Pupil Management

Hougang Secondary School adopts a whole-school holistic approach in managing school discipline with the aim of instilling self-discipline in our pupils. As a community, all Hougeans are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner that promotes a conducive environment for learning. Overall, the rules and regulations are designed to create a safe and secure environment for students to learn and teachers to carry out their duties. 

The Pupil Management Department carries out reflection sessions (adapted from the Restorative Approach) with the students to address misbehaviour and guide students to think responsibly, reflect on their actions and come up with solutions. Consequences for offences are accompanied by reflections so that students can understand the rationale for the punishment and learn to be responsible for their own actions.

SCHOOL RULES

The school rules provide guidelines for acceptable student behaviour and conduct. They are designed to help students cultivate a set of positive behaviour that will empower them to learn in a safe and meaningful environment. Every student is expected to be familiar and comply with these stipulated rules. These rules apply within the school premises and at all other school-organised activities held outside the school.

Respect for our Nation and School

• Students who are Singapore citizens must sing the National Anthem and recite the State Pledge.

• Students will recite the State Pledge with the right fists placed over their hearts.

• Students who are not citizens of Singapore must stand at attention and remain silent whenever the National Anthem is sung and the State Pledge is recited.

• Students will sing the School Song with pride.

Respect for our Personal and School Property

• Students are to keep every part of the school clean.

• Students are to take good care of all school property and keep them clean at all times.

• Students can only enter special rooms with the supervision of a teacher. Students must observe the rules and regulations governing the use of these rooms and the equipment in them. 

• Students are to report any equipment fault to the relevant parties promptly.

• Students are to return all borrowed items to the appropriate parties promptly and in good condition.

• Students must be responsible and accountable for safekeeping of their personal belongings. The school will not be held liable for any loss.

Attendance and Punctuality

• Students must observe punctuality at all times for all school-related activities. 

• Students are required to be seated at the stipulated reporting venue by 7.30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and by 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday

• If a student is unable to attend school because he/she is unwell, he/she should submit the medical certificate (only from MOH-registered clinics) to the Character Coach the following school day. 

• Students who like to apply leave from school must submit their parent’s request to the Principal, at least 2 weeks in advance. Taking leave during term time for local or overseas holiday is not allowed and will be considered as absence without valid reason. 

Morning Assembly

• Students are to observe silence during morning assembly once the school personnel-in-charge/student leader takes his/her position.

• Students are expected to bring the appropriate reading materials and do silent reading every morning.

• Students are to return to their classroom in an orderly manner at the end of the morning assembly.

Curriculum Time

• The school emphasizes on the 5As (Attendance, Attire, Attitude, Activities, Attention) as follows:

Attendance 

• Students are to be present and punctual for all classes. 

• Students must obtain permission pass from the teacher before leaving the classroom.

• Students must obtain written permission from the Character Coach before leaving school during curriculum time.

Attire 

• Students are to ensure attire and grooming is right. 

Attitude 

• Students must not bring things that are not relevant to the curriculum and/or the learning process. For example, game/ trading cards and sharp objects (including scissors with sharp points).

• Students are to demonstrate the GRIT values and Social Skills in class. 

• Students are not allowed to purchase or consume food during curriculum time. 

Activities 

• Students are to ensure learning environment is clean.

• Students to have their learning materials (including Personal Learning Device) ready before lessons.

• Students are to participate actively during lesson. 

  • “Screens down” – Students to focus on teacher and put PLD in sleep mode

  • “Screens up”- Students to begin/continue with learning activity using PLD

• Students are to move in an orderly and quiet manner when moving from one classroom to another during curriculum time. 

• Students must complete and submit all homework promptly and neatly. 

Attention 

• Students are to stand up and greet their teachers before the commencement of lesson and at the end of lesson. 

• Students to pay full attention to teacher. 

Recess Time/Snack Break

• Students are to leave their classrooms quietly and in an orderly manner so as not to disturb classes that are having lessons during recess.

• Students must not remain in class or loiter around the classrooms and special rooms.

• Students are to queue up to purchase food and drinks.

• Students are to purchase and consume all food and drinks in the canteen during recess time.

• Students must return all utensils, cutlery, empty cups, etc. to the receptacles provided by the vendors.

