Should you be concerned if the secondary school that your child is considering — or is currently studying in — will undergo a change in leadership?

First, we need to understand how a school’s principal could affect your child’s learning experience. Below are the key roles that school leaders might play:

• Defining a vision of academic success for the school
• Ensuring that the school environment is safe and conducive for learning
• Boosting staff morale, so that staff feel motivated to work towards the school’s vision
• Serving as a mentor for staff and students
• Overseeing school processes and implementing improvements where needed

Just like in any other profession, you may have heard about poorly managed school environments where teachers are languishing in comfort zones, or worse, feeling overworked and underappreciated. In high-needs schools with a larger proportion of learning and discipline issues, you might have observed that the staff seem to be barely coping, especially in these trying Covid-19 times.

That said, you are limited in your perspective as an external observer, and it will be difficult for you to assess if a school principal is truly doing a good job. For simplicity, you could look at a school’s performance in milestone exams such as the O- and N-Levels, but new principals will also need time to turn things around — and results may not be their topmost priority.

Perhaps more crucial than results is a principal’s commitment to strengthening the school culture. Where school culture is concerned, there are two things that parents can look out for. First, what are the principal’s plans for creating a deeper sense of belonging among students, teachers, and the wider stakeholder community, such as parents and alumni? To find out, here are some questions that you could put across to a new principal during a meet-the-parents webinar:

• What are your plans to make the school environment more welcoming and enticing for students? Are there plans to create community spaces for students to build friendships beyond the classroom? (This could be as simple as designating a space in the canteen for games such as chess, subject to prevailing social distancing guidelines.)
• How will you use data to improve outcomes for students? 
• What efforts will you take to protect the mental health of teaching staff — especially during Covid-19 — to prevent exhaustion and burnout?
• How will you build the parent volunteer or alumni community?

Second, you can also enquire about the school’s goals, and whether teachers and students are aware of their role in fulfilling the school’s vision. For instance, in a school where students are taught the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” there may be numerous posters on the school walls to remind students to live by these daily habits.

Some questions that you can ask include:

• Will the school be reassessing or changing its vision statement under the new leadership?
• Currently, what are the school’s biggest challenges? What areas will be addressed first, and in what ways?
• Will there be new opportunities for students, so that they can grow in the areas outlined by the school vision?
• Are students taught to set academic and non-academic goals in line with the school vision? How is this implemented in the classroom, and how will students track their progress?

Finally, don’t forget that principals need care just as much as anyone else. In fact, you can think of principals as the “heart of the education system” — if they are not thriving, you can be sure that the school will falter too. To show your concern for the new principal, you could ask questions such as “How can parents help to ease your transition into the school?” or “What can parents do to support you?”

In December 2021, 35 secondary schools will see the appointment of new principals. For your convenience, we have included information on these schools and their new principals in the table below. Where available, we have also provided links to the incoming principal’s bio or CV. Do note that two of the listed schools — Fuchun Secondary School and the School of Science and Technology (both marked with an asterisk) — will not be participating in the Secondary 1 posting process.

We hope that this information will be helpful to you, whether you are at the point of helping your child to research secondary schools, or are feeling slightly unsettled about the impending change in your child’s school. It may help to realise that principals alone do not have the power to make or break a school. As a parent, you can certainly make a difference, so don’t hesitate to step up and lend a hand.

Secondary School	New Principal (Dec 2021)	Previous Role	Details
Anderson Secondary School	Miss Tan Po Chin	Vice-Principal, Bedok South Secondary School
Bartley Secondary School	Miss Britta Seet Ying Ling	Vice-Principal, Nanyang Girls’ High School
Beatty Secondary School	Mr Harman Johll	Vice-Principal, National Junior College	Profile
Bowen Secondary School	Mr Loh Chih Hui	Vice-Principal, Greendale Secondary School
CHIJ Katong Convent	Mdm Hilda Tan Hwee Tsian	Principal, Meridian Secondary School
Christ Church Secondary School	Mr Adrian Tay Juncheng	Vice-Principal, Eunoia Junior College	Profile
Chung Cheng High School (Main)	Mr Terence Yao Zhixuan	Vice-Principal, Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School	Profile
Chung Cheng High School (Yishun)	Mr Chia Guo Hao	Vice-Principal, Millennia Institute	Profile
Clementi Town Secondary School	Mdm Rasidah Bte Rahim	Principal, Queenstown Secondary School
Dunman High School	Mr Chan Ying Yin	Principal, Chung Cheng High School (Main)
Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary)	Mr Wee Tat Chuen	Principal, Geylang Methodist School (Secondary)
Fuchun Secondary School*	Mr Shawal Bin Hussin	Principal, Orchid Park Secondary School
Geylang Methodist School (Secondary)	Mr Victor Owyong Tuck Sing	Principal, Presbyterian High School
Greendale Secondary School	Mr Sulaiman B Mohamad Yusof	Principal, Naval Base Secondary School	Profile
Hillgrove Secondary School	Mdm Lee Ching Guan Helen	Principal, Clementi Town Secondary School
Junyuan Secondary School	Mr Tay Meng Kiat	Vice-Principal, Temasek Secondary School
Jurong West Secondary School	Miss Tan Ming Ming	Vice-Principal, Westwood Secondary School
Loyang View Secondary School	Mr Eugene Lin Yucheng	Principal, Zhenghua Secondary School	Profile
Meridian Secondary School	Mr Mohamed Razali B Abdul Hamed	Principal, Junyuan Secondary School
Methodist Girls’ School	Mrs Valarie Wilson	Director, Arts Education, Student Development Curriculum Division	Profile
Naval Base Secondary School	Mdm Linda Yeo Sock Khoon	Vice-Principal, Riverside Secondary School	Profile
Northbrooks Secondary School	Mr Lau Yan Boon	Principal, Christ Church Secondary School
Northland Secondary School	Mr Lim Kok Hwa	Principal, Peicai Secondary School
Orchid Park Secondary School	Mr Daniel Chung Kwok Leong	Vice-Principal, Gan Eng Seng School
Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)	Mdm Amy Ng	Principal, Greendale Secondary School
Pei Hwa Secondary School	Mr Mohd Azhar B Terimo	Principal, Bartley Secondary School
Peicai Secondary School	Mr Muhunthan s/o Subramaniam	Principal, Jurong West Secondary School
Presbyterian High School	Mdm Angeline Ong Hui Miin	Principal, Hillgrove Secondary School
Queenstown Secondary School	Mr Sim How Chong	Vice-Principal, Fuhua Secondary School
River Valley High School	Mdm Choy Wai Yin	Director, Guidance, Student Development Curriculum Division
School of Science and Technology*	Mr Chan Choon Loong	Principal, Northbrooks Secondary School	Profile
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School	Mdm Linda Chua Mui Mui	Principal, School of Science and Technology
St. Joseph’s Institution	Mr Justin Arul Pierre	Cluster Superintendent, Schools Division	Profile
West Spring Secondary School	Mdm Belinda Yong Li Ling	Principal, Pei Hwa Secondary School
Zhenghua Secondary School	Mr Ng Hock Soon	Vice-Principal, Queensway Secondary School