GT pre-school gets top marks from inspectors
Little Trotters Farm and Nursery
(CNS): Government school inspectors gave their first excellent grade to a George Town pre-school this month, following its latest round of inspections, which included one primary and several early years education centres. The new inspection reports published this week were on the Creek and Spot Bay Primary on Cayman Brac, as well as private pre-schools St George’s and Just for Kids, which were all rated satisfactory. However, Little Trotters Farm and Nursery received an excellent grade. The inspectors said this school, which has 86 children enrolled, was excellent in almost all categories. Inspectors also noted the teacher retention rate, with some staff having been there for at least ten years.
At the time of the inspections, around 40% of students at Creek and Spot Bay were identified as requiring additional support with their learning. And while the overall grade was just satisfactory a number of areas were rated as good.
“The school had no significant weaknesses and senior leaders had overseen significant improvements since the last inspection in 2015,” the inspectors stated. “The school also had a number of good judgements. These included students’ behaviour and their civic and environmental understanding, support and guidance and links with parents and the community.”
See all of the latest inspection reports in the CNS Library and on the OES website.
Category: Education, Local News, Politics, Private Sector Oversight
It is truly unbelievable that there are negative comments about a school being rated excellent. Is it because it makes other schools look less good?
Go clutch your pearls on another islands of you don’t like what people think.
They just need another one now so that more kids can attend!
For those who are saying what do pre school age children do other than poop and sleep, return to last year when Government run pre schools were given a failing grade and the comments from people. Early childhood educators will tell you that that it is in the early stages of a child’s development that psychological and learning challenges are often spotted. This is done by parents who observe and have lots of interaction with their children and from early childhood educators who are trained to observe development challenges in children. If a lot of the development issues that are now a part of some of our anti social teenagers were caught at an early age maybe our pass levels would not be so dismal. As a parent of a child with early learning challenges, I can tell you that this was spotted during his kindergarten years by a very observant teacher who was obviously trained to recognise developmental issues.
what age are you talking about? All 18mo-4 1/2 years children are innocent and unspoiled. All they need to thrive is love and care. Leave “education” to the older age group. And leave it to the experts in child development, which are few and far between. I would look into how they do it in Finland. But again, let toddlers be toddlers.
I am also against involving children in all kind of awareness and funds raising campaigns. Firstly they don’t understand much. Secondly it won’t teach them anything, despite all of you saying that “we have to teach children compassion etc.”
Spare fragile child’s psyche from tragedies of grownups lives. Let child brain to mature to handle it. Brain myelination is not complete until after late teens. That is why childhood traumas so hard engraved in child’s memory.
Astute parents would spare their children from the tragedies of this world.
Lastly: LET KIDS BE KIDS. Play, eat and sleep, CAREFREE.
thank god for expats …and little trotters…. we need more of the same at later level.
trotters is a beacon of hope in a dismal local educational system……
Children are hardwired to learn through play. Numerous studies show that children who learn through inquiry and play go on to succeed academically.
“Inspecting” and grading a nursery?
Little Trotters Farm and Nursery is for children 18mo-4.5 years. What else these age children are expected to do other than play? Don’t inspectors have anything else to do?
This comment is willfully oboxious.
Who in the world came up with idea to inspect pre-schools? Someone has too much time on their hands. Simply redonkulous.
My 4 year old grandchild is learning to read and do additionin preschool. You need to raise your expectations.
No grammar schools, lots of play: the secrets of Europe’s top education system.https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/sep/20/grammar-schools-play-europe-top-education-system-finland-daycare
The main aim of early years education is not explicitly “education” in the formal sense but the promotion of the health and wellbeing of every child.
Carefully organised play helps develop qualities such as attention span, perseverance, concentration and problem solving, which at the age of four are stronger predictors of academic success than the age at which a child learns to read.
Thank goodness there are inspections. “Childcare” facilities could easily be taking hard earned $$ from parents that have to work (given the archaic maternity leave policies) and not caring for kids to adequate standards, which based on the reports happens at some spots.
Well done Little Trotters and the other schools doing childhood learning right!
@12:08 pm is absolutely correct.
This is the most hilarious achievement they are proud of. Who knew pre-schoolers have categories to jump-through.
Play, eat and sleep- hard to fail in these categories.
….poop and repeat.
Job descriptions for most CIG positions.
Best news I’ve read this year.
Unfortunately, Cayman education is all downhill after pre-school. ?
1:19 pm why is government mainly hiring Caribbean teachers? When I went to school our teachers were from the UK and Canada. Do we have a problem? A huge one. Address the problem now. Increasing salaries is not the answer, produce and then be compensated.
I’m not entirely sure so don’t quote me on this but it could very well be something to do with Cayman Islands being a Caribbean Island itself. :/
Only when it suits individual agendas.
Not really, actually. No more than Cuba is. Are you saying we should have Cuban teachers because they are geographically close?
Soon change. Pay attention.
The negative effects of excessive early childhood education are well documented. Let the children play.
ridiculous
Well done to the staff at Little Trotters. My children were there in their pre school years and I cannot say enough about the school. They were that good being head and shoulders above anything we experienced in the UK at the same level.