Poh Leong Joo believes that every child matters, that every student has his/her unique needs, that every student needs to be given the right provisions at the right times to succeed in his or her own ways.

Having a deep interest in both subject disciplines, and in teaching, Leong Joo graduated from the University of Leeds (UK) on a Singapore Government Teaching Scholarship in Mathematics and Music. He then returned to Singapore to complete his Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the National Institute of Education, NTU. In his school days, he also participated in the ASEAN Youth Orchestra playing the violin twice.

Leong Joo started his teaching at Anglican High School where he established the school’s bi-annual choir concert and organized music events at cluster level. He then moved on to MOE HQ as the Senior Head (Policy), Higher Education Division. He worked on research and development of public policy in higher education matters, in particular, for the establishment of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at NUS and the Republic Polytechnic, and for the tertiary arts sector (the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts or NAFA, and LASALLE College of the Arts).

Leong Joo was part of the pioneer team which established the Singapore Sports School as the first specialized independent school in Singapore. As the Assistant Director (Academics), he facilitated the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), including the Extended IBDP in partnership with the World Academy of Sport.

After leaving the Sports School, Leong Joo continued his education journey in various international schools here in Singapore, learning and leading in the curriculum development of various Examination Boards. These included the IBDP, Cambridge IGCSE, Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) from India.