Anglo Chinese School (Barker Road)

Barker Road campus

In 1999, ACS (Barker Road) moved out of the campus after a closing ceremony on 4 November, to allow the campus to be redeveloped. An issue developed after plans were revealed to dismantle the historic Art Deco clock tower facing Dunearn Road due to safety concerns. This conflict was resolved and the dismantling went ahead. A replica now stands 20 metres from the old clock tower, with the original clock mechanism installed in the new tower.

The 5.2-hectare campus now contains the Primary and Secondary blocks of ACS (Primary) and ACS (Barker Road) respectively. In between the Primary and Secondary buildings is an administrative block housing the general office as well as the libraries of both schools. The landscaped, open-air Student Plaza links the three buildings together. The cafeteria, bookstore, CCA rooms and Music Studios are one floor below the Plaza. The Arts Centre contains the Mrs Lee Choon Guan Concert Hall, Tan Cheng Siong Drama Theatre and the Lee Kong Chian Auditorium which can seat 830, 270 and 1,200 respectively.

The Sports Complex also sits on the campus, containing the Shaw Pool and the Tan Chin Tuan Sports Hall. The Sports Hall has 3 basketball courts, a racket centre, full recreational facilities including a gym and changing rooms. The Olympic-size pool has eight lanes. The Transport Centre/carpark is below the complex.

Barker Road Methodist Church and the Methodist Centre (housing the Methodist Church in Singapore) have also been relocated to the redeveloped Barker Road campus. ACS Oldham Hall has also been renovated with improved facilities, such as air-conditioning in some rooms, a cafeteria, and the capacity to house 500 boarders. The Barker Road campus was designed by SAA Architects Pte and the entire project cost was S$95 million, of which S$15 million had to be raised by the school. In 2004, the campus won the CIDB Award for Construction Excellence.

General Awards

Sports

In the traditional strengths of swimming and waterpolo, the school teams consistently ranked in the top four placings at the national championships.In 2009, the C div Rugby team reached the finals after beating St Andrews in the Semi-finals. And faced their brother school Acs(I) for the finals,with Chan Howard Ho Wai drawing first blood by scoring the first try of the match for ACS (Barker Road) but eventually lost when the game ended with Acs(I) winning by 21 - 15. In 2006, the school accomplished the 2nd placings in Waterpolo for both 'C' and 'B' division at the Inter-School National Championships.It was the first time in history that the 'C' Division made it into the finals and the second time the 'B' div made it to the finals. The first time the 'B' div won and made its lone appearance in the finals dates back to 2002. In 2009, the ACS(BR) water polo 'B' Division (Also Known as Barker Titans) was the first school in Singapore to have won the School Nationals consecutively for three years in a row (2007,2008,2009).In 2007, ACS(BR) edged out its brother School ACS(I) 7-5 in the waterpolo final with 2 superb shots from Rahul Shankar Pandey in extra time. In 2008, ACS(BR) yet again edged out ACS(I) 10-7 despite a slow start, but made history by repeating as champions and remained unbeaten for that season. In 2009, ACS(BR) faced stiffed competition from their younger counterparts from ACS(I) but managed to beat them with a tight score of 6-5. In rugby union, exchange programmes have been held in other countries to gain experience and develop team-building skills. The school came in 3rd in 2006 and has also been consistently ranked among the top four in Singapore. Other sports are snooker and bowling which have also come in 1st and 3rd respectively. These achievements garnered the Sustained Achievement Award for 2006.

Performing arts

Since 2006, Drama has been earmarked as a niche area for growth in the school, following in the footsteps of Anglo-Chinese Junior College which has offered the Drama Elective Programme to its students. Media related CCAs have also made an impact on a national level.

SYF Central Judging

In 2013, Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) received the Distinction Award for all Performing Arts in the biannual Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation.

Uniformed Youth Organisations

The UYOs have also been an integral part of ACS (Barker Road)'s history, with the Scouts achieving the first Frank Cooper Sands Award in 1998. The Boys Brigade, NPCC and NCC (Sea) have since achieved numerous accolades since the school's founding in 1994. These achievements have resulted in the school being awarded the Sustained Achievement Award as well.

Nurturing the Best

This programme was first introduced in 2004, to develop the brightest minds and talents in the school in the Academic and CCA fields. The programme nurtures the potential of students in the top classes in Sec 1(Abraham), Sec 2(Abraham), 3(Science 1) and 4(Science 1), particularly in the areas of Cognitive Development, Talent Development, Social and Personal Development and Leadership Development. Lessons engage students in problem-solving, independent and self-directed learning. Pupils of these classes serve in the school and community. Students have attended a geography trip to Germany and Poland and events like the World Expo in Aichi, Japan.

Students represent the school in national and international competitions such as Odyssey of the Mind in Colorado, USA and the ACJC Geography and Chemistry Quiz. The students organise the annual school-wide maths fair, and 2 Abraham and 3 Science 1 represented ACS(Barker Road) for ACJC's Fun-O-Rama 2010.

Arts Education Programme

The Arts Education Programme encourages appreciation of the cultures in Singapore and their musical traditions. The programme develops the school's strength in Drama. Drama workshops, dance workshops and viewing of theatrical productions are organized for students to cultivate appreciation in theatre.

1:1 Learning Programme

The programme nurtures independent learning, responsibility and develop life-skills of self-discipline and accountability. Students are allowed to use their MacBooks during lessons to do their work or research. In 2016 the school changed the standard electronic advice to be used in lessons to a Chromebook, to be adopted by the Secondary 1 students.

Outdoor Education Programme

For the Outdoor Education Programme level camps are organised annually.

Family@Barker

Family@Barker is the Parents' Support Group (PSG) at the school. They provide support for the school and work with the school administration, staff members, students and parents. They also provide a channel of communication between parents and school, provide feedback, and assist whenever called upon by the school administration. Pastoral care programmes are also carried out by the PSG during respective PCCG periods.

World Vision 30 Hour Famine

The school was the co-organizer of the 2008 World Vision 30 Hour Famine. The event, which was held on 14–15 June 2008, took place in the school's campus. It saw 1000 youths and volunteers fast for 30 hours as a symbol of solidarity against global hunger and poverty.

The school also co-organized the 2009 and 2010 World Vision 30 Hour Famine also held on 14 and 15 June with its closing ceremonies held at Downtown East and *SCAPE Youth Centre respectively.

Co-curricular activities

Co-curricular activities are part of the education provided at ACS (Barker Road), with an emphasis on Drama and the performing arts, and particular sports like Badminton, Basketball and Water Polo.Every student is required to participate in a minimum of one core CCA with at least a 75% attendance track record.