校史 School History

校史 School History

Roots . Growth . Dreams

The Beginnings

Established in 1892, Holy Innocents’ High School was one of the first Chinese Mission Schools to be established in Singapore. In 1932, Holy Innocents’ Chinese Girls’ School was founded by Reverend Father Edward Becheras, Parish Priest of Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The school was then managed by Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus.

The Amalgamation

The management board of the two schools and the representative of the Ministry of Education met on 14 November 1984. During the meeting, it was agreed that the two schools, Holy Innocents’ High (Primary section) and Holy Innocents’ Chinese Girls’ School would merge to become one school. The newly-established Holy Innocents’ Primary School would take the premises of a new school building then called “Shude” School. It was the first Catholic co-educational Primary School with modern facilities in Singapore.

Mr Lee Soon Hock, a representative of the Ministry of Education handed over the building to the most Reverend Gregory Yong, the Archbishop of Singapore on January 1985. The most Reverend Gregory Yong, Archbishop of Singapore officiated at the blessing of the school on 10 May 1985. The school started functioning on 25 March 1985 with an enrolment of 1608 students under the leadership of Miss Goh Boon How as the Principal and Madam Tan Hock Neo as the Vice-Principal. 

The Metamorphosis

1986 saw the last batch of graduands from the Chinese-medium school and the school became an English-medium school in 1987. With her history of a Chinese-medium school and her continual efforts in advocating bilingualism, Holy Innocents’ Primary School was designated as a Special Assistance Plan (SAP) school by the Ministry of Education in 1992. 

Loving the Language, Appreciating the Culture

At the cross of the millennium, Holy Innocents’ Primary School extended learning beyond the shores of Singapore by providing her students with opportunities of international trips of experience to China. It was also in 2000, that the National Chinese Language Competition broadened its scope with the collaboration of schools in China and Taiwan to become the International Chinese Language Competition with the aim to promote the love and flair of the written language.

The school was appointed the Cluster Centre of Excellence for Chinese in 2005 and celebrated her 25th Anniversary in 2010 with the opening of a Chinese Tea house to mark her commitment in promoting the love for Chinese language and culture through traditional cultural and performing arts. The initiation of the unique art of kuaibanshu was introduced to students and continues to be taught to students at a broad based level in-house.

Mapping a Curriculum for the Future

As Education enters the 21st century, Holy Innocents’ Primary School is focus-driven to equip her students with the skills and aptitudes to meet the challenges of the new world. Artistry in Ceramics was first offered as a Learning for Life Programme (LLP) in 2014 and Digiminds@ HIPS became the school’s Applied Learning Programme (ALP), equipping students with skills in Design Thinking, Robotics and Coding.

True to Her Mission

As with the school’s mission to being “committed to nurture the potential in each child to the fullest and develop his character in a God-centred environment so as to prepare him for the challenges of the future and to serve the nation”, the HIPS community will continue to function as one family to be a beacon of light and hope to the community and to the country.

Our Principals