History
The school was founded in 1842 by Maria Dyer and her husband, who were travelling from Malacca to China. On arriving in Singapore they were horrified by the sale of young girls as slaves and Dyer was granted permission from the Governor to start a school for young girls, under the care of the London Missionary Society. Girls were taught English, Christian religious education(christian) and domestic skills. The children in the school were mostly of mixed Chinese-Malay blood. As children were removed from slavery by the government and placed in St. Margarets, the school's leadership was threatened by the children's former owners. The school also faced cultural barriers to acceptance as society at the time did not support the education of women.
In 1900 the school was taken over by the Church of England Zenanah Missionary Society and renamed the CEZMS school, expanding the curriculum and adding a science lab in 1928. The school survived through the Second World War despite damage from bombs, and after the war the name was changed to St. Margaret's School. In 1957 the school began plans to open a separate building for secondary students, and in 1960 it was officially opened.
From 1998 to 2000 St. Margaret's was located at temporary headquarters as the site was renovated, officially re-opening in July, 2002. The school achieved the School Distinction Award in 2009. St. Margaret was awarded the status of autonomous school by the Ministry of Education from 2009.
Read more about this topic: St. Margaret's Secondary School
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