THE Spalding High School in Clarendon on Tuesday launched a five-year improvement plan, at the end of which, principal George Henry said, the institution should be a ‘force’ to be reckoned with.

“With the plans that we have I am sure that Jamaica will hear about Spalding High School as one of the top performing schools in Jamaica,” Henry told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday.

He added: “We realised that we had a number of weaknesses and we needed to go back to the drawing board to ensure that these weaknesses become a thing of the past and so we decided to meet as a team – including vendors, teachers, auxiliary staff and others – to ensure that we had a plan that is workable with feasible objectives.”

Henry said the school’s improvement plan, which was first started under the leadership of the previous principal, Alphansus Davis, would focus on improving the school’s academics, upgrading the staff, infrastructure, discipline, profile, spiritual development and increasing stakeholders’ involvement.

“When the Ministry of Education’s National Education Inspectorate (NEI) came here they discovered that we were weak in mathematics and English,” said Henry, who promised that under the five-year plan the students should improve in these subject areas.

He said that the school would also be implementing greater use of information and communication technology (ICT) to aid in the teaching process of the subjects offered at the school.

“We will be using different instructional techniques because we realise that not all students learn the same way and therefore we will be using these techniques to ensure that no child is left behind,” said Henry.

The principal also argued that for many years schools like Spalding had suffered at the hands of the Ministry of Education because only the ‘what left’ was sent to them. He said this prompted the school to create its own numeracy and literacy programme that would reach “every poor person’s child”.

Henry said the school will also ensure that its teaching staff is “upgraded”.

“It is our intention to have at least 86 per cent of the academic staff acquiring a first degree and that at least 20 per cent acquire a second degree,” said Henry, who explained that the school would do this by giving preferential leave to those who would be going off to study.

Among the school’s many other plans, was the intention to add at least one classroom over the next five years.

Henry said the school, which was established in 1973, was upgraded from a comprehensive school to a high school in 2000.

“Many persons believe that the only schools that can perform well are the traditional high schools, but right now there are quite a number of upgraded high schools that are outperforming traditional high schools,” said Henry.

Outside of academics, the Spalding principal said the school has had some proud moments, one of which was the record-breaking performance at last year’s ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Championships in the girls 1600-metre medley.

He also mentioned that second runner-up in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Princess Pageant for Manchester, Venour Smith, is a student from Spalding High.

“Spalding High wasn’t a school that I wanted to come to because it wasn’t a traditional high school but when I came here I found out that teachers here are warm and very communicative with students,” said Smith, a second form student who has maintained a high average.

Meanwhile, Smith’s aunt, Dr Sophia Smith-Brown, whose son is also in fifth form at the institution, said the development plan is “tremendous” and should do a lot for the school .

“I am also a past student, so I know where the school is coming from and hearing about this plan now I’m confident that the children of tomorrow will do well,” she said.

Business teacher and work experience officer at the school, Lennox Christie, said he was particularly looking forward to the use of technology in the classroom.

“I think it is critical at this time because young people are more exposed to various types of technology and this can help improve their learning significantly,” he said.

“It’s no longer about talk and chalk; it’s now all about using technology that students have to bring greater learning outcomes,” said Christie, who added that the use of technology in the curriculum would arouse more interest from students as it relates to their studies.

Head of the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning, Canute Thompson, said he also had high expectations for the school by 2022.

“One expects that the students within the next year-and-a-half would see a significant increase in their performance,” he said, adding that the Spalding High School was coming from a far way.