November 1, 2024
Ocho Rios, St. Ann. Jamaica
COVER STORY FEATURE LATEST NEWS

PEP SUCCESS AT ST ANN’S BAY PRIMARY CREDITED TO HARD WORK

90% Of Students Get School Choices

 

(Proud principal with some of the students who did well in the PEP 2023)

St Ann’s Bay Primary School is basking in improved performance in the 2023 sitting of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination.

Based on the results released last Friday, of the 146 students who sat the examination, close to 90 per cent were placed at their school of choice. These included St. Hilda’s High, Knox College, York Castle High, Westwood High and Ferncourt High schools.

Principal of St Ann’s Bay Primary Trevor Cole told JIS News that the students’ stellar performance has not only brought pride to the school but also established them as frontrunners in educational excellence within the parish.

He said most of the students performed at the proficient level.

(Principal of St. Ann’s Bay Primary, Trevor Cole (right), chats with grade-six coordinator and teacher, Paul Campbell.)

Mr Cole said in light of the post-pandemic challenges students faced, teachers “strategized to ensure that we get maximum out of them”.

Leading the pack of high achievers is 11-year-old Daniel Hall, who secured the coveted top-boy spot and will be attending York Castle High come September.

He said he was thrilled with his outstanding results, which reflected his hard work. “I feel good because I got very high grades. I got three highly proficient and one proficient. My parents were very excited,” he said.

(Top-performing boy and girl at St Ann’s Bay Primary in the 2023 sitting of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination, 11-year-old Daniel Hall and 11-year-old Aaylia Miller.)

Meanwhile, the school’s top-performing girl, Aaylia Miller, who secured a spot at St. Hilda’s High, said she is happy with her performance.

She said in preparing for her exams, she ensured she immersed herself in the lessons taught at extra classes.

“I tried to be at all the classes that my teacher was keeping every day, and once in a while, I would look to a book. My parents were quite happy, and my parents are always supportive…,” she said.

Another high-performing student, Chrishauna Robinson, who was placed at Westwood High in Trelawny, said she was not surprised by the outcome of her test results.

“I was very happy, although I already knew that I would be going to that school. I was confident that when I opened my result, I would see that school (Westwood High School),” she said.

Grade-six teacher and grade coordinator, Paul Campbell, told JIS News that through a combination of engaging classroom instruction and individualized support, teachers equipped students with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to excel in the PEP examination.

“It was a year of hard work. We moved towards subject teaching, which I think was an advantage for us this year, where we had teachers concentrating on a particular subject so it gives a little bit more focus,” Mr. Campbell said.

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