• Students must help to maintain cleanliness in the canteen.

• Students are to engage in sports-related activities only at designated areas.

• Students are to return back to class quickly and quietly five minutes before the end of recess time.

• Students may bring light, healthy snacks with them and consume in class during the snack break.

• During the snack break, students are not allowed to go to the canteen to purchase food.

• Students must take ownership in ensuring good hygiene practices during the snack break to keep their classrooms clean and conducive for learning e.g.  proper disposal of the wrappers from the consumption of the snacks.

• The no-usage of mobile phone rule applies during snack break period.

Weekly Assembly 

• Students are to move quickly and quietly to the hall.

• Students are to observe silence when they are in the hall at all times. 

• Students are to be seated with their class neatly in a row.

• Students must show respect towards all speakers and/or performers by paying attention.

After Dismissal

• Students must not loiter in public areas such as shopping malls, playgrounds and void decks after school. 

• Students must behave in a respectable manner and uphold the school values at all times.

Possession of weapons and weapon-like items

• All students are not allowed to have in their possession any weapon. They are also not allowed to bring any weapon-like item, including paper cutter and scissors with sharp edges, which is used or intended to be used to cause harm to self or others.

Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices

• During curriculum time, mobile phones are to be turned off and kept safely in the students’ bag or personal lockers.

• Mobile phones should be kept out of sight and turned off during the change-over of lessons and while students are walking along the corridor.

• During recess, the use of mobile phones will be restricted to the two zones: the canteen and the foyer area.

• Students can only use the mobile phones for learning purposes when permission is given by a school staff.

• If the mobile phone policy is violated, the mobile phone will be confiscated immediately and kept under lock and key in the General Office. For the first and second offence (for the year), the phone will be confiscated up till 5pm on that day. For the third offence and above (for the year), confiscated mobile phones will be returned only after 5 school days. For example, if a mobile phone is confiscated on Monday in Term 1 Week 1, the phone will be returned after 5 full school days of confiscation, which is on Friday in Term 1 Week 1.

• An information form will be issued to student. Confiscated mobile phone will be returned only after 5 school days with a signed parent’s reply slip.

• Failure to comply with the confiscation order will be treated as defiance towards authority which is classified as a major offence in the school.

Responsibilities in using Personal Learning Devices (PLDs) in HS
General

• Students are responsible for their PLDs. The school will not be held responsible for any damage, theft or loss of their devices. In the event of loss or theft of devices, students must make a police report and report the matter to the school. 

• The PLDs are intended for use every day at school. Students must be responsible for bringing their PLDs to all classes.

• Students should bring their PLDs home with them at the end of every school day. 

• Students should not use the school’s electrical power to charge their PLDs. Students should ensure that their PLDs are fully charged before bringing them to school.  Students are responsible for securely storing the PLDs in the common storage facility when they are not in use for learning purposes. Under no circumstance should PLDs be stored in unsupervised areas. Unsupervised areas include the school grounds, canteen, library, special rooms, toilets or any other entity that is not securely locked or in which there is no supervision.

• Students’ PLDs are installed with device management software. When enrolled, the software will manage students’ device usage based on settings determined by the school. Students should not attempt to uninstall or de-enroll themselves from the software. Any violation might lead to disciplinary action in accordance to the school’s discipline policy.

• Students are responsible for using school-owned ICT facilities, equipment and resources for the purpose of learning. Personal use such as gaming and engaging in social media platforms is strictly prohibited. 

• Students are responsible for any resource that is borrowed from school for the duration of the loan. The student will bear the cost of damage, theft or loss due to negligence and face disciplinary action in accordance to the school’s discipline policy.

• Students should always use respectful and appropriate language on cyberspace. Students should not transmit any material that is profane, obscene, abusive, or offensive to others. 

• Students may be selected at random to provide the PLDs for inspection. The purpose for inspection is to check for proper care and maintenance, and for inappropriate material carried into the school.

• Use of PLDs for personal use (e.g.: watching shows/using social media) is not allowed in school.

Account

• Students are responsible and accountable for all activities conducted via their own account.

• Students are responsible for the security of their account IDs and passwords. All account IDs and passwords should not be shared with anyone.

• Student should change their passwords every 3 months. Failure to do so would constitute as negligence.

