Cayman Current (https://www.caymancurrent.org/tag/david-baldwin/)
Clear leadership and closeness among staff have helped Montessori By The Sea navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, an inspector said. There was no reported learning loss among students, who continued to make good academic progress.
The small Clever Fish secondary school had experienced relatively few cases of COVID and minimal learning loss among students, an inspector said.
Unlike teachers at many other schools, staff at Sir John A. Cumber Primary School did not report feeling “over-stretched” by additional duties during the pandemic, a school inspector said.
Educators at Layman E Scott High School identified learning loss in students during the pandemic, but initiatives such as extending the school day had enabled students to make up that deficit, a school inspector said.
Delayed scores from CXC exams resulted in some students being ‘inappropriately allocated’ to the Dual Enrolment programme at UCCI and CIFEC, school inspectors said.
Staff at CIFEC were attempting to address student learning gaps in advance of external exams, particularly in Mathematics. At the same time, they were focussed on supporting the mental wellness of students who were increasingly demonstrating anxiety.
Island Montessori has kept attendance high and minimised learning loss during COVID. The school has recruited new staff and aims to expand its primary school next year, an inspector said.
Leaders at Cayman Prep and High School have utilised strategic planning and enhanced communication to navigate issues related to COVID. For next year, the school intends to focus on recruiting staff to fill vacancies created during the pandemic.
Teachers at Wesleyan Christian Academy said the school’s communication with parents had improved significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that mask-wearing had resulted in a slight ‘distancing’ between teachers and students.
The tight-knit community at Montessori School of Cayman has largely managed to navigate the challenges of the pandemic. However the school has been impacted by staff shortages and additional work due to COVID-19.