The Ministry of Education is taking steps to provide specialised assistance to students who performed below expectations in the recent Grade Six National Assessment.

According to Director of Education Clare Browne, students in the lower performing tiers, particularly those in Level 4, are being consolidated into a single class which will be at Clare Hall Secondary School.

“The Level 4 students are students on that 400 total for the four core areas; those students would have scored less than 100,” Browne explained.

“What we intend to do with those students, we put them all in one place so we can’t spread them around. If we were to do that, then they could fall between the cracks.”

The decision to provide targeted support stems from the recognition that students in Levels 3 and 4 often struggle with foundational skills in literacy and numeracy, which hinders their progress in other subjects.

By consolidating them into a dedicated class with intensive focus on these areas, the ministry aims to bridge the learning gaps and equip students with the tools they need to succeed.

The consolidated class will be assigned three specialised teachers focusing on literacy, numeracy, mathematics, and science.

These subjects will be taught alongside the regular curriculum, with the students joining their peers for technical vocational subjects.

“We’re running universal secondary education. So everybody goes to secondary school but we pay attention to whatever intervention we need to make,” Browne emphasised.

Of the 1,288 students who sat the primary school exams this year, 88 percent passed with acceptable marks.

The performance breakdown showed a gender disparity, with more males in the lower levels.

At Level 3, there were 50 females and 85 males, while Level 4 had four females and 16 males.

A consolidation approach for underperforming children has been previously implemented in individual schools – All Saints Secondary, Sir Novelle Richards Academy, and Ottos Comprehensive. The ministry is now undertaking an across-the-board approach to ensure no student falls through the cracks in their secondary education journey.

Meanwhile, parents wishing to query their children’s grades have a small window to do so, from July 8-12, for a fee of $25 per subject.

However, Ineta Francis, Acting Director for Evaluation and Measurement, noted that grade changes are rare and unlikely to impact school placement.

Director Browne reiterated this, stating that barring any error on the ministry’s part, transfer requests will not be entertained unless under extenuating circumstances and with the principal’s endorsement.