• Students are to use their full name as stated in their EZlink cards for all account IDs. Aliases, nicknames and pseudonyms are not allowed.

• Students should not use school-owned computing devices for any online trade (i.e. buying and selling of goods and services).

• Students should not use devices to store, modify or create content (e.g. documents, presentations, pictures, videos) that is pornographic or defamatory in nature. 

Email & Social Media

• Students should not post or share any indecent, obscene, pornographic, defamatory material/message that offends and causes distress to other people.

• Students are reminded that threats, harassment, embarrassment, impersonation and intimidation to others is a chargeable offence under Singapore Legal System.

• Students are expected to remain courteous and polite in all online interactions. 

Privacy and Safety

• Students should not reveal their personal details (e.g. phone number, home address, NRIC, passwords, or passwords of other people) openly online. 

• If students inadvertently access a website that contains obscene, pornographic, or otherwise offensive material, notify a trusted adult (e.g. parents or teachers) immediately.

• Any attempt to alter data, the configuration of a computer, or the files of another user, without the consent of the individual, is an act of vandalism and subject to disciplinary action in accordance with school’s discipline policy. 

• Students should not go into any chat room other than those set up or mandated by your teacher. Private chatting during class without permission is not allowed.

Intellectual Property

• Students should not access, download, copy or share any copyrighted materials (such as pictures, videos, music) without explicit permission from the owner.

• Students should not own, copy or share software in an unauthorized or illegal manner.

• The rights of all materials and data created using the school’s ICT facilities and resources are jointly owned by the school and the student.

• Plagiarism is a violation of the school’s discipline code. Students should give credit to all sources used, whether quoted or summarized. This includes all forms of media on the Internet such as graphics, movies, music, and text. 

All students are required to abide by the rules stated above on the usage of learning devices. Violation of any rules may result in confiscation of personal devices for five school days (inclusive of the day of confiscation) and other disciplinary actions, as decided by the Pupil Management Department.

Attire and Grooming Guidelines

For Male Students

(Modifications to the prescribed school uniform is strictly NOT allowed)

• Boys’ hairstyle should be neat and short.

• Fringe when combed down must not be touching the eyebrows.

• Sideburns should not touch the tip of the ears or cover the ears.

• Hair at the back of the neck should be sloped and above the collar.

• Outlandish hairstyle (e.g. Mohawk, overlap, extremely high slope, side shave) are not allowed.

• Boys must be clean shaven. They must not sport a moustache or beard.

• Dyeing of hair is not allowed.

• Pants should not be altered to look tapered, baggy or of inappropriate length.

• Name tag should be seen at all times.

• School tie to be worn at all times within the school premises.

For Female Students

(Modifications to the prescribed school uniform is strictly NOT allowed)

• Long hair must be tied up neatly. 

• Girls with shoulder-length hair or hair touching the collar must tie up their hair at all times. 

• Fringe touching the eyebrows must be pinned up using a black pin.

• Only simple black hair accessories are allowed.

• Dyeing of hair is not allowed.

• Skorts’ length should touch the knee cap.

• Name tag should be seen at all times.

• School tie to be worn at all times within the school premises.

Description of Offences

MINOR OFFENCES

MAJOR OFFENCES

NOTE: Students who have committed any major offence will receive a ‘Fair’ or ‘Poor’ conduct grade for that semester. Repeated minor offences will also be classified as a major offence. He/she will be given a “Fair” or “Poor” conduct grade which means that he/she will not be eligible for any application of awards, scholarships, bursaries, etc. The offence records will also be updated in the Ministry of Education’s School Cockpit Student Offence Module (SOM).

ACTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES

Table 1 below describes the possible consequences which will be applied to students who exhibit behaviour that does not support the school’s values. While the sequence/stages of various disciplinary consequences outlined below in Table 1 serve as a reference point, the administration of the school disciplinary action and final decision will depend on the situation in which the offence was committed, its nature and its severity.

In addition to the consequences outlined in Table 1, when applicable, the school will also implement corrective measures (outlined below in Table 2) to help students understand both the consequences of their actions and the right values on which their actions should be based on. Corrective measures are a form of deterrence and a way to teach students to respect the school, the school staff and their peers. It is student-centric in its aim to help them change for the better.