Principal says academic gaps linked to inadequate parental support

As students continue to struggle with performance and discipline in the classroom, even at the primary level, at least one principal is urging parents to be more involved in their children’s academic lives, not just in athletics. 

Principal of the Good Shepherd Primary School Olivia Hinds told Barbados TODAY that while some of the institution’s 38 students performed well in this year’s Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE), none reached the top ranks as in previous years.

This, according to her, can be fixed with increased parental involvement.

“Last year, we were in the top four positions, and we had a student who placed 11th. This year, they’re not in the top, but they’ve continued to do well,” she said. 

“We had some fairly good grades this year, and some students gained places at Harrison College and other top schools.”

However, she highlighted gaps in this year’s performance which she admitted matched what teachers had seen in the classroom throughout the school year. She stressed the importance of identifying and addressing shortcomings early.

“I think we have to start from the entrance, and work with the children as they go through,” she said. “We need to look at what is happening and do interventions to help them.”

Among the interventions employed by the school was the implementation of reading and math support programmes at various levels, including utilising a teacher who rotates across classes to assist students struggling with mathematics.

“The interventions have helped them to improve their reading because if you cannot read, you cannot do much,” she said. “We’ve seen that start to help them understand more of what they’re doing.”

Nationally, girls continue to outperform boys in both English and Mathematics, a pattern Hinds said is also evident at her school.

“I have some boys who have done extremely well this year in the exam and there are few that have not,” she said.

Pointing to inconsistent parental engagement and behavioural issues as common factors in some of those who performed below par, she added, “Sometimes we have boys who don’t do their homework.”

“You need parents to help engage and  encourage them to make sure they go to class, behave themselves, and do their homework,” the principal said.

“Where you have parent involvement, the children perform better. The literature proves that.”

While she praised a group of committed parents who consistently support their children in sports, she noted that more are needed to show the same level of engagement when it comes to academics.

“They go with them and they’re there to support them in athletics [and other sporting event] but we need that same support for their academic work,” Hinds said. 

(SM)