Cantonment Primary School

Image Gallery

The school’s inaugural P4 Outdoor Adventure Camp in 2011.

The school’s 2013 official opening ceremony dance performance by all the Primary One students.

Ms Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Education, Mrs Soh Mei Foong, Principal and the students at the school’s official opening in 2013.

Mrs Manokara S took over stewardship of the school in 2017.

School History

The school name ‘Cantonment’ was derived from where Sir Stamford Raffles set up the barracks for the East India Company’s troops dating back to 1819. The word ‘cantonment’ refers to a large military camp. At its current location, the school is flanked by the culturally rich Chinatown and the economically significant civic district, giving easy access to many heritage sites.

Cantonment Primary School (CPS) started in January 2011 with five classes of Primary One students and one class each from Primary Two to Four. The Principal, together with an Administrative Manager, three key personnel and nine teachers, looked into establishing the school. Comprising four blocks, the school was purpose-built with enhanced facilities to support PERI initiatives. These facilities include an indoor sports hall, a performance stage in the Media Resource Library and an Arts Centre. 

The staff strength has grown to more than a hundred and the student population stands at 1,421 in 2020. In the first two years of operations, the school set up key functions and established procedures to support and make effective teaching and learning, staff development and stakeholder communications. The School Advisory Committee and the Parent Support Group Executive Committee were formed in 2012. Co-curricular activities (CCAs) and modular CCAs were introduced; by the school’s official opening in 2013, student groups were able to showcase their experiences and talents.

The CPS vision was recrafted in 2018 to “Concerned Citizens, Innovative Thinkers, Passionate Learners”. The vision recognises that its students need to possess skills, aptitudes and attitudes in order to succeed and contribute in the 21st century. From the start, Cantonment Primary has focused on building a culture of learning and care, grounded in school values.  

The promotion and practice of school values is a key foundation in Character and Citizenship Education and daily students’ experiences. Lessons on classroom values were rolled out in 2011, and these have been revised and improved upon over time to extend to school-wide promotion and practice beyond the classrooms. In 2018, the school values were reviewed to align with the school vision, and the values of Care, Graciousness, Integrity, Resilience and Respect were adopted. To help students internalise and apply the school values, class names were changed to reflect the school values. Star Values student awards are also given out to students who role model the school values.

In 2016, Thinking Curriculum @ CPS was recognised as the school’s Applied Learning Programme. The objective of the programme is to cultivate responsible and independent thinkers who will contribute positively to the community and environment. The school holds that innovations should be an outcome of responsible and independent thinking. 

In 2020, “PAVE” Performing Arts for Values & Excellence was recognised as School’s Learning for Life Programme. By offering Music and Performing Arts experiences across various languages and cultures, it is the school’s vision to ensure that every child will be actively involved in Music and Performing Arts experiences through providing these valuable experiences in the curriculum as well as school wide programmes. CPS aspires to bring our students with different nationalities and social backgrounds together, build relationships that are for life, promote bonds of trust and respect that will deepen our national identity, the route to excellence.

Principals:
- Mdm Wong Mei Foong (2011–2017)
- Mrs Manokara Sugunavathi (2017–2024)
- Mdm Foo Yin Ping Grace (2025–present)

Key Milestones

School Crest

The school crest draws inspiration from an old Chinese proverb ‘十年树木, 百年树人’, which means ‘it takes ten years to plant a tree but a hundred years to nurture and mould the character of a person.’ The school crest represents education as evergreen and fruit bearing. Education continually nurtures and moulds the character of a person to be deeply rooted in good values and through a process of love and patience. The school crest has rounded symbols portraying education as holistic. Visually, the rounded symbols look like people in motion and depict the school as a dynamic place with a vibrant culture where interaction and growth are evident.

There are three colours in the school crest, each with significant meaning. Blue conveys strength and steadfastness; good traits that the school seeks to nurture in their students. Green represents growth and harmony and signifies how the staff and students will work harmoniously to grow together. Orange portrays vibrancy, dynamism and warmth and the colour is symbolic of the culture that Cantonment aspires to build.

School Song

♫ Listen ↗ (opens in new tab)

We are Cantonment, we are family
We are one in harmony
We learn to serve the community
And lead with morality
A place we learn our nation’s history
Committing to our country
As innovative thinkers and passionate learners
The future we’re ready
We seek to serve with graciousness
With our hearts we care and influence
With integrity and resilience
We are Cantonment
We will be respectful and courteous
We want to be concerned citizens
Filled with compassion and aspirations
We are Cantonment