National Education Inspectorate

National Education Inspectorate
June 1, 2010

Basic Information about the School

Woodford All Age School is located in the parish of St. Andrew in the rural coffee farming community of Woodford. It is an extra-small school with approximately 80 students. With four teachers including the principal, the student teacher ratio is 20:1. The average daily attendance is 82 per cent. Most of the students are from the immediate community with some coming from Papine. They are generally from a poor socioeconomic background, with many of the families being seasonally employed on coffee farms or in low income jobs. Approximately 46 per cent of students are beneficiaries of the PATH programme. Students are generally polite and welcoming. Some students and parents express concerns about poor students’ behaviour and some parents feel that there is a lack of support from parents regarding their children’s behaviour. The general perception of the school is improving and this is supported by the increased number of enquiries for admission in September.

Overall Effectiveness of the School

The overall effectiveness of the school is unsatisfactory

Leadership and management are unsatisfactory. The principal has done a lot in a short time to improve the ethos of the school but he still has some way to go in moving the school from unsatisfactory to at least good. The school lacks effective instructional leadership, systems of accountability and reliable governance. It also lacks a school improvement plan to keep it focussed and to guide the process of moving the school forward. The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory. Most lessons have a narrow range of activities and are not child-centred. Students are passive learners with little opportunity to apply their learning or to develop research and problem solving skills.

Students’ performance in English in national and regional tests is satisfactory and they make satisfactory progress in the subject from their point of entry to performance in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT). In mathematics, students’ performance is good in relation to national and regional tests. However, when tracked from Grades 1 to 6, their overall progress in mathematics is only satisfactory.


The social and personal development of students is satisfactory. Most behave well, have good attitudes to school and keep their school environment clean
The school is adequately resourced but the resources are mainly underutilized. Curriculum and enhancement programmes are unsatisfactory. Although attempts have been made to modify the curriculum at Grades 4 and 5, this is not consistent across the school. For most of the students, work is not differentiated to meet their varying needs.

The safety, security, health and well-being of the school are unsatisfactory. Students feel safe at school but engage in potentially dangerous activities in the playground. The school lacks perimeter fencing and is a thoroughfare for some members of the community.

Although students’ emotional needs are catered for through guidance and counselling, there is insufficient monitoring of punctuality and attendance. The reported use of corporal punishment in one class is an inappropriate means of controlling behaviour.

The following key strengths are identified in the school:

  • Performance of students in mathematics and English, especially with the additional support from the homework centre and a volunteer who teaches extra lessons in mathematics.
  • A clean and tidy school compound with staff and students being proud of their school environment.
  • Positive attitudes of most students
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National Education Inspectorate
June 20, 2010

Basic Information about the School

Craighton Primary is a 200-year-old school situated in Irish Town in east rural St Andrew. It sits atop a precipitous but scenic hill overlooking Kingston and the surrounding areas. The school is owned by the Anglican Church. The board chairman is the priest of that church, and membership is predominantly from the church. The capacity of the school is 140, but there are currently only 101 students on roll as parents have been moving their children to other schools. Presently, the school is led by an acting principal who has been in that position since 2009. In addition there are three teachers, making for a student/teacher ratio of 25:1. The school serves communities within a three-mile radius of the area. The average daily attendance is generally high at 92 per cent. The school receives help from its business neighbours to enhance its play area, its music and other programmes.

Overall Effectiveness of the School

The overall effectiveness of Craighton Primary is unsatisfactory

School leaders have not sufficiently developed structures to fulfill the school's capacity for improvement. The partnership between the principal and the board is not yet effective in providing a clear vision to focus on improvement. The board does not ensure that it is sufficiently informed nor is it actively involved in the life of the school.

Overall, teaching and learning are unsatisfactory. The quality of teaching varies across the school and therefore students‟ learning is highly dependent on the individual teacher. Teaching is clearly impacting more effectively on students‟ learning in two grades where their teachers use a range of strategies and students participate more actively. However, there are many lessons with unsatisfactory teaching, especially in classes where very few materials are used, where students lack challenge and lessons are uninspiring. Assessment is inconsistent throughout the school, both in the systems used and in the way that teachers use the information gathered to plan for students‟ learning. As a result, not all students achieve as well as they might. Students‟ performance and progress in English and mathematics are satisfactory for all age groups. Average scores in national tests are at or below the national averages but are considerably above regional averages in English and mathematics. The students have consistently done better at English than in mathematics and teaching in English is stronger. Students‟ attitudes and behaviour are satisfactory both in lessons and around the school compound.

