanyang Technological University. Singapore national hockey captains include Victorians Harbhajan Singh Loomba, Lam Yin Koi and Hira Singh. S Yogarajah, known as 'Mr Hockey' in Singapore, was Singapore Hockey Federation's honorary secretary and national team selector for 29 years from 1950 to 1979.[29][30]
Stacey Muruthi became one of the youngest Singapore national cricket players at the age of 17 when still at VS in 1970. He went on to captain the national team from 1976 to 1986. [31]
Former national rugby coach and captain, Song Koon Poh, Sportsman of the Year in 1978, is another former VS student.[32]
Teo Ser Luck, an Ironman triathlete who represented Victoria School in football, cross-country, track and field and table tennis, became the second sportsman in Singapore to enter Parliament in 2006. He is now the Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, as well as the Mayor, North East Community Development Council.
Tan Wearn Haw, Sportsboy of the Year in 1992 and 1995, and a Public Service Commission (PSC) scholar, was the first Singaporean to win the Asian and ASEAN Optimist Championship. He became the youngest person to lead a national sports association in Singapore when he became CEO of the Singapore Sailing Federation at age 32 in 2011.
All four runners of the 4 x 100 metre relay team who a silver medal for Singapore at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games were former Victorians: Calvin Kang, Gary Yeo (both VS), Amirudin Jamal and Lee Cheng Wei (both VJC). So was one of the two reserves in the team, Lim Yao Peng (VJC).
Some of the Victoria School students who have represented Singapore in sporting competitions in recent years include:
In cross-country, VS has won 32 team titles since 1988, despite stiff competition as it is participated in by more than 100 schools in Singapore.[38] [39] See Victoria School Cross-country.
In the 2010 Schools Sports Colours Awards, Victoria School received 12 individual national colours awards, 14 individual zone colours awards and 14 team awards - the highest among the secondary schools in East Zone. VS students, Jeffrey Adam Lightfoot and Fung Junjie, won the inaugural Best Schoolboy Award for Football and Wushu respectively.[40] In 2011, Marcus Ng and Ryan Lo won the Best Schoolboy Award for Cross-Country and Sailing respectively.
| Sports | Year | East Zone - B Division | East Zone - C Division | National - B Division | National - C Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badminton | 2009 | Champion | Third | --- | --- |
| Badminton | 2010 | Champion | --- | --- | --- |
| Badminton | 2011 | --- | Fourth | --- | --- |
| Cross-Country | 2009 | No Competition | No Competition | Runner-up | Champion |
| Cross-Country | 2010 | No Competition | No Competition | Champion | Champion |
| Cross-Country | 2011 | No Competition | No Competition | Champion | Third |
| Cricket | 2009 | No Competition | No Competition | Runner-up | Third |
| Cricket | 2010 | No Competition | No Competition | Champion | Third |
| Cricket | 2011 | No Competition | No Competition | Third | Fourth |
| Floorball | 2009 | No Competition | No Competition | Runner-up | Champion |
| Floorball | 2010 | No Competition | No Competition | Runner-up | Third |
| Floorball | 2011 | No Competition | No Competition | Runner-up | Champion |
| Football | 2009 | Champion | Runner-up | Runner-up | Runner-up |
| Football | 2010 | --- | Third | --- | Runner-up |
| Football | 2011 | --- | Champion | --- | Runner-up |
| Hockey | 2009 | No Competition | No Competition | Third | Champion |
| Hockey | 2010 | No Competition | No Competition | Third | Third |
| Hockey | 2011 | No Competition | No Competition | Champion | --- |
| Sailing | 2009 | No Competition | No Competition | Fourth | --- |
| Sailing | 2010 | No Competition | No Competition | Fourth | Fourth |
| Sailing | 2011 | No Competition | No Competition | Third | Runner-up |
| Shooting - Air Pistol | 2009 | --- | Runner-up | --- | --- |
| Shooting - Air Pistol | 2010 | Third | Runner-up | --- | --- |
| Shooting - Air Pistol | 2011 | Fourth | Runner-up | --- | --- |
| Shooting - Air Rifle | 2009 | Fourth | Runner-up | --- | --- |
| Shooting - Air Rifle | 2010 | Fourth | --- | --- | --- |
| Shooting - Air Rifle | 2011 | Fourth | Fourth | --- | --- |
| Table-tennis | 2009 | Third | Third | --- | --- |
| Table-tennis | 2010 | Fourth | Fourth | --- | --- |
| Table-tennis | 2011 | Third | Champion | --- | Runner-up |
| Tennis | 2009 | No Competition | No Competition | Runner-up | --- |
| Tennis | 2010 | No Competition | No Competition | --- | Fourth |
| Tennis | 2011 | No Competition | No Competition | --- | --- |
| Track and Field | 2009 | No Competition | No Competition | --- | Runner-up |
| Track and Field | 2010 | No Competition | No Competition | --- | --- |
| Track and Field | 2011 | No Competition | No Competition | Fourth | Fourth |
| Volleyball | 2009 | Third | Champion | Fourth | Fourth |
| Volleyball | 2010 | Third | Champion | --- | Third |
| Volleyball | 2011 | Third | Third | --- | --- |
| Wushu | 2009 | No Competition | No Competition | --- | Third |
| Wushu | 2010 | No Competition | No Competition | --- | Third |
| Wushu | 2011 | No Competition | No Competition | Runner-up | --- |
Note: Sports like badminton, football, shooting, table-tennis and volleyball have zonal competitions because of the high number of schools participating.
