School's History

Kent Ridge Secondary started operations at the former Yusof Ishak Secondary School site, 27A Jubilee Road, on 2 Jan 2000 under the leadership of the first Principal, Ms Chamb Cherk Ing. The school shifted to its current premises at 147 West Coast Road in December 2001 and was officially opened by Mr S Iswaran, Member of Parliament for West Coast GRC, on 15 March 2003.

Guided by the school philosophy that ‘Every Student Counts’ and the school values of Fitness, Integrity, Respect and Excellence, the school envisions every Kent Ridgean to have the Heart of a Saint, Passion of an Inventor and the Will of an Olympian. Education is seen as a journey of self-discovery where students discover their strengths, weaknesses, talents and form their moral compass. Academic and Character Development are given due emphasis and students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and dispositions to navigate an uncertain and changing world.

Over the years, Kent Ridge Secondary has established itself in the West Coast area known for its emphasis on Holistic Education, rooted in Values and a culture of Care and Excellence. A two-pronged approach is adopted in Values inculcation - explicit teaching as well as experiential learning platforms where students apply their learning. A school-wide approach to Values-in-Action (VIA) is adopted and students at the different levels do their part to give back to the community each year. This initiative, called ‘KR Hands-on’ was introduced in 2009 and it continues till today.

The School is also committed to nurturing leadership skills in every Kent Ridgean. Leadership development is anchored on the Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership where students are taught explicitly the relevant knowledge and skills and then given learning opportunities to lead self, peers and school projects.

Committed to providing a student-centric teaching and learning environment, the school has in place programmes to equip students with the 21st century competencies of communication, collaboration, creative & inventive thinking and self-directed learning.

In 2015, the Learning for Life Programme in Sports and Outdoor Education was introduced. Known as ‘EVOKE@KR’ (Educational Values of Olympism at Kent Ridge) the programme provides outdoor experiential learning opportunities, both local and overseas, for students to develop character and values and strengthen people skills in communication and collaboration. In 2016, in line with Singapore’s initiative to build a Smart Nation, we introduced our Applied Learning Programme in ‘Computational Thinking through Robotics’ where students apply their knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to solve real world problems. The school adopts the E3 approach of Exposure, Excursion and Experience in offering a range of Aesthetics programme to raise the awareness of the Arts in school.  The first combined Performing Arts CCA public performance was held in 2006 at the Singapore Polytechnic Convention Centre.  The event was renamed Vivace! in 2014 to capture the vibrancy of life and in celebration of the Arts.  Today, Vivace! continues to be a platform for all Performing Arts students to showcase their collaborative work with our partners like MINDS Lee Kong Chian Gardens School as part of the Values-in-Action Programme.

Teachers are the driving force behind the school’s success story. At Kent Ridge Secondary, teachers go the extra mile in their journey with the students, guiding and nurturing them to be Gracious Citizens, Passionate Learners and Resilient Leaders. It is having teachers who encourage students to go ‘Beyond Frontiers’ that continues to be the hallmark of the Kent Ridge experience.

Principals:

Ms Chamb Cherk Ing: 2000 – 2006
Mr Koh Chong Mong: 2006 – 2012
Mrs Anba Saroja: 2012 - 2018
Mr Benedict Keh: 2018 - 2023
Mdm Valerie Goh: 2023 - Present