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Activity Guides

Leadership: The Main Options

A reference of the main uniformed groups and school leadership roles available for a child aged 9 to 12 in Singapore: school, national programmes, or community.

Prepared by The Editorial Team

Updated 29 September 2026

Details checked September 2026. Programmes change, so confirm with the school or provider.

In the table, CCA means co-curricular activity: a group run by a school. Some means at least one school’s own page confirms it. A dash means “not covered here”, not that the option doesn’t exist.

Activity MOE school Int’l school National programme Private lessons
Scouts (Cub Scouts) Yes — Yes —
Girl Guides (Brownies) Yes — Yes —
Red Cross Youth Yes — Yes —
Boys’ Brigade / Girls’ Brigade Some — Yes —
Student leadership (prefects) Some — — —

School-based (CCA): MOE schools, Uniformed Groups

Common Uniformed Groups CCAs across Singapore primary schools:

  • Scouts (Cub Scouts)
  • Girl Guides (Brownies)
  • Red Cross Youth

These typically involve earning badges, outdoor activities, community service and, in Red Cross Youth, first aid, alongside opportunities to represent the school at inter-school and national events. Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Brigade also run units in some primary schools, though at fewer of the schools checked than Scouts, Brownies or Red Cross Youth. Availability and specific activities vary by school.

Two other well-known uniformed groups are the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC). NPCC says its cadets are secondary school students, over four years. NCC’s regulations let schools enrol cadets from Secondary One or from age 12. None of the primary school CCA lists read for this guide includes either.

School-based: student leadership roles

Separately from CCAs, several primary schools run a Prefectorial Board: a school-wide leadership role that students are selected or nominated into, rather than a club they choose to join. Several schools describe a staged structure, with junior prefect duties from Primary 3 or 4 and expanded roles in Primary 5 and 6. Prefects are often appointed at a formal investiture. Some schools also have other student leader roles, such as peer support leaders. Selection and structure vary by school.

National programmes (outside any single school)

Scouts and Guides. The Singapore Scout Association gives the Frank Cooper Sands Award each year to Scout units for unit excellence. Girl Guides Singapore gives the Puan Noor Aishah Award each year to Brownie packs that meet its criteria. Schools’ own pages report their units winning both. At least one school’s page says its Brownies attend the National Brownie Revel each year, meeting Brownies and Guides from other schools.

Red Cross Youth. Singapore Red Cross’s primary school units, called Links, are for Primary 3 to 6. It says members take part in first aid training, drills, camps, competitions and community service. At least one school’s page lists a National First Aid Competition among its unit’s activities.

Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Brigade. The Boys’ Brigade’s Juniors Programme, run in primary schools for boys aged 8 to 12, has its own awards, up to a Gold Award for Primary 6 boys. The Girls’ Brigade’s Junior programme, for girls aged 8 to 12, includes national camps such as a Junior Leadership Training Camp.

Outside school

Girl Guides Singapore runs Community Guiding for girls who want Guiding outside a school CCA, including Brownie packs for ages 7 to 12 at community clubs. Singapore Red Cross’s Youth @ Community is for young people aged 9 to 35 whose school has no Red Cross unit. As of October 2023, the Singapore Scout Association said it could help find a Scout group for a child whose school doesn’t offer Scouting.

Not covered here

This page doesn’t cover international schools’ own leadership or uniformed-group programmes: the pages checked either don’t say which age groups take part or are more than 18 months old, so check directly with your child’s school. It doesn’t cover private providers either, including the leadership or confidence camps that some run in the school holidays. Student leadership programmes outside a child’s own school aren’t covered.

This page doesn’t say whether any activity is offered as a Direct School Admission talent area. Each secondary school sets its own talent areas for each year’s exercise, so check the school’s own DSA page and MOE’s DSA-Sec information.

Sources