Victoria School has six uniformed groups:
VS NCC (Land) won the Overall Best Unit Competition in consecutive years from 1981-1987 before the format of the competition was changed. Former VS NCC cadets include the Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces, LG Neo Kian Hong.
Victoria School Choir is one of the top school choirs in Singapore. In the biennial Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Choral Judging Competition, the school has always achieved a Gold with Honours award, except 2007, when they achieved a Gold award. It has also won gold medals in international choir competitions.
In The Straits Times National Schools Newspaper Competition, VS hold the best record among all the schools in Singapore, emerging as champions twice and runner-up three times since the competition was started in 2005.
On Youth Day, Victoria School boys attempt to 'paint the town yellow' as they go round nearby housing blocks in the neighbourhood collecting old newspapers and items for disposal. Residents are notified in advance about the collection. The boys are clad in their yellow PT kit so that they are easily identified.
Victoria School participates in the President's Challenge every year. In 2004, each class did a specific activity to raise funds for the charity. Activities included washing cars, going door-to-door to do household chores for a donation. In 2005, it held a watch design competition and the best designs were made into real watches and put on sale. In 2006, it sold small booklets containing the artworks of past and present Victorians.
Started in July 1987, the Victoria Challenge allows classes to identify tasks that will contribute to the school. The "challenge" itself is for classes to plan their tasks carefully and pledge to complete it within 24 hours. It is conducted once every four years. Special T-shirts have been designed for every Victoria Challenge since its inception. Every class' challenge is unique, and the challenges encompass various domains. Past challenges have ranged from creating miniature clay figurines, drawing floor murals to creating an "Arts Nook" in a corner of the school, complete with books and a piano.[48]
Victoria School has established links with schools abroad to promote a Singaporean brand of education and an exchange of ideas. As part of the initiative to improve bilateral education links between Singapore and Malaysia, Victoria School has been linked up with Penang Free School, Malaysia by the Ministry of Education.[49][50] Other schools with which Victoria School has bilateral exchange programmes are Hebei Baoding Yizhong, English School Attached to Guandong University of Foreign Studies, Beijing Sanfan Zhongxue and Nan Hai Zhi Xin Zhongxue of the People's Republic of China, Modern School of Vasant Vihar of the Republic of India, University of Griffith of Australia and Sultan Omar Ali Saiffudin High School of Brunei.[51]
Victoria School offers week-long overeseas humanities trips to ASEAN and other parts of Asia for secondary 1 to 3 students. The aim of these trips is to expose students to the realities of lessons learnt in class and to provide an eye-opener for students and staff so as to become more globally minded.
On the first three days of school, all Secondary One Victorians attend a three-day-two-night camp at the Ministry of Education's Jalan Bahtera Adventure Centre. They take part in physical, interactive and character-building activities designed to let them make new friends and adapt to a new environment.[52]
Victoria School was the first school in Singapore to send its entire cohort of Secondary Three students on an overseas camp, having done this since 2001. It is typically held during March, on farmland in Malaysia. The aim is to bond the new Secondary Three students and help them settle into their new classes after being streamed according to their subject combinations, as well as to expose them to life outside the confines of urban Singapore. Activities such as rafting, trekking and mountain-climbing are held during the camp.
From the time of the inauguration of the Sec 3 Overseas Camp to 2010, the annual camp has been held at Kahang Organic Rice Eco-Farm, Kahang town, located near Kluang, Johor. However, in 2011, the location of the annual camp was shifted to Tanjong Sutera Resort, Tanjung Sedili, near the town of Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia.
The CIC is an outdoor camp held locally in which Secondary 2 students are trained to run camps and conduct activities commonly carried out during outdoor camps. Its tone differs from the LTC camp, with a more casual, 'brotherhood' approach to development. Standard school rules, however, are still enforced.
After the camp is concluded, the participants are promoted to the rank of 'Camp Instructor' or, in the case of Secondary Threes, 'Camp Leader'. They are given either red shirts or black shirts, the latter being the more senior.
Since 2007, the CIC has been merged with the LTC. The integrated camp, known as the "Victoria Enhanced Leadership/Outdoor Camp Instructor Training Camp", otherwise known as VELOCI-T, trains Junior Leaders in both leadership skills and camp management skills. [53]
In the VS campus, the "Eco-Street" forms the central artery, which acts as a green lung, providing space between the Classroom Block and the Science Block. This space allows more natural light in classroms and improved ventilation.
