Gan Eng Seng Primary School
is “a happy place” thanks to the PSLs
At Gan Eng Seng Primary School, every student is a peer supporter.
All students learn age-appropriate peer-bonding skills, while selected ones undergo a four-year programme to grow as PSLs. They learn to recognise signs of distress in their peers, how to support them and most importantly, when to approach teachers for help.
Two PSLs let us in on their experiences!
At Junyuan Primary School, you can write a note to the school counsellor
This colourful mailbox stands at the entrance of the canteen at Junyuan Primary School. Students can pick a card from a stack placed next to the box, write down their thoughts, and drop it in.
The note finds its way to one of the school’s counsellors or teachers, who then reaches out discreetly to the student for a chat,
Breakfast is more than just a meal at
Greendale Primary School
In the early hours at Greendale Primary School, students, teachers and school leaders gather in the canteen or classrooms over a simple breakfast and bonding games. This get-together of the Breakfast Club happens once or twice every term to ensure that students who need help don’t fall through the cracks.
You have one new notification from
Yuan Ching Secondary School’s
Connecto-gram
When Secondary 2 student Nur Aleesha Binte Mohamed Risdja returned to Yuan Ching Secondary School after a long medical absence, she faced unexpected social challenges and often felt left out in group settings.
Through Connecto-gram, a tool mapping students’ social networks, her teachers noticed her struggles and reached out to offer a listening ear and guidance.
Sharing more during CCE lessons at
Deyi Secondary School
In one particular Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lesson at Deyi Secondary School, Secondary 2 student Phua Jing Juan and her classmates were asked to select an emotion from an image of a rollercoaster that would reflect how they felt in different scenarios.
“Through this example, I discovered that some of my friends are more sensitive about certain things, and actually mind sharing their grades, so I’ve learned to be more understanding,” says Jing Juan.
Here’s how three schools approaches CCE lessons differently.
Anime-inspired comics teach emotional support strategies at
Nan Chiau Secondary School
At Nan Chiau High School, students conceptualise and draw anime-inspired comics based on mental health, which are then posted online.
Counsellors provide guidance on the content of the comics. CCE teachers also help students weave in coping strategies learned during CCE lessons into the storylines.
Check out the claw machine at
Gan Eng Seng Primary School
Twice a week, some Gan Eng Seng Primary School students crowd around a claw machine housed in the school’s GRIT Lounge.
GRIT stands for Grow Relationships, Intervene and Transform – and is one of the diverse range of “Sandbox” activities that offer enjoyable and engaging experiences for students who are disengaged, lack a conducive home environment, or require support in their social-emotional needs.
In this unique “arcade”, tokens are not the currency of choice. Instead, students earn the opportunity to have a go at the machines by “displaying school values”.
Play a game of pool at
New Town Secondary School’s Oasis
In New Town Secondary, the Oasis is a cosy space where students take their pick of activities, from billiards to video games. Even if they are unacquainted, students don’t hesitate to interact. Teachers also visit the Oasis to chat and play games with the students.
Find out how these positive interactions help students trust and feel comfortable enough to confide in teachers, and how two other schools, Boon Lay Secondary School and Admiralty Secondary School, design their hangout spaces to support students’ well-being.
Your friendly Student Welfare Officer at
Zhangde Primary School
Ms Ng Yi Jie, Student Welfare Officer (SWO) at Zhangde Primary School, is often found at the Care Hub, a space where a variety of fun-filled activities await students during recess. Here, students can also meet the team of school and teacher counsellors to learn coping strategies for stress, time management advice or simply share their concerns.
Ms Ng wants to de-stigmatise help-seeking, and encourage all students, not just those in trouble, to approach her.
Build mental resilience – just like Nina from
Tampines Secondary School
Sharifah Nur Amanina, better known as Nina to her friends and teachers, couldn’t even kick a ball straight when she started playing football. Now, she’s the captain of Tampines Secondary’s Girls’ Football Team, and also a 2023 SEA Games champion in teqball, a football-based sport played on a curved table.
Find out how the self-professed introvert’s determination, as well as her team’s support, brought her this far.
A wheelie-fun ride around
Serangoon Gardens Secondary School
Serangoon Gardens Secondary School runs a drop-in centre staffed by student counsellors who organise activities such as cycling, tchoukball and even street dancing every afternoon.
Find out how these after-school programmes, or GEAR-UP programmes, implemented in around 120 schools, help support students who show signs of irregular school attendance.
I spy a crochet monster in
Chung Cheng High School (Yishun)’s
school field
Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) held their first school-wide “monster hunt” in September 2024. Initiated and run jointly by the school’s Parent Support Group and Peer Support Leaders, the event had students searching the campus for 260 crochet monsters, each holding a heartfelt message of encouragement, hidden in various spots in the school.