On Thursday, the Ministry of Education in Singapore announced that the Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) will become a co-ed school and move to Tengah, starting in the year 2030. The new location of the school is located over 12 kilometers away from the current site on Barker Road.
Staying Put for Current Students
All students enrolled in the Primary 1 cohort of the Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) until the year 2029 will continue their education at the Barker Road location until they graduate. In 2030, when the Tengah campus opens its doors, it will be accepting both male and female siblings of current students at the Barker Road campus as part of its Phase 1 admission.
Barker Road Campus for Brothers Only
Starting in 2030, the Barker Road campus will only be accepting male students in the Primary 1 cohort who have siblings currently enrolled at the school. As the years go by, the size of the cohort at the Barker Road campus will gradually decrease. By 2033, the school is expected to merge with ACS (Junior) located on Winstedt Road, and will operate under the name ACS (Junior).
Consolidation and Relocation Plan
The newly merged ACS (Junior) will continue to offer classes at both the Tengah and Barker Road campuses, before eventually moving all operations to the Barker Road campus around 2039. The Tengah campus of ACS (Primary) will have the capacity to accommodate 330 students, split into 11 classes of Primary 1 students.
Adapting to National Trends
The Chairman of the ACS board of governors, Mr. Richard Seow, stated that these changes will allow the school to better respond to national trends such as low birth rates and an increasing number of young families moving to new residential areas.
Origination from Anglo-Chinese School
The Ministry of Education reports that it was the Anglo-Chinese School that first approached the ministry about relocating one of its two primary schools to better serve the community. Discussions about the move took place in early 2022.
Image Source: ACS (Barker)