A caring climate is created for the students and they enjoy being at school. They appear comfortable with their teachers and most students and teachers share respectful and open relationships. Students have good civic and spiritual understanding. They are keen to take part in activities and are not shy to explain their thoughts about economic and environmental issues. There are sufficient teachers and support staff. However, two teachers are not primary trained. The quality and quantity of material resources is unsatisfactory and such resources as are available are not being effectively utilised to support children‟s learning.

The building and grounds are not well maintained and the lack of an appropriate playground is a concern. The curriculum provision is satisfactory and generally relevant. The multi-grade class arrangement poses a challenge for the efficient delivery of the curriculum. Safety, security and health are unsatisfactory. There are many areas of concern which need prompt attention to help ensure students‟ safety. The well-being of students is satisfactory and teachers know students well and provide a supporting environment.

Inspectors identified the following key strengths in the work of the school:

  • Good attendance
  • Students‟ civic awareness and spiritual understanding
  • Teacher-student relationships
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National Education Inspectorate
March 30, 2011

Overall effectiveness of the school

The overall effectiveness of the Padmore Primary school is failing

Leadership and management are failing

The School‟s Management Team does not display a clear and realistic understanding of the school‟s needs. The Principal‟s vision of holistic development is good, but does not speak sufficiently to areas of academic improvement and excellence. There is no clear agenda for academic improvement, as a result; students‟ attainment and progress in key academic areas continue to decline. The Board offers little support to management and, in a very limited and informal way, it holds the Principal and teachers accountable for performance. Nevertheless, ongoing communication between the school and the parents has fostered a satisfactory relationship.


Teaching and learning is unsatisfactory

Teachers display satisfactory knowledge of the subjects they teach but many do not know how best to teach and how students learn. Poor teaching strategies negatively impact the teaching and learning process, resulting in most students underachieving and unable to apply concepts taught to real life situations.


Attainment in English is unsatisfactory and in mathematics it is failing

The school‟s performance is consistently well below national and Region 1 averages for extra small school in the Grade Four Literacy Test, Grade Four Numeracy Test and Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

Progress in English and mathematics is unsatisfactory

Across most grade levels students show little progress and content coverage is low. Many students show little understanding of concepts taught and most are unable to demonstrate understanding in a practical way.

Students’ personal and social development is satisfactory

Across all grade levels, most students display satisfactory behaviour and good spiritual practices. They understand how they are able to make positive contributions to the economy.
Human and material resources are satisfactory, but use of resources is unsatisfactory
Although human and material resources are of satisfactory quality and sufficiency, teachers make very little use of them in the teaching and learning process.

Curriculum and enhancement programmes are unsatisfactory

Despite being a multi-grade school, very little modification of the curriculum is done to cater to students‟ different ability levels and varying learning styles. The integrated approach to learning at Grades 1 to 3 is not practised.


Safety security and health are unsatisfactory, but well-being is satisfactory

Whilst students‟ well-being is satisfactorily catered to, policies to ensure and maintain safety are not in place, and some health and safety regulations are not adhered to.

Inspectors identified the following key strengths in the work of the school:

  • Students display a high level of courtesy to visitors, teachers and peers.
  • A high level of spirituality is demonstrated at devotion and throughout the day by students.
  • Students‟ personal appearance is good; they are always very clean and neatly dressed
  • Student/teacher relationships in and out of classes are good.
  • Punctuality: Most students and teachers are on time for school.
  • Student/teacher ratio is only 12:1
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National Education Inspectorate
National Education Inspectorate
June 1, 2010

Basic information about the School

Jacks Hill Primary and Infant School is located in the parish of St. Andrew. It is the only school located in the semi-rural community of Jacks Hill and provides education for students from the infant department to Grade 6.The school as established in 1955 and was known as the Jacks Hill All Age and Infant School. The name was officially changed to the Jacks Hill Primary and Infant School in 2007. This is a small school built to accommodate 150 students; but currently has a student population of 57. The teaching staff of four, are involved in multi-grade teaching. The teacher-student ratio is 14:1.


Student from the surrounding areas of Jacks Hill attend the school; and are mostly from lower income families. Many of the parents are only functionally literate and most are not involved in the life of the school. The school’s mission is to “create an effective teaching and learning environment to nurture the individual’s desire to aim high, academically, culturally, spiritually and socially.”


Overall effectiveness of the school

Jacks Hill Primary and Infant School is judged an unsatisfactory school

Leadership and management are unsatisfactory. The Principal knows her school and the direction in which she wants to take it. However, there are gaps in how widely the vision is shared. Self-evaluation and improvement planning is not sufficiently driven by student performance data. There are no clear mechanisms in place to effectively monitor the work of the school and to guarantee accountability. While the Chairperson of the Board and the Principal enjoy a good relationship and the Chairperson offers advice, and ensures accountability in spending, the Board as a whole is inactive.

