Character and Citizenship Education

The design of the school’s CCE Curriculum takes reference from MOE’s CCE 2021 Curriculum Frame (Figure 1) and is anchored on the school’s mission, vision and values.

The curriculum content of CCE is based on the three big ideas of Identity, Relationships and Choices. It involves the teaching and learning of core values including school values, social-emotional competencies, and citizenship dispositions, with a focus on developing a sense of purpose in our students.

CCE Pedagogical Approaches 

a) Narrative Approach – based on the understanding that people make sense of the world and their experiences through stories or the construction of stories.

b) Explicit Skills Instruction Approach – explicit teaching and learning of social and emotional skills.

c) Experiential Learning Approach - observe, experience, reflect and apply in a real-world situation; scenarios to help students internalise the values.

d) Cognitive Development Approach – moral dilemma scenarios for students to apply moral reasoning to help them examine the motives behind the actions and arrive at a decision for the common good.

e) Consideration Approach – perspective-taking to develop caring dispositions in students by building cognitive and emotional empathy.

f) Values Clarification Approach – helping students to articulate their values through examining their personal feelings and behaviour patterns using rational thinking and emotional awareness.

Learning to Live Well (LW) Programme

At St. Anthony’s Primary School, we strive to make values learning the centre of all we do. All Anthonians undergo the Living Well programme, taught through weekly lessons. These lessons focus on helping Anthonians understand how to live a meaningful life, filled with faith in the community and faith in themselves. Through a range of activities such as discussions, reflections and role-play, students explore the meaning of the Lasallian and Anthonian values and develop their social and emotional competencies.  Additionally, they learn how they can conduct themselves responsibly, and show care for the community and love for their nation.  

Guidance modules and relevant topics (e.g. Assertiveness Programme for Managing Bullying, Peer Support and Relationships, Sexuality Education, Education and Career Guidance, Mental Health and Cyberwellness Education) are built in to develop Anthonians’ holistic growth. It also covers the following:

1. FTGP (Form Teacher Guidance Period) and Termly Special Bonding Time (Building Bonds Within the Classroom)
2. Life skills and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
3. Values in Action (VIA) Programme - Connecting the Head, Heart and Hands – an opportunity for our Anthonians to observe, feel and think about how they can be a blessing to the community and take action to make the world around them a better place. 
4. Singapore Kindness Programme & CCE Lessons – explicit teaching of R3ICH values 
5. School-based Values Education Programmes, i.e., faith-based programmes, SAPS Social Teachings, Growth Mindset, NE Core Events, Learning Journeys, Anthonian Matters, CCAs, Camps, Anthonian Leadership Programme, Talks/Library Activities on values and the use of stories in EL/MTL to develop character and citizenship
6. Personal Reflections, e.g., Anthonian Conduct Rubric self-assessment; VIA reflections, where Anthonians are taught to reflect on their character growth as a lifelong process and to develop the habits of self-reflection and gratitude. 

‘I CAN coz I CARE!’ Values in Action (VIA) Programme

SAPS VIA aims to inculcate in Anthonians the school values and teach them to put these values into action and be blessings to their community by using their gifts in service of God, family and nation. To this end, opportunities for service are provided firstly within the school and then to the wider community (e.g., the neighbourhood, zone and within/beyond Singapore), thus enabling them to learn that they can make a positive difference to the community around them. 

The VIA curriculum is planned and implemented across the six levels in accordance with the CCE 2021 (Primary) Curriculum, aligning our VIA efforts with national directions. Through activities that build social cohesion and civic responsibility, Anthonians are nurtured to become socially responsible. This develops their sense of belonging and commitment to the community and nation. 

Our External Partners in Education

• Parent Support Group
• South West Community Development Council (SWCDC)
• National Environment Agency (NEA)
• Ministry of Social and Family (MSF) Development
• Food From The Heart
• Singapore Kindness Movement 
• SASCO (Senior Citizens Home)
• HCA Hospice Care
• Fei Yue Community Services
• Family Central
• Singapore Art Museum
• St. Mary’s of the Angels
• Heartware network Volunteers
• Hwa Chong Institution

National Education Social Studies (NESS)

National Education at SAPS seeks to develop in Anthonians an understanding and appreciation of citizenship, as well as the past, present and future of Singapore in a complex and ever-changing world. Programmes and activities are anchored on the following Citizenship Dispositions:

• A Sense of Belonging

• A Sense of Reality

• A Sense of Hope

• The Will to Act

In tandem, the Social Studies curriculum develops Anthonians’ knowledge, skills and values through examining issues that are of concern to our society and the world in which we live. 

Anthonians participate in a range of meaningful and engaging learning experiences to learn more about themselves, their community, the nation and the world.

Project ACE (Apply Create Excel), the school’s Interdisciplinary Project Work programme, is one such example. Project ACE is anchored in the subject of Social Studies and allows Anthonians to:

• learn and collaborate with peers to achieve a common goal;

• apply knowledge gained in Social Studies, and in so doing, gain a better awareness of community and national issues; 

• learn problem-solving strategies via the inquiry-based learning cycle.

The school also commemorates the four core NE events – Total Defence Day, International Friendship Day, Racial Harmony Day and National Day – to remember defining moments in Singapore’s history. These events remind us to treasure our heritage, value our diversity and progress thus far, and work towards a bright future for ourselves and our nation.