New Students

Parents! Students, who will be entering Infant, Primary or Secondary level schools for the first time, should be registered between May and JULY each year.Those entering Infant and Primary schools should register in May, whilst those entering High schools should register in June. Parents should try to complete the registration process by July. The documents required for registration are:

• A completed Registration Form as issued by the school
• Passport-sized photograph/s
• A copy of the child’s Birth Certificate
• An Immunisation Card or Certificate showing that your child is vaccinated against:
  • Measles
  • Mumps
  • Rubella
  • Diphtheria
  • Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
  • Poliomyelitis
  • Tuberculosis
  • Lock Jaw (Tetanus)
  • Haemophilus Influenzae B (HIB)
  • Hepatitis B

Under the Public Health Act, 1974 and the Immunisation Regulations, 1986, all children under the age of seven must be immunised before entry to school. The Act also stipulates that persons authorized to admit children to any school, should not admit any child without his immunisation certificate or card. If the child is already admitted, he should not be permitted to continue, unless his parents produce the document. Parents who fail to comply with the laws are guilty of an offence and can be charged a fine or imprisoned.

Transfer Students

If you want to transfer your child from one school to another you should visit the school you wish your child to attend and ask the principal to accommodate him/her. Parents are also reminded that all transfers must satisfy the following conditions:

1. All applicants for transfers should be made by the parent or guardian who registered the child/or whose name student used when he/she registered for the examination
2. The applicant MUST present a valid identification card at the office (for example, a National ID, Passport or Drivers’ License)
3. Where the applicant is NOT personally attending to the transaction, he/she must submit a Letter of Authorisation SIGNED and STAMPED by an authorised person (for example, a Justice of the Peace (JP), Principal or Minister of Religion). The Letter of Authorisation MUST be presented by the bearer conducting the transfer on behalf of the person. The bearer MUST present valid identification as listed in (2) above.

GSAT and GNAT Awardees

If your child was recently awarded placement in a high school after the results of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and the Grade Nine Achievement Test, you should submit the following documents for processing, before the approval for transfers can be granted:

1. Acceptance Letter from the school accepting the child.
2. Release letter from the school in which the child was placed.
3. Letter from parent/guardian, addressed to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Attention: Office of the Deputy Chief Education Officer – Schools Operations, requesting approval for transfer
4. Approval letters will be sent from the Ministry of Education to the Accepting and Releasing Schools within three (3) weeks or 15 working days from date received.

Second to Fifth Form Students

1. Parents/Guardians should obtain Acceptance and Release letters and take them to the Ministry of Education, Schools Operations Section, Educational Services Division, Building 1, 2 National Heroes Circle, Kingston 4, Tel: 922-1400

2. Approval letters are prepared immediately and given to Parents/Guardians to forward to Accepting and Releasing schools.

Students transferring from Private/Independent to Public High School

If your child is moving from a Private/Independent school to a public one, you should provide the following documents:

1. Acceptance letter from school the child will be attending
2. Child’s last school’s report
3. Child’s Birth Certificate (original must be taken in for verification)

Make sure that the private school sends copies of all documents on your child’s file to his/her new school. This is very important to identify the level at which the student is performing and also for record/file purposes.

 

Registering Your Child For The National Tests

 

GRADE 4 TESTS

The Grade 4 Literacy Test assesses students’ ability to recognise words, their ability to read and understand simple stories, factual text, directions, list and tables. It also verifies their ability to write simple stories, reports and letters. The test is a standardised measure of literacy.

The General Achievement in Numeracy or Grade 4 Numeracy Test (GAIN) is a new test designed under the USAID sponsored Expanding Education Horizons (EEH) Project. The test assesses students’ ability to master certain Mathematical concepts and principles taught in Grades 1 through to 4 of the Revised Primary Curriculum.

All children enrolled in Grade 4 of public and private schools are eligible to sit the tests. Parents should provide the school with a birth certificate upon registration. Parents of students with special needs, who may require accommodation to sit the test, are invited to submit a valid psycho-educational assessment.

GSAT

The Grade Six Achievement Test, (GSAT) replaced the Common Entrance Examination in 1999. It is the assessment instrument that is used by the Ministry of Education to place students in Grade seven of High Schools. The test is administered annually during the last week March. The GSAT is a part of the National Assessment Programme, which assesses performance of students at the Primary level. Other components of this National Assessment Programme are the Grade One Individual Learning Profile, the Grade Three Diagnostic Test and the Grade Four Literacy Tests.

The GSAT comprises five subject areas which are covered under the Revised Primary Curriculum. These are Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and a writing component called Communications Task. Content designed for Grades 4-6 make up the test. Twenty percent of the questions on the GSAT come from work developed for Grade four, thirty percent from work covered in Grade five and fifty percent from material designed for Grade six.