A new lease of life for Tanglin Trust School

Founded more than 100 years ago to provide a British education for the children of expatriate families, Tanglin Trust School is gearing up for its next chapter as it continues evolving alongside Singapore

Historic Singapore addresses are a key part of Tanglin’s heritage, with its current location at Portsdown Road being its home since 1971. Now an exciting new chapter in the school’s history is taking shape – the school has secured its lease at Portsdown Road until 2056, providing long-term stability and allowing it to plan for the generations of students still to come.

Alongside this, Tanglin has been granted an additional 0.5-hectare plot on One-North Crescent, increasing the school’s overall footprint by 11 percent.

Planning for a new chapter at Tanglin Trust School

What this means for the school community is more space – and lots of it. Tanglin’s Master Plan Development Project will see the campus evolve in phases through to 2038, with buildings and facilities upgraded, renovated or repurposed along the way. Plans include a new Early Years Centre, additional sports facilities, and new learning spaces across the Infant, Junior and Senior Schools.

The first major project will be a new purpose-built Senior School, with construction due to begin in 2027. Designed by P&T Consultants and WilkinsonEyre, the 12-level building will be the largest on campus, with more than 23,500 square metres of floor space. That’s approximately 50 percent larger than the Tanglin Centenary Building.

It isn’t simply about creating bigger classrooms, says Tracey Grobbelar, Director of Business Development and The Foundation: “We have a unique opportunity to shape the next chapter of Tanglin Trust School in Singapore. When we think 10 or 20 years ahead, the challenge is to design not only for what students need today, but to create the flexibility for future generations to shape spaces around needs we cannot yet predict.”

The new Senior School has been designed around how young people learn today and the skills they will need tomorrow. Specialist spaces for science, technology, engineering, economics, entrepreneurship and mathematics will support interdisciplinary learning, research and practical problem-solving.

An eye on the future for current and prospective families

For prospective families considering Tanglin, the Master Plan offers a glimpse of what their child could experience in the years ahead.

For families who know Tanglin, there’s something interesting about seeing a school with more than a century of history preparing so deliberately for the future.

The aim is to build on its history: combining Tanglin’s British educational heritage and international outlook, with spaces designed for a very different educational landscape.

In the works

There is still plenty to come, with plans developing over the next decade to create a new campus at Tanglin designed to support students from age three through to 18 years old.

After 55 years at Portsdown Road, the school understands the value of putting down roots. With those roots firmly established, it’s preparing to grow further.

Find out more about the Tanglin Master Plan Development Project at tts.edu.sg.

Tanglin Trust School
96 Portsdown Road.
6778 0771

This article on the new lease of life for Tanglin Trust School in Singapore first appeared in The November 2026 Expat Living magazine. You can buy the latest issue or an annual subscription or read the digital version free now.

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