and implemented what they had
learnt from their colleagues, which
was evident in their planning and the
execution of lessons. Consequently,
Mrs. Samuel was able to utilize her
teachers’ expertise in various areas
including planning of events and
conducting professional development
workshops. It was encouraging to
see the knowledge imparted by her
teachers as staff development was
implemented in the classroom at all
levels. As a result, improvements were
noted in students’ writing, expression
and overall performance.
14
That very year, there were drastic
improvements in the students’ results
at the national assessment for Grade
2 students with a school average
of 77%, a remarkable performance
indeed. Additionally, the principal
encouraged teachers’ participation
in other professional development
workshops offered by the Ministry
of Education or other organizations.
After the workshops, participating
teachers were given the opportunity to
impart the knowledge they had gained
in staff development. This allowed
them to keep abreast of new ideologies
and skills which led to better students’
outcomes. The approaches utilized by
the principal brought about quality
teaching and increased students’ and
school achievements.
Mr. Albert Joseph, another former
teacher at the school, took up the
mantle of principal in 2015. Cognizant
of the school’s success stories, he was
able to take advantage of the team
work and best practices he found there.
The staff of the Anse la Raye Infant
School have vowed to use professional
development to allow them to work
towards maintaining a successful
academic environment and have
committed themselves to work as a
unit in sustaining a strong performance
culture.