ST CATHERINE, Jamaica —Waterford Primary School is pursuing changing academic outcomes for students with passion and patience, according to school officials.

“You must have passion and patience,” said Principal Nicola Grizelle,“as without these qualities you’re setting up yourself for failure. You have to genuinely want to help them because the children can feel when someone is around with a passion for them to learn – and at that time it is easier to execute any intervention plan.”

Grizelle was speaking especially to young principals and teachers guiding adjudged slow learners.

Waterford Primary is one of 189 primary schools and 56 high schools benefitting from the targeted strategies of the National School Learning and Intervention Programme (NSLIP), introduced by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information in 2022 in response to the learning gaps/loss experienced by students following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The schools were previously rated by the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) as unsatisfactory and in need of immediate support.

Described by the education ministry as a “comprehensive and cohesive approach to support the recovery of learning,” the programme’s Tactical (Intervention) Approach comprises three main initiatives: extended learning and teacher support; accountability and performance tracking and celebration.

“Student achievement data,” the ministry notes, “attendance records, and teacher observations indicate that students who participate consistently often make greater learning gains.”

Grades have increasingly improved at Waterford Primary with 89 per cent of girls sitting math in this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) achieving the highly proficient/proficient mark and 78 per cent achieving the same in language arts.

Seventy-five per cent of the boys scored highly proficient/proficient in math, with 58 per cent scoring the same in language arts. Of note, there was no student with a beginner’s grade in math and only one student returned that mark in language arts– with the top boy, Dashawn Stewart, who was challenged but was guided by assistant teacher Tyrone Smith, now set to attend Jamaica College and top girl Tanice Webster, off to Campion College.

Grizzelle is making the point, however, that academic outcomes are also affected by variables beyond the lesson plan.

On assuming the post as principal in 2020, “the challenge,” she said, “was to fix their minds.”

She first discovered that a number of parents in the community felt it fit to send their children elsewhere, “so I had to walk the scheme, listening to their grouses, and shared the plans of my staff and myself to turn things around.”

“I also invited the students taking PEP-who were home because of the Covid-19 pandemic- to be at school on a rotation basis, properly masked up and in the open quadrangles and space for the required preparations – because many of them had no laptop for online classes. The school also got a facelift,” she added, “with new murals and green areas –all donated by friends.”

When school finally resumed, it remained a vibrant counselling centre.

“So many of them were hurting,” she explained, “from those losing loved ones – some to violence coupled with the issue of longing for parents overseas.

We developed a hugging culture, showing them love….because we had to make them feel that inside Waterford Primary someone cared….plus I had to become a big sister and mother to some of the parents as well – just being there as someone to talk to and to trust,” she explained.

“We had to work hard to rid the children of low self-esteem…with a number of them believing that they were also not beautiful,” she revealed. “So we had Afro Day, African Day, Boys Day, Girls Day and Career Day with motivational speakers they could relate to with stories of overcoming their own hurdles – and we had extra classes, night classes (Tuesdays and Thursdays), weekend classes and holiday camps – all this with assistance from an education officer from the ministry who was like a mentor.”

“My philosophy is simple,” she says. “I am not here to be or stay at the back of the class – and I am certainly not subscribing to the view that we’re here operating a failing institution. The children keep believing they can learn,” she smiles, “and can compete with anyone.”

Nicola Grizzelle, principal of Waterford Primary