Some 75 per cent of students at the Point Hill Leased Primary School in St Catherine who sat the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) will be going to a high school of their choice.

This success follows deliberate steps taken by teachers at the institution in January, to initiate several special classes to help the students overcome setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Principal of the school, Shernette Powell described the success as “phenomenal” noting that as the students tried to settle in after the return of face-to-face classes, they all accepted that it was a period during which they would have to work harder to face the upcoming examinations.

She said the 40 students who sat the PEP were mainly boys, and that they had passes for traditional high schools such as St Jago, St Catherine, and other schools in Kingston.

Powell informed that the special classes “have proven to be very good” and that with help from the Ministry of Education and Youth, the students performed “a little above expectation”.

She also pointed out that internet connectivity was a major issue during the preparation for the exams.

“These students beat the odds, and did well in the proficiency level, and it accounted from the administration playing a great role in guiding our teachers and the teachers’ support, and we did a whole lot of professional development,” Powell said.

Another factor that assisted in the success of the students was the school’s guidance counselor becoming a psychologist, and availing himself to students, teachers, and parents.

“That is extremely helpful. When the teachers are having stressful situations, he is better able to help, he has a wider capacity to deal with some of the things that they are faced with,” Powell outlined. She said hotlines were also available for teachers, students, and parents to get counselling.

Another success of note is the movement of the school in the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) report from unsatisfactory, to satisfactory.

“We want to move to good in the NEI report, because we have completed all the recommendations that were given to us,” Powell stated.

Top Student for 2022, Naveed Peart who has been placed at the St Jago High School, has lauded his former teachers for helping him to succeed.

He also encouraged fellow students to get into the habit of reading, as it has helped him to better prepare for the exams.

His father, James Peart said his son, who wants to become an engineer, has already shown great interest in the area, and has been helping with repairs of electrical machines, and on the farm on weekends.

“He is like my second hand, and he is competent to do a few things,” the senior Peart said, adding that he was also a past student of the school, and is proud to see “changes that are positive” at the institution.

Naveed’s mother, Nadine Sinclair Peart, said her son is “super excited” to attend St. Jago, and is eager to join the school’s quiz team.

According to data from the Ministry of Education, 87 per cent of students who sat the PEP examinations have been placed in a school of their choice. The remaining 13 per cent have been placed at schools near their primary school or home address.

Also, females outperformed their males in all subjects. Of the 36,078 students registered, 18,495 were boys and 17,583 were girls.

In language arts, 86 per cent of girls received scores in the highly proficient or proficient categories while boys are at 68.5 per cent.

In Mathematics, 56.6 per cent of girls were deemed highly proficient or proficient while only 45.2 per cent of boys did so.

The main objective of the PEP is to enhance the academic and critical thinking capabilities and creativity of students by the end of primary level education. It commences with a series of assessments at Grade 4, and ends in Grade 6. The three main categories are: Performance Task, Ability Test, and Curriculum Test.