Former Hong Kah Secondary building to make way for expanded special needs school
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
When Hong Kah Secondary School was merged with Jurongville Secondary School in 2019, the school site was left vacant, then used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE - The site of the former Hong Kah Secondary School in Jurong West will be rebuilt to house the expanded Grace Orchard School, a special education (Sped) school for students aged seven to 18 with autism or mild intellectual disabilities.
Housed at a holding site at the former Clementi Woods Secondary School in West Coast Road since 2021, Grace Orchard School will be able to grow its capacity from 450 students to 600 when it moves by end-2028.
The number of students in Sped schools increased from 5,410 in 2009 to 7,818 in 2023. This was largely due to an increase in students reported with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The expansion of Grace Orchard School was announced in 2021, with the Ministry of Education saying it would be “built to updated building specifications to improve students’ learning experiences”.
Upgrades will include larger classrooms and more spaces to cater to those with ASD. There will also be facilities such as sheltered playgrounds and outdoor fitness areas.
When Hong Kah Secondary School was merged with Jurongville Secondary School in 2019, the school site was left vacant, and later used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre.
Dr Andrew Lim, executive director of Presbyterian Community Services, which oversees Grace Orchard School, told The Straits Times that the old school buildings will be torn down for the new campus.
Additionally, the Ministry of Social and Family Development has approved plans to build a two-storey hub that will be connected to the school.
This hub will provide vocational training for students who have turned 18 and graduated, but need more help preparing for employment.
Dr Lim said the hub’s ground floor will provide services for the community, while its second level will be designed for formal employment training.
It can accommodate 150 older students for such training, and expects to take in both former Grace Orchard School students and those referred by disability agency SG Enable.
Though the main school buildings have to be gated for student safety, ways are being explored to integrate the hub building with the community, Dr Lim said.
“How are we able to make sure that (the students’) presence in Jurong West can be integrated (into the community) to serve the needs of the immediate residents?”
The site of the former Hong Kah Secondary School in Jurong West will be rebuilt to house the expanded Grace Orchard School.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Examples he gave included training students to assist elderly residents with muscle building in a senior gym, and certifying students to run a pet grooming shop.
“These are still under concept and design, so we will be reaching out to various partners to explore ideas and even potentially use some of our existing facilities to pilot things, getting ready for 2028.”
Dr Lim said that unlike other Sped schools that arrange for graduates to undergo further training elsewhere, the hub at the new Grace Orchard School site will enable graduates to build on relationships they have established with their teachers.
“If students are made to move from point to point, then there will be less continuity. Our students, especially because of the duration of their study, develop very close bonds and understanding with their trainers or teachers,” he said.
Though 19-year-old Aislinn Chua graduated from Grace Orchard School in 2023, after almost 12 years there as a student, she continues to take part in activities organised by her alma mater.
Her mother, Madam Margaret Ng, 50, a human resources manager, told ST: “The school really cares for those who have graduated, and it has kept Aislinn occupied for the past 10 months, even after graduation.”
She said the hub at the new school site will be a blessing for families like hers that struggle to find a place where their children with special needs can continue to be meaningfully engaged after leaving formal schooling.
Said Dr Lim: “We are blessed with this ability to redraw the picture on a blank canvas. I wouldn’t want to say we are unique but, rather, we will probably be the first to try to bring everything together in the same compound.”
