Classes, forms to be replaced with grade system from 2026

In the most sweeping change in generations, schools are set to switch to a single grade-based structure in September 2026, replacing the 80-year-old division by “classes” in primary and “forms” in secondary education, Minister of Educational Transformation Chad Blackman announced on Tuesday. 

In a ministerial statement in Parliament, Blackman said the change is aimed at improving consistency, clarity, and alignment with international and regional education standards.

“Traditionally, the Barbadian education system has used the term classes at the primary level and forms at the secondary level,” he said.

Blackman explained that the transition to the grades system will support better comparison with other education systems, both in the Caribbean and globally: “Especially for purposes such as data reporting, student mobility, curriculum mapping, and programme design.”

Under the new grade-based system, the current terms used in Barbadian schools will be replaced with a standardised progression from Pre-Primary through to Grade 13. Nursery will become Pre-Primary, while Reception will be renamed Kindergarten. The early primary years will see Infants A and Infants B redesignated as Grades 1 and 2, followed by Classes 1 to 4 becoming Grades 3 to 6. At the secondary level, Forms 1 to 5 will correspond to Grades 7 to 11, while the post-secondary stages, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth, will be known as Grades 12 and 13, respectively. 

The introduction of classroom divisions by “classes” and “forms” in Barbados traces back to the British colonial education system. The modern structure dividing students into forms (in secondary school) and classes (in primary school) began to take shape with the 1944 Education Act and through the early 1950s, following significant reorganisation and development of the education system. During this period, schools were reorganised into Infant, Junior and Primary Schools feeding into Senior (or Secondary Modern) Schools. The terminology of “forms” for secondary education became standard, mirroring the British model. 

This shift to the grade system forms part of the government’s broader education transformation agenda, which includes changes to student placement, curriculum reform, and teacher training. (FW)