Did you know that Tampines Primary School was Singapore’s first community school?
That heritage still shapes the school in 2026.
Its current vision is A Community School of Excellence: Care, Create, Connect, Contribute.
Its Applied Learning Programme uses Drama to build confident, creative and empathetic learners. Its Learning for Life Programme develops The Community Leader through servant leadership, Design Thinking, VIA and community partnerships.
So what is so awesome about Tampines Primary School?
It is the way the school turns community into curriculum.
Independent eduKateSG profile checked on 5 October 2026. This is not a ranking or school-endorsed publication. Programme details can change; families should use current school and MOE information for cohort-specific decisions.
The Quick Answer
- TPPS began in 1985. It is known as Singapore’s first community school.
- Drama is the ALP. STAR ACTtituDE develops confidence, creativity, adaptability and teamwork.
- The LLP develops community leaders. Servant leadership and Design Thinking are central.
- The vision is Care, Create, Connect, Contribute.
- iREAP values anchor the school. Integrity, Resilience, Excellence, Adaptability and Passion.
- The motto is To Persevere And Succeed.
Care, Create, Connect, Contribute
Tampines Primary’s current vision has four verbs.
Care keeps the learner human.
Create develops agency and invention.
Connect places the child in community.
Contribute gives learning a purpose beyond the self.
Know Every Child, Grow Every Child, Celebrate Every Child
The school mission is expressed through three commitments:
- #KnowEveryChild
- #GrowEveryChild
- #CelebrateEveryChild
This is a strong philosophy because talent is difficult to grow before the learner is understood.
iREAP Values
Tampines Primary’s current values are Integrity, Resilience, Excellence, Adaptability and Passion.
Integrity protects trust. Resilience supports recovery. Excellence raises standards. Adaptability helps under change. Passion gives learning energy.
To Persevere And Succeed
The school motto reminds pupils that achievement is linked to persistence.
Success is not magic.
It is repeated effort under changing conditions.
STAR ACTtituDE: Drama as Applied Learning
Tampines Primary’s current Applied Learning Programme uses Drama across Primary 1 to 6.
STAR ACTtituDE develops students with Strengths, Talents, Aspiration and Resilience towards becoming creative, confident team players through Drama in Education.
Why Drama Is a Powerful Learning Tool
Drama develops more than performance.
Students have to understand character, motive, language, timing, body movement and audience.
They also have to listen and react.
Language becomes embodied.
Creative Play Builds Adaptability
Improvisation teaches students to respond when the script changes.
That is a genuine future-ready capability.
Adaptability is easier to understand when the learner has to use it in real time.
An eduKateSG Example: Explaining a Conflict Through Drama
The following is an eduKateSG illustration, not a documented TPPS lesson.
Imagine pupils act out a playground disagreement from three viewpoints. Each child has to understand what another person might be thinking and feeling.
Drama becomes empathy training.
The Community Leader: The LLP
Tampines Primary’s Learning for Life Programme develops confident and caring leaders who serve community and society.
The programme uses servant leadership and Design Thinking, supported by the CCE concepts of Identity, Relationships and Choices.
Every Tampinesian Can Lead and Serve
The school’s leadership philosophy is inclusive.
Every Tampinesian receives leadership development, while students showing stronger leadership potential can take on more specialised roles.
Tier 1: General Leaders
All pupils experience basic leadership skills across six years.
The progression moves through self, team and thought leadership.
This is good design because leadership load grows with maturity.
Tier 2: Specialised Leaders
Students with demonstrated leadership qualities can develop further through roles such as Prefects, CCA Leaders, Peer Leaders and Ambassadors.
Real roles create real accountability.
Tier 3: Leaders of Leaders
The top leadership tier develops students who can guide and mentor other student leaders and serve a wider community.
A strong leader should eventually help produce another leader.
Design Thinking in Community Leadership
The LLP also weaves in Design Thinking.
This matters because service should begin with understanding.
Who needs help?
What is actually difficult?
What intervention could work?
Leadership becomes problem solving with empathy.
Innovation and Enterprise
The wider Tampines Primary curriculum also includes Innovation and Enterprise through project work, Innovation Day and Design for Change.
This complements Drama and leadership well.
Create the idea.
Communicate the idea.
Then use it to improve something.
What Families Can Borrow From Tampines Primary
- Use drama to develop confidence and empathy.
- Build leadership from self to team to thought leadership.
- Know the child before designing the support.
- Use Design Thinking in community service.
- Give students authentic leadership roles.
- Connect creativity to contribution.
How Tampines Primary Connects to the eduKateSG Singapore Graph
- Awesome Schools in Tampines
- History of Education in Singapore | An Atlas of Schools, Towns, Subjects and Learning
- Singapore Area Learning Article Index
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tampines Primary School’s vision?
A Community School of Excellence: Care, Create, Connect, Contribute.
What is STAR ACTtituDE?
The school’s Drama Applied Learning Programme, developing confident, creative, adaptable team players.
What is the Community Leader LLP?
A servant-leadership programme using Design Thinking, community service and progressive leadership tiers.
Official References Checked for the 2026–2027 Edition
- Tampines Primary School — Vision, Mission and Values
- Tampines Primary School — Principal’s Message
- Tampines Primary School — Drama ALP
- Tampines Primary School — Learning for Life Programme
- Tampines Primary School — iREAP Values
- Tampines Primary School — Curriculum
So, What Is So Awesome About Tampines Primary School?
It is the community.
Care.
Create.
Connect.
Contribute.
Then persevere and succeed together.
