Bowen Secondary School

Bowen Secondary School (BWSS) is a government school at Lorong Napiri, off Yio Chu Kang Road in Hougang, Singapore.

Bowen Secondary School
博文中学
Sekolah Menengah Bowen
Address
2 Lorong Napiri, Singapore 547529

Hougang

Singapore
Coordinates1°22′14.78″N 103°52′39.37″E
Information
TypeGovernment
co-educational
Motto"I Believe, Therefore I am”
Established1982 (1982)
SessionSingle session
School code3043
PrincipalLoh Chih Hui (Mr)
EnrolmentApprox. 1500
Colour(s) Grey   Blue   Purple 
VisionEvery Bowenian a Passionate Learner, Leader and Champion.
MissionNurturing Learning. Developing Character. Inspiring Service.
Websitebowensec.moe.edu.sg

History

Bowen Secondary School started in 1982 in the town of Ang Mo Kio.[1]

On 4 December 1999, Bowen moved to new premises along Lorong Napiri off Yio Chu Kang Road. In 2000, the school became a single session school with 1374 pupils.[1]

Principals

Since its establishment, the school has had a total of seven principals and twelve vice-principals.[2]

Principal Years of service
T P Naidu 1982–1985
Low Fook Yow 1985–1996
Grace Lim Siew Meng 1996–2003
Paul Chua Meng Huat 2004–2007
Frederick Yeo 2007–2011
Bernard Chew 2011–2016
Liu Earnler 2017–2021
Loh Chih Hui 2021–Present
Vice-Principal Years of service
Dilbagh Singh 1985–1989
Yap Weng Ha 1989–1994
Ng Tiat Seng 1994–1995
Soh Geok Kee 1996–2004
Sharon Siew 2004–2005
Tan Chai Hok 2005–2012
Indra Venkatram 2010–2012
Sarah Abdullah 2012–2015
Clement Lim 2014–2016
Inderjit Singh 2015–2019
Lim Guihao 2017–Present
Melvin Tay 2020–Present

Identity and culture

Uniform and attire

Bowen Secondary School's formal uniform consists of a grey shirt with skirts for female students, shorts for male students in lower secondary levels, or long pants for boys in upper secondary levels. The shirt features a chest pocket. A blue tie is worn on Mondays and during important school activities. A red school tie is worn by Student Councillors. A smart casual attire can be worn on Tuesdays to Fridays, consisting of a blue polo shirt. The Bowen P.E. Attire consists of a dark blue shirt with light blue lining, together with black shorts.

Campus

Bowen Secondary School's campus has a dome-shaped entrance, and a green roof design. There is a second entrance with a roof consisting of long, narrow panels that are oriented from the gutter to the ridge. This roofing system is used for steep-sloped and low-sloped roofs, and is designed as a triangular roofed window. The school has a soccer field, a cafeteria, a garden, three sports hall, a library, two carparks and an arcade.[3]

Academic information

Being a government secondary school, Bowen Secondary School offers three academic streams, namely the four-year Express course, as well as the Normal Course, comprising Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) academic streams.

GCE O Level Express Course

The Express Course is a nationwide four-year programme that leads up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination.[4]

Academic subjects

The examinable academic subjects for Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level offered by Bowen Secondary School for upper secondary level (via. streaming in secondary 2 level), as of 2017, are listed below.[5]

Notes:

  1. Subjects indicated with ' * ' are mandatory subjects.
  2. All students in Singapore are required to undertake a Mother Tongue Language as an examinable subject, as indicated by ' ^ '.
  3. "SPA" in Pure Science subjects refers to the incorporation of School-based Science Practical Assessment, which 20% of the subject result in the national examination are determined by school-based practical examinations, supervised by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board. The SPA Assessment has been replaced by one Practical Assessment in the 2018 O Levels.[6]
Sciences Language & humanities Arts & aesthetics
  • Additional Mathematics
  • Mathematics*
  • Physics (SPA)
  • Chemistry (SPA)
  • Biology (SPA)
  • Science (combined)
  • English Language*
  • English Literature
  • Mother Tongue Language* ^
  • Higher Mother Tongue Language
  • Geography
  • History
  • Combined Humanities (Social Studies & another humanities subject at elective level)*
  • Art
  • Design & Technology
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Music

Subject-Based Banding

The school also offers Subject Based Banding.[7] Bowen Secondary is one of the 28 secondary schools selected by MOE to start piloting aspects of Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB) from 2020 onwards.[8]

Normal Course

The Normal Course is a nationwide four-year programme leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination, which runs either the Normal (Academic) curriculum or Normal (Technical) curriculum, abbreviated as N(A) and N(T) respectively.[9]

Normal (Academic) Course

In the Normal (Academic) course, students offer 5–8 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Compulsory subjects include:[10]

  • English Language
  • Mother Tongue Language
  • Mathematics
  • Combined Humanities

A 5th year leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination is available to N(A) students who perform well in their Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Students can move from one course to another based on their performance and the assessment of the school principal and teachers.[9]

Normal (Technical) Course

The Normal (Technical) course prepares students for a technical-vocational education at the Institute of Technical Education.[10] Students will offer 5–7 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination.[10] The curriculum is tailored towards strengthening students' proficiency in English and mathematics.[10] Students take English Language, Mathematics, Basic Mother Tongue and Computer Applications as compulsory subjects.[10]

Notable alumni

References
  1. Bowen Secondary School Archived 21 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Our Heritage". Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  3. "Bowen Official Instagram post introducing their campus".
  4. "Express Course Curriculum". moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  5. "School Information Service". Ministry of Education, Singapore. Ministry of Education, Singapore. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  6. "GCE O-Level Syllabuses Examined in 2018". Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB). Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  7. "Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB)". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  8. "28 secondary schools to pilot full subject-based banding from 2020". CNA. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  9. "Secondary School Courses". moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  10. "Normal Course Curriculum". moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
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