Jurong West Secondary School (JWSS) is one of the pilot schools to start subject-based banding in 2014, allowing Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) students to take English, Mother Tongue, Mathematics and Science at a more rigorous standard. Last year, the school also started offering Humanities subjects at a more demanding level. Students are able to take up History, Geography and Literature subjects based on their readiness and learning needs.

In addition, as one of the 28 schools selected to pilot full subject-based banding last year, new arrangements for Sec 1 form classes have been made this year. Instead of the traditional sorting by Express, N(A) and N(T) streams, students from different streams are now in the same form class and take a common set of subjects.

The school came up with a creative way to name their Sec 1 form classes – by naming them according to school values, such as “Excellence”, “Integrity” and “Resilience”.

Assistant Year Head, Mr Teo Eng Tong (31), shared during the interview that as Sec 1 form classes are now a mix of Express, N(A) and N(T) streams students, more collision of ideas could take place during class discussions.

“The demand for classrooms is greater for subject-based banding. Our school has converted more spaces into classrooms to cater for the usage for different subjects.”

Zerlynn Koh Hui En, a JWSS student from Sec 2 Normal (Technical) stream, has scored well in her English, Science and Literature. She is now taking these 3 subjects at a N(A) level. She shared that subject-based banding has made her more confident, allowing her to find out what her strengths are.

“I used to think that I am not good at anything. But now I find that I am able to learn quicker than my other peers in some subjects, which has allowed me to gain more confidence.”

2019

7 April 2019 :: Channel News Asia

‘Like a jigsaw puzzle’: The challenging task of generating school timetables

Jurong West Secondary School was recently featured on Channel News Asia on 7 April 2019 as one of the 12 pioneer schools in rolling out the Subject-Based Banding (SBB). With the nation set to embark on full SBB by 2024, JWSS had a head start in tackling the challenges early so that our students will benefit more when it comes to the academic curriculum.

cna article SBB.bmp

click here to read more about the article on cna's website.

2018

23 August 2018 :: The Straits Times - Homefront
More local stories in syllabus a welcome new chapter

On 23 August 2018, one of our JWSS student, Tanya Sing (Sec 3E) was featured on The Straits Times, for her views on how reading local literature has helped her to better relate to others and as a result, taught her to be more accepting of individual differences. Ms Orry Zhang was also featured on her thoughts on how certain controversial issues in local literature such as mental illnesses and the ethics of death penalty for drug trafficking have sparked off meaningful debates and discussions among students in class.

20 August 2018 :: The Straits Times IN
Methodist Girls' School 10th Regional Youth Conference

On 19th July 2018, 6 of our Student Ambassadors and Student Councillors represented our school to attend the Regional Youth Conference (RYC) at Methodist Girls’ school. The RYC is a conference for young student leaders seeking to explore some of the complex issues we face today and it also serves as a premier platform where our students from Singapore and the region get to interact with experts from the public as well as private sector.

The students had the golden opportunity to interact with the delegate students from ASEAN region and attend conferences which highlighted the contributions by the ASEAN citizens for their home cities, countries, and the region. The students also shared about their learning points from the conference during a morning sharing in school.

JWSS Student Council President, Kim Jeong Soo, was also featured in ST IN for his participation in the conference.

It was a unique and fruitful learning experience for the students to understand the importance of innovation and global awareness.

Kim Jeong Soo featured in Straits Times IN article, giving his views on the conference

Patric Jenefer (Vice President-Student Ambassador) presenting the Infographic to the delegates on ‘E Waste Management’

Kim Jeong Soo (President-Student Councillor) presenting the Infographic to the delegates on ‘Cashless Payment’

group photo after the conference with their new friends

27 July 2018 :: SchoolBag.SG - The Education News Site
Applied Learning Programme @ JWSS : Stepping into a Digital World

Our School was recently featured on the SchoolBag.sg news website:

Cheriise Sin, a Secondary Two student from Jurong West Secondary School, quipped, “So many interesting stuffs to learn and experiment with!”

Seen in the the school’s creative labs, our young techies and budding film makers are busy creating short films, mobile apps and websites.

Students like Cheriise are part of the school’s Applied Learning Programme (ALP) known as ALP @ JWSS: Harnessing Technology, the Visual Arts and Communication in Authentic Contexts, where they find innovative solutions to solve real social and environmental issues using knowledge, skills and values from three key subject disciplines which are: InfoComm Technology (ICT), English Language and Visual Arts.

Continue reading the interesting article at SchoolBag.sg

Budding graphic designers at Jurong West Secondary School using the latest tech gadgets as they work on their projects.

16 July 2018 :: The Tamil Murasu
Music Video Competition - Collaboration with 20/20: The Temasek short film project

20/20: The Temasek Short Film Project is a short film series aimed at nurturing the next generation of local filmmakers. Commissioned by Temasek, a Singapore investment company, the project provides 20 young aspiring filmmaking groups with funding as well as mentorships by some of Singapore’s most renowned directors. We are proud that 4 of our students Surya (3E4), Rosenah (3N2), Shamini (3N2) and Pon Anushaa (3N2) were one of the selected groups and had the opportunity to represent their school and produce a music video entitled “Dusk tlll Dawn” under the mentorship of Wee Li Lin, a renowned local film director.

The music video embodies the theme of Beyond 20/20, where the students expressed their vision for Singapore’s future beyond the year 2020. The music video was officially launched on 12 July 2018 @ https://twenty20.temasek/ website. The students had a fruitful journey learning the nuances in mobile filming techniques. With the encouragement and motivation from their TL teacher, the students successfully produced their music video and were featured in Tamil Murasu on 16 July 2018.

https://www.tamilmurasu.com.sg/2018/07/16/531053371-19015.html

tamil murasu.jpg

2017

23 November 2017 :: Stomp
Stomp Goody Bags for Jurong West Sec students who helped old man who fainted and knocked his head at Boon Lay.