The flora and fauna of the Eco-Street, including various tropical plants, fish and turtles, provide a setting for outdoor learning to take place. The Victoria Pool, Learning Garden, Bio Pod and Exploration Patch are intended to represent a move away from rigidly-structured, classroom-based instruction.
The classrooms on ground level, known as Learning Studios have sliding doors that open out to the landscape, suitable for impromptu lectures, meetings and project work. Some classrooms on the upper floors have balconies, taking advantage of the sea view.
There is also a 500-seater auditorium and a three-storey library.
Victoria Hall is a hostel consisting of two 11-storey blocks within the VS compound. The Hall is beside the sea and East Coast Park, giving boarders both a sea view and access to the sporting facilities at the Park. It is home to about 500 boarders of different nationalities, many of whom attend either Victoria School or Victoria Junior College.
Victoria School and Victoria Hall are integrated within one development, optimising the use of scarce land. The objective was to avoid duplication of facilities between the school and hostel and to encourage sharing as far as possible. This process achieved a 13 percent reduction in the net floor area of the hostel, freeing up space for more landscaping and other aesthetic development.
A S$500,000 AstroTurf field replaced the conventional field in early 2007. This allows games to be played even in wet weather.
A S$5 million multi-purpose Sports Hall was completed in June 2009. It consists of two storeys, but the height of the building is approximately seven storeys due to the high ceiling. The ground floor gives priority to floorball. A floorball mat is placed on the floor, but it can also be used to play sports like futsal. The enclosed second floor is used for such sports as volleyball, basketball and badminton.
The school also has an air-rifle range, a tennis court, PE rooms and a gymnasium.
The school has a Wi-Fi system. The entire campus is covered with a Wi-Fi signal that allows teachers access to the internet anywhere on campus.
There are rules concerning students' uniform, grooming and attendance.
As at some other schools, VS students are forbidden to use mobile phones/cellphones, known locally as handphones, in school.[54] Students can ask for permission to use their handphones in case of an emergency.
The most common punishments at VS are school community service, detention for minor offences. For major offences such as playing truant, gambling, vandalism, fighting, smoking, theft, bullying, cheating, or being repeatedly disrespectful to staff, students are sent to the principal to be disciplined with corporal punishment in the form of caning. Occasionally, caning is administered for a repeat of lesser offences such as inappropriate hairstyles or coloured hair.[55]
In 2009, Victoria School was awarded the Ministry of Education's School Distinction Award (SDA). [56]
Victoria School has also attained various CCA awards, such as the Sustained Achievement Awards for sports, performing arts and uniformed groups, in recognition of its consistently high performance in national competitions, sports meets, the biennial Singapore Youth Festival and other events.
Nine Victoria School students had received the prestigious Queen's, State and President's Scholarships.
Note: Queen's and State Scholarships are the predecessors of the President's Scholarship
Victoria Junior College (VJC), affiliated to Victoria School, was established in 1984 to replace the Pre-University classes in VS. Over the years, it has been recognized as one of the top three junior colleges in Singapore.
VJC provided VS students an option to continue a two-year junior college education within the Victorian family after the completion of their secondary education. VS students choosing to enter VJC get two bonus points off their GCE 'O'-Level L1R5 academic aggregate.
Students from VS and Cedar Girls' Secondary School in the 6-year Victoria-Cedar Alliance Integrated Programme (VCA IP) continue their Year 5 and 6 education in VJC.
There is likely to be a merger between VS and VJC in the future as seen in the Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College merger of 2009.
The Victoria Advisory Committee (VAC), formed in 1968, set the direction and advises on the future of Victoria School and Victoria Junior College.
The principals of VS and VJC, as well as the President of the Old Victorians' Association, sit on the Committee. The present Chairman of the Committee is LG (NS) Ng Yat Chung, a former Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces and old boy of the school.
Formed in 1988, Victoria Chorale, which comprises of graduands of Victoria School and Victoria Junior College, is one of the top semi-professional choirs in Singapore. It has won numerous prizes at many prestigious international competitions, including gold medals at the Choir Olympics.
The alumni body, Old Victorians’ Association (OVA), was established in 1941. It serves as a channel for former students of Victoria School and Victoria Junior College to continue to associate with their alma mater. [57]
The OVA supports the activities undertaken by the schools, assists needy students, and promotes sports, social and cultural activities among members.
Every first Saturday of March has been designated Victorians' Day, when Victorians from VS and VJC of all years play games, eat school canteen food again and catch up with long-time schoolmates.
The OVA football team plays an annual friendly football match with Victoria Institution Old Boys' Association (VIOBA), the alumni body of Victoria Institution, Malaysia. The OVA hockey teams play in the Singapore Hockey Federation - Men's Division 3 League and Women's Premier League.
In 2009, OVA organized the inaugural combined VS and VJC gala concert, with a 260-strong cast comprising both students and celebrity alumni, at the Esplanade Concert Hall.[58][59][60]
In 2011, OVA organized the Victoria School 135th Anniversary Celebration Dinner at the former VS campus at Tyrwhitt Road. [61]