The school’s relationship with parents and the local community is satisfactory. The school has established meaningful links with the wider community including the Community Council, Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

The quality of teaching to support learning is unsatisfactory. In most lessons the teaching does not sufficiently indicate that teachers understand how best to teach their subjects. Therefore, many lessons are teacher-centred and provide students with limited independent learning opportunities. Teacher- student interaction varies across grades.

While the school has seen an improvement and was on par with the national average in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) for Language Arts in 2009, the performance in the Grade 4 Literacy Test continues to decline. Performance averages in mathematics are below the regional and national averages. Students make satisfactory progress in English but progress is unsatisfactory in mathematics.

Most students behave well during lessons especially those in the infant department. However, their behaviour is unsatisfactory when they are unsupervised. Students show satisfactory levels of civic, economic, environmental and spiritual awareness. Most students know about the national heroes of Jamaica and their struggles to better the country. The school has a sufficient number of qualified teachers. However, because of other responsibilities teachers are not as effectively deployed during lunch to monitor students’ safety and to maintain standards in behaviour. The unsatisfactory quality and quantity of material resources does little to advance teaching and learning.

Some classrooms are divided by chalkboards and some students struggle to concentrate during lessons as a result of distracting sounds from other classes. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and other resources are insufficiently utilized. The curriculum and enhancement programmes in the school satisfactorily contribute to the students’ overall growth and development. Some provision for special educational needs is
made through the referral of slow learners to the Mico CARE assessment programme. Provisions for the safety, security and health of the students and staff are unsatisfactory. The lack of perimeter fencing and security on the compound cause the staff to feel unsafe. Satisfactory arrangements such as Programme of Advancement Through Health (PATH) and other welfare programmes effectively support the well-being of students.

Inspectors identified the following key strengths in the work of the school:

  • The school’s improved performance in Language Arts in the 2009 Grade Six
    Achievement Test (GSAT)
  • The involvement of the community in programmes that help to advance the overall
    well-being of its students.
  • Students’ understanding and awareness of civic, economic, environmental and
    spiritual issues.
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National Education Inspectorate
June 1, 2010

Basic information about the School

King Weston All Age School was established on its present site in 1970. It is located in the district of King Weston in the hills of west rural St. Andrew which border on the parish of St Mary. It has an enrolment of 42 students, although it has a capacity for 260. There are four class teachers and the student teacher ratio is 11:1. Students in Grades 2 and 3 and Grades 5 and 6 are placed in multi-grade classes. The average daily attendance for students is 95 per cent. The school now provides for primary school students only, since it no longer has Grades 7 to 9 students. The school was founded by the Roman Catholics in 1868 and the church continues to play a supportive role in the school’s development. The school serves the neighbouring communities such as Mount Cheerful, Belmont, and Florence Hill. The motto of the school is, ‘Only the Best is Good Enough.’

Overall effectiveness of the school

King Weston All Age School is a satisfactory school

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The principal has positive relationships with the staff but instructional leadership is more limited, especially in regard to holding staff accountable for teaching and student performance. Teachers are included in school self-evaluation. However, the Improvement Plan for this school year is lacking in detail and success criteria. The school benefits from an effective and visible Board led by a committed chairman. The principal has a respectful, supportive relationship with parents and the local community. The school has an active and supportive Parent Teacher Association (PTA).

Teaching and learning is satisfactory. However, while teachers’ know their subjects, they are less secure on how best to teach the subjects to their students. Teaching too often involves the teacher talking for too long a period of time with students not being active and participating sufficiently. The delivery of the curriculum is unsatisfactory with limited formal review and adaptation to meet the needs of all the students.

Students’ performance in English at Grade 4 is good, but performance at Grade 6 is unsatisfactory in English and mathematics. Students make satisfactory progress in both English and mathematics throughout the school.
Students’ attitudes towards school and their behaviour in school are good. They also show good civic and spiritual awareness. However, they are less aware of the economy of Jamaica and environmental issues, both locally and globally, and their economic and environmental understanding is unsatisfactory.

Human resources are satisfactory; material resources are good in both quantity and quality. Teachers make good use of the resources available to them to enhance their teaching and students’ learning. The overhead projectors, DVD, charts and textbooks are frequently used in lessons. However, there are very few extracurricular activities.

Security, health, safety and well-being are satisfactory. However, there are safety hazards in the student bathrooms requiring immediate attention. The school compound is securely fenced and students feel safe at school. The well-being of students is a priority for all staff and the good relationships between all staff and students creates a supportive family atmosphere in the school.

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