Raffles Girls' School

Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) is an independent girls' secondary school in Singapore. RGS was recognised by the Ministry of Education in 2006 by being awarded the School Excellence Award (recognising schools with 'exemplary school processes and practices'), among other awards. It has been consistently ranked as one of the top among secondary schools in Singapore in the official annual school rankings published by the Ministry of Education.

RGS offers the first four years of the Integrated Programme in the Raffles Programme, together with Raffles Institution, which allows students to proceed directly to Raffles Institution (Year 5-6) without taking the GCE 'O' Levels. It was also one of the first few schools to offer the Gifted Education Programme.

It is not officially affiliated with Raffles Girls' Primary School, despite having a common history.

History
Before Raffles Girls' School became a school in its own right, it existed as a part of Raffles Institution (RI).

The department for girls was opened in the RI campus of Bras Basah Road on 4 March 1844 with 11 students, 5 day-scholars and six boarders, who were clothed, fed and instructed by the institution itself. The demand for education grew and in 1847, the school moved to RI's eastern wing, extending towards Bras Basah Road. 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 Miss 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.

From 1882 onwards, English speaking boys were admitted to the lower, middle and primary classes. This was discontinued in 1927 due to the increasing demand for accommodation for girls. The Raffles Old Girls' association was formed on 7 July 1950. The school motto was introduced in 1953, with the school's first annual Speech Day held on the same year.

RGS became a government school in 1903, located at Queen Street. In 1959, the primary and secondary sections of the school were separated and the secondary section moved to Anderson Road, while the primary section remains in Queen Street. The school stopped offering 'A' level courses in 1983, and the Gifted Education Programme started in 1984. The school later moved to a holding school located at Jalan Kuala in 1988 and moved back to a new building at Anderson Road on 1 November 1992, becoming independent on 1 January 1993. In 1994, the RGS chapter was formed, to replace the Women's Rafflesian Chapter.

The curriculum when the school first started was confined to basic skills like reading, writing, needlework and cookery, as the focus of the school in the past was to equip girls with the tools to become an educated wife. The curriculum now comprises the sciences, humanities and aesthetics. All students are also required to have lessons in Philosophy, one of the notable features of the Raffles Programme. Lower Secondary students also have lessons in Speech and Drama.

Raffles Girls' School currently has 1,800 students enrolled there.

Uniform
The usual school uniform is a belted, deep blue pleated pinafore and a white collared blouse. Students customarily fold their sleeves on most shirts(except Physical Education Shirt), which also require a colour-coded nametag (colours Black, Yellow, Red and Blue, inherited by first year batch from graduating batch), along with the school badge, on the top left of the uniform. During formal events and weekly assemblies students wear green ties striped with black and white. Shortened skirts are strictly prohibited.

The upper secondary prefects wear a different uniform; with a white blouse and a skirt of the same shade of blue. The sleeves of the blouse are still to be folded. The materials of both the blouse and the skirt is slightly thicker, to maintain the modesty of pupils. This is worn together with the school tie, with the school badge, name tag and prefect badge on the top left of the blouse. Prefects must also wear a tiepin that is to be pinned on the tie at all times. All prefects must also wear school socks. Lower secondary prefects (Prefects-in-training) wear the same pinafore with the addition of the leadership badge and the school tie.

Houses
The House system in Raffles Girls' School was started by the late Miss M.M. Hadley, the post-war principal of the school. The principal after Miss Hadley added the last house in honor of her contributions to the school. There are five houses, named after five past principals of the school:
 * Tarbet (red, bull mascot)
 * Buckle (green, elf mascot)
 * Richardson (blue, genie mascot)
 * Waddle (yellow, duck mascot)
 * Hadley (purple, monkey mascot)

Each house committee has 40 members, led by an EXCO of one Secondary Four House Captain, two Secondary Three Vice-Captains, and one Secondary Four Vice-Captain. The house committee plays a pivotal role in the house system. House cheers were made to boost house spirit, and there is even a combined house cheer to boost team spirit and also to bond the different houses.

The five houses take part in competitions throughout the school year, with two major events pivotal in deciding the overall champion house. These are the Swimathon and the Sports Festival, held annually in the early part of the year. Netball Carnival is also held for all levels.

