MONTEGO BAY, St James – “The formula for our success is: when our children come to us we don’t test if they can read, as in some other schools. That’s not our business. Our business is to teach them to read,” said Chetwood Memorial Primary School Principal Garvin Atkinson.

It appears to be working. The 98-year-old school, which caters to a lot of students from gritty, inner-city communities in Montego Bay, produced the national top boy in 2011, this year three students received government scholarships and 94 per cent of those who did Primary Exit Profile [PEP] exams were accepted to their schools of choice. Atkinson said there has been steady progress over the years.

“We are always consistent. Even if we don’t get a government scholarship, our children consistently do well. And it is for years and years now,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

He has been principal of the State-run school, located on premises owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese, for six years. He firmly believes in the value of laying the groundwork needed for future success.

“We start from grade one because if you are building a house, if the foundation is not strong, the house is going to tumble over. So we have to have the foundation starting at grade one and we build coming up,” Atkinson explained.

Throughout their time at Chetwood Primary, students are pulled out for special attention once it is determined that they need additional support to master reading. According to Atkinson, in some cases students admitted to first grade have not yet mastered skills they should have learnt in basic school, such as identifying letters of the alphabet. They are placed in intervention classes to give them a chance to catch up to their peers.

“Our regular class size at Chetwood is 45. However, for the intervention classes, they are much smaller. For the intervention classes we don’t have more than 22 students to the class. These students have a teacher, but we have additional teachers to work with them individually to boost the reading,” the principal told Observer West.

Intervention classes are available at all grade levels because Atkinson is well aware that being able to read impacts every other aspect of learning.

“Bear in mind, if they can’t read, they can’t perform,” he said.

Following the PEP exam at grade four, the school follows up with those students who are still not reading at required levels.

“They would have had their first sitting of PEP at grade four. Before the results come out we know the children who are still weak, we would have had what we call a pull-out from the grade four classes, where they are pulled out in a small space, five at a time, and we work with these children individually,” said Atkinson, who is now in his 25th year at the school, the last six of which have been at the helm.

“If we need to do a pull-out at grade five, we still do that. And if it means that we need to do a pull-out at grade six, we still do it. Because we don’t have the space for intervention at grades four, five, and six. Bear in mind that at grades four, five, and six, that is where we start sitting the PEP. And then they have to get the content, especially in the sciences and social study, but the content doesn’t mean anything to them if they can’t read. So you still have to have the intervention,” he added.

According to Atkinson, his strategy includes utilising the Jamaica Observer‘s educational publications Learning Corner and Junior Study Centre.

“The activities in the Observer are also helpful, especially for the grade six and grade five children in preparing them for the PEP. They have good questions,” he said.

He added that the product has improved from a few years ago and now the questions are closely aligned with the school curriculum.

The school administrator and his team do a lot more than just meet the educational needs of the 1,123 students enrolled at Chetwood Primary.

“We care about our children and they are the reason why we come. So we have a breakfast programme, whether they are on PATH [Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education] or not, they get breakfast. And if they come to school and they don’t have lunch money, we provide them with lunch, whether they are on PATH or not. My mantra is ‘A hungry child cannot learn’. Uniforms, bags, books you name it, we have been providing for our children. Sometimes we have to beg or dig into our own pockets,” Atkinson said.

“Some 96 per cent of the students are children from inner-city communities and they suffer so much. They come, we love them, and they do well. They are [mostly] from Glendevon, Norwood, Flanker, Salt Spring, Peace View,” he added.

Among those who have lauded the work being done by the school is Member of Parliament (MP) for St James North West Dr Horace Chang, who described it as one of the top-performing schools in his constituency.

“It’s a remarkable academic feat for over 90 per cent of the students who sat the PEP exams achieving the high schools of their choice. I am proud of their performance,” the MP said.