History

Explore how RGS History shapes students into critical thinkers by connecting past events to today's world. The programme spans four years, covering topics from colonial Singapore to the Cold War.

Last updated 4 May 2026

History

The Humanities disciplines in RGS nurture students to be advocates and reflective thinkers who will be good stewards of humanity and the environment through emphasising real-world application and encouraging a heart for service to the community.

Learning Outcomes

Nurture our students to be thinkers, leaders and pioneers through a critical appreciation of past human experiences and connections between the past and present
Allow our students to draw connections between the past and present by understanding how the nature and impact of past developments explain today’s world

Programmes

| | | | | |:-:||---| | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | | Unit 1 – Introduction to History | Unit 1 – Towards Independence: The Japanese Occupation of South East Asia & its Impact on Singapore | Unit 1 – European Dominance and Expansion in the 19 th Century Dutch Colonialism: Case Study – Indonesia/Malaysia | Unit 1 – Change and Conflict in Europe (1918-1945): Causes of the Second World War | | Unit 2 – Tracing Singapore’s Origins: Pre-modern Singapore and the Asian Maritime Trade, Pre-14 th to 16 th Century | Unit 2 – Towards Independence: Conceiving the Nation (1945-1955) | Unit 2 – Authoritarian Regimes in Europe and Asia: Communism in China under Mao (1949-1976) | Unit 2 – Change and Conflict in Europe (1945-1963): The Cold War in Europe | | Unit 3 – Establishing Singapore as a British Colony, 19 th Century

Unit 4 – Life in Colonial Singapore: Development of Singapore, Early 20 th Century to Pre-World War II | Unit 3 – Towards Independence: The Road to Merger (1955-1963)

Unit 4 – Towards Independence: The Realisation of a Nation-State )1963-1970s) | Unit 3 – Authoritarian Regimes in Europe and Asia: Nazism in Germany under Hitler (1918-1939) | Unit 3 – Change and Conflict in Asia: The Cold War Expands into Asia (1945-1969) | | * Fort Canning Learning Journey: Pre-Colonial and Colonial Singapore
* RGS Museum and History
* Regional Studies Programme
* Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS) Middle Division
* Humanities Showcase-STEM Week | * Enrichment field trip: Parliament House visit
* Regional Studies Programme
* Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS) Middle Division
* Humanities Showcase-STEM Week | * Year 3 and 4 Humanities Overseas Field Trip
* MOE CPDD History Talent Development Programme
* Raffles Academy 2.0 Southeast Asian History
* Regional Studies Programme
* Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS) Middle Division
* Humanities Showcase-STEM Week | * Year 3 and 4 Humanities Overseas Field Trip
* Work Experience Programme @ Yusof Ishak-Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Library
* MOE CPDD History Talent Development Programme
* Regional Studies Programme
* Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS) Senior Division
* Humanities Showcase-STEM Week | | | | | |

Gallery

A man with a headset microphone demonstrates something at a counter to a large group of students in white uniforms.

(Year 1 Geography Learning Journey) Students visiting a local farm to learn about efforts contributing to food sustainability in Singapore.

Schoolgirls in navy uniforms use red and white surveying poles on a grassy hillside surrounded by green trees.

(Year 3 Geography field trip) Students investigating slope profile in school during Geography lesson.

Students sit and stand around white tables in a classroom, engaged in group activities.

(Year 3 Inquiry & Advocacy Learning Journey) Students having group discussions on wildlife advocacy during a Learning Journey to ACRES.

A presenter stands at the front of a room while a group of young students sit in chairs watching a projected screen.

(Year 3 Inquiry & Advocacy Learning Journey) ACRES workshop facilitator sharing about wildlife advocacy with our students.

A guide speaks to a group of young people surrounded by tall trees in a dense forest.

(Year 3 Inquiry & Advocacy Learning Journey) Nature Society (Singapore) guide sharing with a group of students about environmental advocacy and the biodiversity in Singapore at the Lower Peirce Reservoir Park.

A man speaks to a group of young women inside a shop filled with traditional instruments and artifacts.

(Year 3 Inquiry & Advocacy Learning Journey) A sharing by an owner of a traditional Chinese musical instruments shop in Geylang with our students.

A guide in green uniform emerges from a hidden tunnel in a leaf-covered forest floor as students watch and photograph.

(Humanities trip) Students learning about the history of the cu chi tunnels in Vietnam, before attempting to crawl through the tunnel.

Students in school uniforms sit in a circle in a classroom, holding papers during a group discussion.

(Inter-School Philosophy Dialogue) A group of students from different schools engaged in a dialogue on issues related to philosophy, history, ethics and governance.