SINGAPORE SPORTS SCHOOL

SINGAPORE SPORTS SCHOOL

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(Objectives and effectiveness): **

22.

Ms Joscelin Yeo asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) based on the objectives of having a sports school in Singapore, what is the Ministry's assessment of the effectiveness of the Singapore Sports School (SSP) since its inception; (b) does the Ministry have any plans to help athletes balance their career goals and sporting commitments after they leave SSP; and (c) if so, what are they.

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Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The Singapore Sports School (SSP) was set up in 2004 to enable young athletes to realise their sporting and academic potential by combining world-class sports training with quality academic education. Since its inception, SSP has housed and nurtured over 600 talented student athletes to realise both their academic and sporting potential.

On the sporting front, the SSP has produced, to date, two Olympians, six World Champions, two Asian, one Commonwealth and 23 SEA Games Gold medallists. Their students have broken 50 national records. At the recently concluded Youth Olympic Games, 22 out of 131 Team Singapore athletes were from SSP. They won a silver medal in table tennis and a bronze medal in taekwondo, and formed a large part of the football team that won a bronze medal.

Academically, the School has also done well. Of the 39 students who sat for the 2009 GCE O-Level examinations, one in three candidates achieved five or more distinctions. At least 75% of candidates were eligible for junior college, and 97% for polytechnic entrance. The distinction and pass rates for the majority of core subjects have also surpassed the national averages. MOE's Performance Indicators for School Management (PRISM) that evaluate effectiveness of schools based on comparison between actual O-Level results and expected performance, have also shown SSP's value-add, with O-Level students performing above expectations with a mean subject grade of 2.7, higher than the expected grade of 3.5.

To ensure adequate preparation for further education and employability, SSP builds partnerships and pathways that cater to students of differing academic abilities. Students can now sit for the O- and N-Level examinations, as well as enrol in diploma programmes such as the Republic Polytechnic-Singapore Sports School Diploma in Sports and Leisure Management. The School will also commence the six-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme from 2011, beginning with the current 2010 Secondary 1 cohort. These extended academic pathways allow students more time in the Sports School to optimise the integration of studies, training and competition, and enhance the quality of young athletes progressing to senior elite levels. The various post-secondary pathways also offer their students the opportunity to gain admission into local or reputable overseas universities.

In addition, SSP, in partnership with the Singapore Sports Council, offers a customised athlete lifestyle programme, which helps provide SSP athletes with support services in education, career and life-skills development, to enable them to integrate their sporting aspirations with their career goals. With the conclusion of the YOG, my Ministry is also planning a comprehensive review of the overall career and education support for our athletes.

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