For more information on our civic minded students and their heroic act, please follow this link.

14 May 2017 :: The Straits Times
School Canteen Food is getting more Interesting.

Italian oven-baked creamy mushroom pasta, wakame udon soup, Tunisian lamb kebab, claypot chicken rice and Thai laksa are some of the dishes students are tucking into in schools these days. At Jurong West Secondary School, for instance, a stall sells Japanese favourites like teriyaki chicken and curry chicken dons as well as garlic fried rice and wakame udon soup.

Interested to know more, click on the link to find out.

2 May 2017 :: The Straits Times
Exercise and Sports Science to replace PE at O levels.

Since 2010, JWSS has been offering PE as a subject at the GCE 'O' Levels Examination.

With the announcement by MOE, Jurong West Secondary School will be one of the 19 schools in Singapore to offer Exercise and Sports Science as a GCE 'O' Level subject from 2018.

7 March 2017 :: Lian He Wan Bao (Mandarin Newspaper)
Student gets to maximise his potential in Mathematics through Subject Based Banding (SBB).

Sean Phang, 15, is a Secondary 3 Normal Academic Student in Jurong West Secondary School. He was offered to do Mathematics at the Express level and it gave him the opportunity to maximise his potential in the subject. He was able to achieve a high score of 91 in his Secondary 2 End of Year Examinations and was one of the top 10 Mathematics student in his cohort.

2 years ago, he did well during his secondary one examinations and was offered to do Mathematics and Science at Express Level, through the SBB programme. Sean shared that there is a significant difference in the difficulty level between Express and Normal(Academic) subjects. When he first joined the SBB programme, he had to put in effort to bridge the gap. When he did the first examination in Express level, he had gotten B4 and C5 for Mathematics and Science respectively. Owing to his passion in the subjects and willingness to overcome the challenges, he was able to score 91 marks in Mathematics and A2 in Science. This was with the help of his teachers and sister. He continues on to study Mathematics and Combined Science (Biology/Chemistry) at the Express level in Secondary 3.

2016

21 November 2016 :: The Straits Times
Jurong West Secondary School as a Choice School for student with PSLE Aggregate Score of 253.

Jurong West Secondary School was featured as a choice school on The Straits Times on 21 November 2016. In the article, it was cited that JWSS “stood out for its programmes, including a work attachment scheme (SWAP) and an applied learning programme (ALP)”.

SWAP is one of the distinctive programmes that attracted students like Nasuha whose PSLE T-score was 253. SWAP is a one of a kind programme which allows students to be attached to different reputable companies such as Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Singapore Science Centre, Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) and so on, during their June and December Holidays.

ALP @ JWSS is one of the distinctive programmes that focuses on Harnessing Technology, Communication and the Visual Arts in Authentic Context. ALP @ JWSS allows students to advocate ideas and present innovative ICT-based solutions to real social issues, integrating knowledge and skills of the InfoComm Technology (ICT), English Language and Art curricula at the application level. Harnessing technology, students embark on projects that require the application of critical and creative thinking skills as they connect knowledge across subject disciplines, stretch their imagination and apply knowledge to real-world problems.

To read more about JWSS SWAP, please click here

To read more about ALP @ JWSS, please click here

To read more about the Distinctive Programmes in JWSS, please click here

The Straits Times article can be found here

June 2016 :: Lian He Wan Bao(Mandarin Newspaper)
Student gets to maximise his potential in Mathematics through Subject Based Banding (SBB).

In June 2016, our school was featured in Lian He Zao Bao (Mandarin Newspaper) for our role in the SG Secure Initiative. In collaboration with National Civil Defence Cadet Corps, our students went through workshops and training such as First Aid and received knowledge on Anti-Terrorism measures. These experiences allows our students to be better prepared in case of emergencies.

In June 2016, our school was featured in Lian He Zao Bao (Mandarin Newspaper) for our role in the SG Secure Initiative. In collaboration with National Civil Defence Cadet Corps, our students went through workshops and training such as First Aid and received knowledge on Anti-Terrorism measures. These experiences allows our students to be better prepared in case of emergencies.

8 February 2016 :: The Straits Times
More Schools tap Tech tools for Learning.

Click the link below to view the report from The Strait Times

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/more-schools-tap-tech-tools-for-learning

21 January 2016 :: Channel News Asia
One of the first schools to pilot learning through the usage of online tools.

In collaboration with MOE Edulab, our programme infuses collaborative learning together with online technology. Our students benefit from this programme as learning takes on a new innovative and engaging approach. For example, the online annotation tool makes lessons more interesting as students discuss visual information (eg. advertisements) using online tools so that their peers are able to see each others' comments in real time.

Click the link below to view the report from Channel News Asia

https://www.channelnewasia.com/mobile/singapore/schools-looking-to-better/2445622.html

2015

28 May 2015 :: The Straits Times

Featuring: Mubarak Ali Muneer Ahmed (4E3' 15), Muhamad Nasrullah Jamaluddin (4E2' 15), Soo Hui Xin (4E3' 15), Usnul Qhotimah Omar (4E3' 15)

Featuring: Nur Sarah Zainuddin (4E5 ' 15)

2014

19 December 2014 :: The Straits Times and The New Paper
Brain Cancer no obstacle for Teen at Jurong West Secondary School.

One of the school teachers from Jurong West Secondary School, Mr Yip Kah Guan, buys a $1200 scooter for a student who has cancer.