SINGAPORE - Athletes from the Singapore Sports School (SSP) are not only winningmedals but also scoring in their studies.

More than half of the school's first batch of International Baccalaureate (IB) graduates - 13 out of 19 - attained at least 40 points out of a maximum of 45.

Its cohort of student-athletes achieved a 100 per cent pass rate, slightly higher than the national pass rate of 98 per cent.

SSP principal Tan Teck Hock said in a statement on Tuesday that the school is delighted with the results.

"Our student-athletes and teachers worked very hard to deliver on our promise that, at the Sports School, it is possible to combine regular sport training and academic studies, and achieve quality results," he said.

Unlike mainstream schools, the SSP, which had its first intake in 2004, allows for the academic curriculum to be tailored around a student-athlete's training.

The school recently went through a review, and one of its key proposals is to extend the curriculum to better support its students in sports and studies, beyond the traditional four-year O-Level examination route.

The IB diploma programme it joined in 2014 was part of efforts to give students a longer runway. In June 2015, the school also signed an agreement with the IB Organisation and World Academy of Sport, a British education provider, to allow selected student-athletes in high performance sport up to four years instead of the typical two years to complete their post-secondary IB diploma programme.

Mr Tan said that top athletes on the extended track will have the advantage of a longer runway to develop their sport while pursuing a post-secondary diploma leading to a university education.

"Sports School will continue to enhance the flexibility in our academic programmes and offer options to youth athletes who are serious about representing Team Singapore at the highest level," he added.