SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — The Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Academy, which has been serving children with special needs in Westmoreland since opening its doors just under a decade ago, is now on a rapid growth trajectory.

The institution — which began as an infant school in 2017 with just 30 students — officially opened its just-constructed primary school block last Thursday, With 257 students on roll, plans are already in gear to begin the construction of a high school in September.

The expansion comes at a crucial time as 34 current students are set to transition to grade seven for the upcoming academic year.

“It’s really a significant milestone for the school and, I would even add, by extension, Jamaica, because you don’t find this kind of facility anywhere else in Jamaica. I know that people may argue that there are other inclusive schools but the kind of support system that is there — especially for our neurodivergent students — is absolutely nowhere else in Jamaica,” argued proud Principal Norda Louden during an interview with the Jamaica Observer following the official opening of the new primary-level block.

Louden commended her staff and touted the institution’s nurturing environment.

“We are a loving, close-knit family, and it speaks volumes about our core values of family, love, and high expectations. When you walk into the gates of Sav Inclusive you just feel the love. The care that is shown is not just something that comes because we’re putting on a show — it is something that is there every single day. It’s part of what we call our core values — love. This basically explains what happens at Sav Inclusive,” said Louden as she pointed to the public support the institution has received over the years.

“All of this is made possible through the Rockhouse Foundation and the overwhelming support that we would have [got] from different friends and families and partners that are affiliated with the Rockhouse Foundation. I really want to commend the Rockhouse Foundation for coming up with the noble idea of starting Sav Inclusive.

“It is something to be reckoned with. You know, they would have done the structure from the ground up to the roof on their own. And, of course, there is the support of the Ministry of Education, because it is through the Ministry of Education that our staff members are paid. We really want to recognise them and commend them for partnering with the Rockhouse Foundation,” added Louden.

In the meantime, Rockhouse Foundation President Anna Thwaites-Wallace explained how the institution started, providing education for children with disabilities learning side-by-side with children without disabilities.

“That idea came out of a meeting with Mr Peter B Rose, the past president of the Rockhouse Foundation, and a staff member from one of the hotels in Negril — that parent was lamenting the need to find a school for her child to go [to] — and the birth of the school came out of that very simple but clearly a touching conversation,” said Thwaites-Wallace.

Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Academy is situated on land owned by the Catholic Diocese of Montego Bay and shares the space with the church-owned Sir Clifford Primary School.

“This school naturally fell into this space as it was supposed to be a partnership and a part of Sir Clifford [Primary]. It ended up being separate, which is fine, because that’s a very big and successful school on its own, and so are we,” Thwaites-Wallace told the Sunday Observer.

She pointed out that as the school continues to expand, the need for a secondary department has become urgent.

“We continue to grow. Now that we are at the primary [school level] we definitely have to build a high school. We have seventh graders next year, ready to go. We do have a space for them for next year, currently, to start their learning and their high school careers.

“And starting in September 2026 we will start building our own high school buildings. So we will be building for a few years to come, year-on-year — that’s how you grow a school — until we get to the point where we’re graduating them from high school,” stated Thwaites-Wallace.

While the institution currently has a space in a section of the primary school block for 34 students for the high school department, it has already received some 200 applications.

Former Rockhouse Foundation president and current Rockhouse Foundation board member Peter Rose (second right) cuts the ribbon to the newly constructed primary school block at Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Academy on Friday. Looking on are (front row, from left) principal of Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Academy, Norda Louden; president of Rockhouse Foundation, Anna Thwaites-Wallace; Early Childhood Commission representative, Dr Karlene Delandes; and former minister of education and present board member, Reverend Ronald Thwaites. Back row, from left are: Westmoreland Central Member Parliament Dwayne Vaz; German Ambassador Jan Hendrik van Thiel; and Rockhouse Foundation co-founder and Chairman Paul Salmon.

“There appears to be a high demand for spaces for children with special needs and also just in schools that are well-resourced and schools that may have class sizes that are a little smaller than the average class sizes that you might find,” reasoned Thwaites-Wallace.

The academy currently maintains a ratio of 17 students to three adults per classroom.

To date, the Rockhouse Foundation has spent US$12 million on education initiatives across Westmoreland and the Corporate Area, with Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Academy marking its largest project to date.

“We have built the infant, we have built the primary [at Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Academy]. Before that, we did some rebuilding at Negril Primary and All-Age and at the Negril Library, and we also support a few other schools in Westmoreland. We support an ECI [early childhood institution] called Bunch of Stars, we support Moreland Hill Primary, and we support St Paul’s Primary at this time. Quite likely we will start some other partnerships with some other schools,” stated Thwaites-Wallace.

She said the foundation is “looking forward to continued partnerships, local and international; working with the Ministry of Education, for sure, and just bringing people into our Rockhouse and Sav Inclusive family. The sky’s the limit for us in terms of building the best and only inclusive school”.

Meanwhile, assistant chief education officer in the Special Education Unit of the Ministry of Education, Dionne Gayle-Smart pointed to the profound importance of an institution such as Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Academy.

“These schools — this concept of inclusion — is very, very important for students with special needs. It is beneficial for the students with special needs because they get to access the appropriate programme; they get to access intervention strategies that will help them to achieve. But, more so, the children who are regular students — what we call the normal students — also benefit because they get a chance to be exposed to students with special needs.

“Ultimately, they will become adults who will be able to care for and support persons with disabilities and so it’s quite important,” said Gayle-Smart.

She added: “For the western region, it is of utmost importance as the spaces that are provided at the Llandilo School of Special Education are limited. And if we have more spaces in the area, in the region, it means that more students with special needs will access education, which is what the special education policy talks about,” added Gayle-Smart.

German Ambassador Jan Hendrik van Thiel, who was also at last Thursday’s function, congratulated Rockhouse Foundation and the academy for their success.

“It’s such a fantastic project. I mean, to have an inclusive school in Jamaica…We started this journey in Germany 50 years ago and I remember how difficult it was. It is not a given; it is something, a process, that has to start. Someone has to start it, someone has to make it happen, and Peter [B Rose] made it happen and all the others of the Rockhouse Foundation and the local politicians here who had the vision.

“And I really congratulate you on it, and I’m really happy to be part of this journey — even if we are only one of many but it’s still a great pleasure to be part of this journey because it is so important,” said the ambassador.

Former Education Minister Reverend Ronald Thwaites echoed the sentiments of the German ambassador as he pointed to the unity that made the project possible.

“This is the height of politics, where everybody gets together to do something for the common good,” said Thwaites who headed the education ministry under a People’s National Party Administration.

Thwaites praised what he described as the transparency and efficiency of the school’s development over the years.

“All the contracts that have been given out for this, and what is to come, have been done on time and within budget…There is no pop off, there is no corruption. There is nothing but liberty and joy,” said Thwaites to laughter and applause from the audience.