Former Hong Kah Secondary School building to make way for expanded special needs school

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

Elisha Tushara

UPDATED Dec 17, 2024, 05:00 PM

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SINGAPORE - The site of the former Hong Kah Secondary Schoo l 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 at West Coast Road since 2021, Grace Orchard School will be able to grow its capacity from 450 to 600 students 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 first announced in 2021, when the Education Ministry (MOE) said it will be “built to updated building specifications to improve students’ learning experiences”.

Upgrades 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, then 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.

It has also gotten approval from the Ministry of Social and Family Development to build a two-storey hub, which will be connected to the school.

This hub provides vocational training for students who have turned 18 and graduated, but need more help preparing for employment.

“The whole idea is that for students who are not so ready after completing their formal study, how can we use that new facility to harden them and then move on? How can we integrate the community into this hub?”

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 from disability agency SG Enable.

Though the main school buildings have to be gated for student safety, they are exploring ways to integrate the hub building to the community, he said.

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

“How are we able to make sure that their presence in Jurong West can be integrated to serve the needs of the immediate residents?” said Dr Lim.

Examples he gave include training students to assist elderly residents with muscle building in a senior gym, and certifying students to run a pet grooming shop.

He said: “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 out, getting ready for 2028.”

Unlike other Sped schools which arrange for graduates to undergo further training elsewhere , Dr Lim said that the hub at the new Grace Orchard School site in 2028 will enable graduates to build on relationships they have established with their teachers.

Said Dr Lim: “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 this very close bonding and understanding with their trainers or teachers.”

Though 19-year-old Aislinn Chua graduated from Grace Orchard School in 2023 after almost 12 years there as a student, she still continues to take part in activities organised by her alma mater.

Her mother, Madam Margaret Ng, 50, a HR manager, told ST: “The school really cares for those who have graduated, and they have kept Aislinn occupied for the past ten months, even after graduation.”

She said that the hub at the new school site will be a blessing for families like hers who struggle to find a place where their children with special needs can continue to be meaningfully engaged after leaving formal schooling.

“We are blessed with this ability to redraw the picture on a blank canvas. I wouldn’t want to say that we are unique, but rather we will probably be the first to try to bring everything together under the same compound,” said Dr Lim.

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