SINGAPORE – Since the start of 2023, Spectra Secondary School, which caters to Normal (Technical) students, has offered a new subject to help students deepen their vocational skills.

The optional subject offered to Secondary 3 students is an extension of the school’s existing ITE Skills Subjects (ISS), which include areas like culinary and restaurant operations, and mobile web applications. It will stretch students who have the interest, commitment and ability to cope with the extended learning of ISS.

At Spectra’s 10th anniversary celebrations held at the school in Woodlands on Saturday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman said that the school has uplifted the lives of many students and provided them with strong foundations to pursue their passion and realise their aspirations.

“In the next 10 years, Spectra hopes to further establish itself as a choice school for students who wish to pursue a skills-based education,” said Dr Osman, who is also Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs.

Students at Spectra graduate with a Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate and an ITE Skills Subject Certificate.

The school, which also offers standard academic subjects, estimates that 10 per cent of each 200-strong cohort will take up this new subject annually.

With ISS+, students will receive deeper training and broader exposure as they will complete an additional industry attachment, on top of their work attachment for ISS.

ISS+ students will also take part in masterclasses and be mentored by teachers or industry partners.

To date, about 1,200 students have graduated from the school, which opened in 2014. Seven in 10 of Spectra students qualify for a course of their choice at the annual ITE Early Admissions Exercise, an aptitude-based admission exercise for students to apply for conditional offers to enter ITE before receiving their N-level exam results.

Spectra principal Tan Teck Hock told The Straits Times the school is pushing the boundaries to be more inclusive by ensuring no student feels left behind in their learning because of their disabilities or personal circumstances.

“This is a school for the least, the last and the lost.”

Half of its students are diagnosed with special needs such as dyslexia or are in need of financial assistance, Mr Tan said. The school is not fixated on results, but focuses instead on being a safe space for students to build confidence and learn in a way that best suits their needs, he added.

Spectra pioneer who worked hard

Polytechnic student Deevinesh Jude Vincent, 22, was among the pioneer batch of Spectra students. Initially, he faced many challenges when he found himself being stigmatised and underestimated due to the prevailing stereotypes associated with Normal (Technical) students.

Undeterred, Mr Deevinesh worked hard to change his own mindset and make use of the rich learning experiences Spectra offered him.

He went on to study aerospace technology at ITE College Central and is now in his second year pursuing a diploma in aerospace engineering in Republic Polytechnic.

Like him, he said, many of his peers from Spectra are now in polytechnics pursuing their diplomas, and he is proud that they have shattered the stereotypes that some people may have of students from the Normal (Technical) stream.

Spectra’s unique curriculum gave Mr Deevinesh the opportunity to experience real-life work situations from a young age.

At 15, he completed an Industry Experiential Programme, during which he learnt what it was like to work as a technician in the engineering department in Orchard Hotel.

“When I got to do my internship during my Higher Nitec studies (in ITE), I already knew how it was going to be as I had experienced it at Spectra. I felt very prepared for it,” said Mr Deevinesh, who hopes to have a career in aerospace engineering.

Finding her voice at Spectra

Ms Avina Ester Yik, 17, was born with Down syndrome and was not comfortable with public speaking when she joined Spectra in 2019. That year, she had to recite a poem on stage in front of the whole school.

“That experience changed me, and the rest is history. Today, I am as cool as a cucumber on stage and will not hesitate to present in public,” she said.

Returning to Spectra on Saturday to take part in its 10th anniversary celebrations, Ms Avina recalled how the bonding activities organised by the school to welcome her and the new Secondary 1 cohort helped her to make friends and begin her meaningful journey there.

Ms Avina was part of the Bilberries Blue Lighthouse (BBLH) programme in Spectra, which is a “school-within-a-school” concept catering to students with special educational needs who may require a different setting and approach to learn.

“BBLH aided us to come out of our comfort zones and explore how we can contribute to society,” she said.

She honed her public speaking skills at BBLH, and was appointed the Down Syndrome Ambassador to speak at Bishan Park in March 2023 on World Down Syndrome Day.

“‘No, you cannot’ was never in the school’s vocabulary. Instead, it was replaced with ‘go and try’,” she said, adding that her teachers in Spectra were instrumental in helping her realise her potential.

“Spectra is one of the rare places that walks the talk of diversity and inclusion. It gives me equal opportunity as the rest of the students to excel.”

Ms Avina is currently pursuing a Higher Nitec certificate in electronics engineering at ITE College East. She aspires to be a software developer, with a focus on smart home concepts to make life easier for the disabled.