BUOYED by a 75 per cent pass rate in English Language in the 2025 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, students and staff at Charlie Smith High School in Kingston are working towards even greater success next year.

“Indeed, it is something that we are all happy about,” Principal Christopher Wright said.

“I believe that we must use that as an impetus… to improve academic success not only in the traditional academic subjects, but the practical subjects as well, because we want our children, our students, to leave and be marketable at the end of their five or seven years in whatever area they choose,” he added.

The institution, located downtown Kingston, was one of 56 institutions placed under the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information National School Learning Intervention Plan (NSLIP), to address learning loss due to COVID 19.

The school’s pass rate in English had dropped to 13.1 per cent in 2024.

Through targeted interventions under NSLIP, including extra classes, the students were able to get back on track to celebrate a 75 per cent pass rate in this year’s CSEC exams.

The principal said with the support from the ministry, the school implemented enrichment classes, and extra lessons were held face-to-face and online on weekdays and weekends, with teachers giving freely of their time.

The focus was not only on English but all subject areas.

“I have signed in on a Sunday, I have signed in on Saturday, and they [teachers] are there. I don’t know how they find the time, and I have to say that they have never asked for anything,” Wright noted.

“They are highly motivated and want to see the children do well, and they believe that they can make a difference, and they are true to that,” he said, citing the head of the Mathematics Department, who travels in from Mandeville every day.

“So it is just a big group effort to see the children [do well].”

He said that the hard work paid off, with each student passing more than four subjects in this year’s CSEC.

“I think it is just like a reward for the work that has been done, and all of us, everybody, feels proud about that,” he added. “But we’re always going to want more,” he said, noting that the teachers are up to the task.

English teacher Stacy Williams said the staff “worked tirelessly” with the students and the students themselves were determined that they wanted to do well.

“So it was very easy to work with them, because they showed interest. I was here early most mornings from 6:30 to meet with the students who wanted assistance,” she shared.

Head of the Mathematics Department, Techniann Hewitt-Stanton, said the teachers are willing to work with the students.

“No matter what level they are, we are here to bring them from that point to where they should be. They have the potential and I want them to know that I believe in them. I am willing to make that sacrifice to help them achieve their goals,” Hweitt-Stanton said.

Meanwhile, head of the Technical and Vocational Department, and past student Kevin Clarke, said the school achieves 100 per cent passes in vocational subjects each year.

He noted that students have been sitting the City and Guilds exams for the last three years, with a 100 per cent pass rate for those exams as well.

“So we have the students getting an external certification from the CSEC level and also at the City and Guilds level, and we are looking forward now to incorporating the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training certification in the school’s external examination body,” he reported.

For president of the Rocket Science Club, Lanceford Britton, the marked improvement in CSEC English is a source of pride.

“I felt very excited,” he said, thanking the teachers and other volunteers who assist with Saturday classes.

Among those taking pride in the school’s achievements is front gate security and past student Christopher Powell (Chris Pow), who enthusiastically greets visitors with “welcome to Charlie Smith High School, the gold and brown”.

He said it is part of his duty as a “proud product of this school”, to ensure that all the 380 students are protected.

“You have to make them know that we are family, it starts from here,” he stated.

And for Vice Principal Latoya Laing-Smith, the school is on an “excellent path right now, and we are looking at growth in all areas”.

“Charlie Smith is on the rise; that is what we were chanting for the year, and so we are seeing that happening now. We are strategic in looking at all the various departments, but the focus right now is on maths and English, though we are still trying to improve in areas that we need to,” she said.

Principal Christopher Wright (right), looks on as head of the Technical and Vocational Department Kevin Clarke (left), conducts an electrical technology class at the school in Kingston..