Singapore Sports School set to boost standards in youth sports

The Singapore Sports School Review Committee recommends better sports and academic support for Sports School students and a new National Youth Sports Institute to strengthen youth sports development in Singapore

1. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth has accepted the recommendations of the Singapore Sports School Review Committee. Students of the Singapore Sports School (Sports School) can look forward to more extended academic pathways that will provide a longer runway to support their sport development. They will also enjoy better sports training and development support from the new National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI). To be established in January 2016, the NYSI will also strengthen youth sports development in Singapore, by providing specialised services to high-performing student-athletes from mainstream schools to help them achieve their sporting potential. These are among the key recommendations proposed by the Committee to enhance the development of Singapore’s youth athletes. 
   
   Sports School Review Committee

2. At the Sports School’s 10th Anniversary in 2014, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong challenged the Sports School to “become a national sports academy of excellence 10 years from now”. To achieve this, the Singapore Sports School Review Committee was formed to examine the role, positioning and integration of the Sports School within Singapore’s sports excellence ecosystem. The Committee was co-chaired by Ms Yeoh Chee Yan, Permanent Secretary of the MCCY, and Mr Richard Seow, Chairman of Sport Singapore.

3. As part of the review, the Committee held dialogue sessions with a wide range of stakeholders, including athletes, parents, and representatives of National Sports Associations (NSAs), schools and post-secondary educational institutions.
   
   Key Recommendations
   I. The Sports School will enhance its value proposition as a school that provides a quality education combined with an excellent sports programme to develop student-athletes with the potential to represent Singapore. 
   
   (A) Enhanced Sports Development Programmes for Sports School Student-Athletes
   

4. Prioritise top-notch coaching and athlete life management services. The Sports School will continue to prioritise the provision of top-notch coaching and athlete life management services to its student-athletes. It will also build up its capacity to provide educational and career counselling, and draw up long term development plans for its student-athletes, so as to ensure that their sports and academic needs are seamlessly taken care of. 

5. Deliver a distinctive sports-focused education. The Sports School will deliver a sports-focused curriculum that includes new sports modules for all students, such as sports physiology, nutrition, rest and recovery. This will help its student-athletes adopt a thinking, scientific approach to their training regime, and imbibe the mindset, habits and life-skills of a sports champion.

6. Enhance environment for sports excellence. The Sports School will enhance the environment for sports excellence and make it more athlete-centric by wrapping its academic programmes around the training needs of the athletes. At the same time, the quality of nutrition, rest and recovery of the athletes will be enhanced. The school will also look into establishing a satellite centre at the Sports Hub to better support its student athletes and improve their access to sports services. 
   
   (B) Better Academic Support for Sports School Student-Athletes 
   

7. Additional 6+ year programmes for student-athletes. The Sports School will broaden its through-train partnerships to offer additional 6+ year programmes as a norm for student-athletes with the potential to represent Singapore. The Sports School currently offers 6+ year through-train programmes through the Republic Polytechnic-Singapore Sports School Diploma in Sports and Leisure Management (RP-SSP DSLM), and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The Sports School will work towards providing an additional option for student-athletes to pursue a polytechnic diploma, in a non-sport related discipline. The Sports School will also collaborate with ITE to start a special sports class for student-athletes who are more suited for a vocational track. This will enable student-athletes to continue their academic development during the critical years of their sporting development.

8. Greater curricular flexibility to support high intensity training. The Sports School will increase the flexibility of its academic programmes to better support the training and development needs of its student-athletes. For example, it will work with IB Organisation to provide a selected group of student-athletes greater curricular flexibility and more time to complete the IBDP while meeting admission requirements at local publicly-funded universities. 

9. Establish linkages with universities. The Sports School will establish linkages with local and overseas universities to enhance support for its student-athletes. For a start, the Sports School will work with local publicly-funded universities to grant admission interviews for selected high-performing student-athletes who can benefit from an undergraduate programme.
   
   (C) More Flexible Admission for High Performing Student-Athletes
   

10. Extend targeted support for more sports. The Sports School will extend its academic and boarding programmes to high-performing student-athletes from more sports. This will enable them to benefit from the Sports School’s academic flexibility and athlete services, while receiving sports training and coaching from their respective NSAs outside the School.

11. Greater flexibility in accepting mid-stream students. While the Sports School will continue to admit youths with talent and potential at Secondary 1, it will be more flexible in accepting student-athletes mid-stream after Secondary 1. In this way, more late-bloomers can join the Sports School and benefit from its programmes and supportive academic environment.
    
    II. A new National Youth Sports Institute will be set up to develop Sports School student-athletes, support high-performing youth athletes outside the Sports School, and raise standards in the youth sports excellence ecosystem
    

12. Build on Sports School’s capabilities in developing student-athletes. A new National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI) will be set up to build on the Sports School’s capabilities in developing student-athletes, and oversee the provision of enhanced sports development programmes for Sports School student-athletes. 

13. Be a resource centre for high-performing youth athletes. The NYSI will also extend specialised services and support to high-performing student-athletes in mainstream schools. NYSI will complement the training and coaching services that these high performing student-athletes receive from the NSAs or their schools. It will improve the provision of sports medicine and sports science support, engage student-athletes and their parents on athletic career and education counselling, and facilitate centralised training for National Age-Group teams and Singapore School Sports teams.

14. Drive national talent identification and selection programmes. NYSI will drive a national sports talent identification system to provide opportunities for junior sports talents to emerge and be discovered. Together with its stakeholders, the NYSI will develop a system that supports and tracks these athletes from youth to the senior levels, to ensure a smooth development pathway. 

15. Set up a Youth Coaching Division. NYSI will be a centre of excellence that raises standards of the youth sports excellence ecosystem. NYSI will set up a Youth Coaching Division in the National Coaching Academy to develop a pipeline of world-class Singaporean youth coaches. Working with MOE and NSAs, it will co-develop curriculum for youth coach certification, and deliver professional development programmes for the coaches of youth athletes.
    
    Becoming a national youth sports academy of excellence

16. In its first 10 years, the Sports School has made it possible for young Singaporeans to pursue their sporting aspirations while obtaining a quality education. Mr Tan Teck Hock, Principal of Singapore Sports School, added: “The international sporting landscape will continue to become more competitive, adding more demands and pressure on student-athletes to up their game and achieve good results. The Sports School student-athletes have benefited from an athlete-centric environment that has helped them develop their sporting potential, while balancing the importance of an academic education. As we progress into the next decade, the Sports School is committed to becoming the national youth sports academy of excellence, and contributing to the overall well-being of student-athletes within and outside of the Sports School.”

17. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu, said: “The Sports School has made significant positive impact to the education and development of young athletes. Over the last 10 years, it has accumulated valuable experience and expertise. It is now in a good position to share its expertise more widely to support the sporting aspirations of student-athletes in mainstream schools and make a greater impact in youth sport. The Sports School will need to continue working closely with stakeholders including the NSAs, sporting and education fraternities, and students and their parents to provide our youth with the best support in their pursuit of sporting excellence and nurture a new generation of accomplished athletes.”