The first thing you’ll possibly notice when you go to Claremont Basic School is that the yard is beautifully grassed and the building secure set back from the main road. The difference with the usual dirt or asphalted playground and the proper fencing at Claremont Basic School are assuring and give a sense of safety.Claremont Basic School is situated about 400 yards from the centre of the small town from which it gets its name, in south east St Ann. It was started in 1954 by Olga Hibbert, of Ramble.Principal of the school ?? Riley is proud of her school and the comfortable grounds but says they want some more play equipment in addition to those seen in the front of the yard.Ms Riley says children are her love and it is a great joy interacting with the 22 students on roll, including the three- to four-year-olds she teaches. She has been trained in early childhood education, with certification at NCTVET levels one and two. She also has a diploma in early childhood education from the International University of the Caribbean (IUC). “I love working with children. It’s my passion,” she says.Before going to Claremont she had experience at Lydford Basic School and at Golden Grove All Age. At Claremont she is assisted by teacher Kerry Ann Marston. The Ministry supports the school with a subsidy for teachers and with some supplies toward lunch. The school provides lunch at $150 a day. Parents are asked to pay $3,000 a term for the education of their children who follow the curriculum put out by the Early Childhood Commission. Ms Riley says it’s sometimes difficult to collect the fee. She said the Board, led by Ronald Haughton, sometimes assists to make up the gap in funding required for the running of the school.
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