Throughout the rest of the year, interhouse games (IHG) are organised by CCAs like netball and photography, as well as miscellaneous staples like the annual Spelling Bee. These IHGs contribute to the Overall Champion House and Best Organised House.

The Raffles Girls' School House system is one of the oldest in Singapore, going on for almost 64 years now.

Cheering
The school adheres to a unique tradition of cheering in deep, throaty voices, unusual for female cheer teams. The student body is led by a congregation of the prefectorial board and the peer support board, and occasionally includes the house committees. Hand signals are used to indicate the cheer used. Cheering not only takes place as school support at inter-school competitions, but also, and more importantly, takes place as a traditional finale to all school events, coupled with the singing of the school anthem. Favorite cheers include "Unite", "Raffles Ichiban" and "Best Cheer". Cheering competitions are also held between houses during interhouse games. Each house has a library of house cheers, on top of the school cheers.

Other than cheering, singing has taken an equally important role in cohort bonding. Typical songs include "Dedication", "Pass It On" and "If We Hold On Together". However, singing as a cohort or school only regularly takes place during the annual Farewell Assembly for the graduating Secondary 4 cohort.

Facilities
RGS has
 * A fully networked campus
 * Air-conditioned classrooms each with 10 LAN points
 * 4 Computer Laboratories
 * 9 Science Laboratories (inclusive of a Life Science Lab & Photonics Lab) each with 6 LAN points
 * Drama Theatre
 * AVA Theatrette
 * 6 Special Rooms: Mother Tongue Rooms (3), English Room, Speech & Drama Room, Kitchen 1 & 2
 * Music rooms/MEP rooms
 * Art Rooms
 * Design & Technology Workshop
 * Media Resource Library

The sport facilities are
 * Gymnasium
 * Playing field
 * Badminton, Basketball, Netball, Squash and Tennis courts
 * Dance studio
 * Rockwall
 * Fitness Centre
 * Running track

RGS-International Convention for Youth Leaders
The RGS-International Convention for Youth Leaders (RGS-ICYL) is a biennial gathering of female student leaders from local and international institutions, first organised in 2006 intended as a platform for female youth leaders with diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas and experiences, and thus gain a better understanding of how they can contribute to society as a female leader. Guest speakers from the corporate sector, politics and humanitarian groups are invited to provide a wide range of perspectives. In addition, RGS-ICYL offers opportunities for fellow youth leaders to be ambassadors of their respective countries in the context of an exchange of ideas across cultures.

More information about the convention, as well as details of the 3rd RGS-ICYL held in November 2010, can be found at its homepage.

Leadership roles
RGS has a total of 4 leadership boards; the Prefectorial board (PB), the Peer Support Board (PSB), the Student Congress and the House Committee. The PB is considered to be the pinnacle lead board of the school, taking charge of discipline, school spirit as well as the organization of many events (Open House, Speech Day, Founder's Day). Members of the PSB help with the assimilation of the new Year 1s into the RGS culture. They organize the annual Year 1 Orientation and hold fun sessions with the Year 1s throughout their first year to help ensure that they are coping and adjusting well to secondary school. RGS is one of the few schools in Singapore with a student congress. Student Congress aims to act as a voice for the general student population, putting in ideas and suggestions and advocating for change. The House Committee members help to foster a sense of house spirit in the girls, often leading in the combined house cheers and facilitating in the organization of IHGs.

All student leaders are recognized with badges. House committee and PSB members wear a unique collar pin, while Congress members pin on a badge above their name tags. Prefects are recognized in their different uniforms and prefect badge, together with the tiepin. CCA chairpersons or captains also wear a collar pin.

Co-Curricular Activities
Raffles Girls School offers a variety of Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs), ranging from Performing Arts, Uniformed Groups, Sports, Clubs and Societies, and Service CCAs. With 52 Co-Curricular Activities, students are able to develop their talents outside of the academic domain, and through their participation in their Co-Curricular Activities, they foster a team and school spirit, becoming active creators of a better community. RGS offers 52 CCAs, Performing Arts, Sports, Clubs and Societies, Uniformed Groups, and Service CCAs.