|
History of The Codrington High SchoolSet on a hill overlooking Consett Bay, in the eastern, rural parish of St. John, amidst rolling fields and agricultural orientation, with a splendid vista of the Atlantic coast, is a set of buildings that, at first sight, standing in the shadow of the Anglican Church of the Holy Cross, appear the product of an age gone by, timelessly elegant in their renovated form. And, indeed, they are, for these lovely buildings house one of the more special schools in Barbados. They are the buildings of The Codrington School, which, with its global perspective and international dimension, offers a very special education both to Barbadians and to internationally mobile expatriate children who, for a few brief years, make Barbados their home.
Codrington began as a boarding school for girls back in 1917 and there are still many old girls, both from Barbados and all over the world, who have splendid memories of days of yore. Indeed, grown Codrington girls often dissolve into fits of laughter as they remember both the pomp and the pranks of the boarding school of yesteryear.
Sadly, in the eighties, the old Codrington closed its doors and it might have seemed that never again would the sound of ringing laughter from children at play be heard within the ancient walls. But, fortunately, there were people around who shared the Codrington Vision and who were determined to see the school alive again. Two swift metamorphoses followed before, in 2002, the new Codrington opened its doors, this time to both boys and girls, offering a curriculum based on the highest standards of Barbadian and international educational research and best practice, under the auspices of the International Baccalaureate (IB).
The pioneers of 2002 were led by the vision and determination of one woman, Sylvia Johnson, who is recognized by the Codrington community as the founder of the new Codrington. Sylvia had been a teacher at Codrington in the 1970s and shared that love for the place which seems to affect all who are privileged to see the school in all its loveliness, set as it is in three acres of wooded grounds, which include gardens and shady mahogany trees that are more than a century old. By her efforts, and those of a group of like-minded people, who shared both the nostalgia for years gone by and the belief that the school could rise again, the doors opened in September 2002 to a small group of children. Today, The Codrington School, staffed by educators with internationally-recognized qualifications and a deep love for children, offers an internationally authorized programme for primary school and secondary school children which is second to none and which offers students the opportunity of studying to the highest levels of national and international excellence. The personnel at Codrington are proud of the school and always ready to show it off to visitors. Appointments to view may be arranged through the school's admissions office.
Programme PhilosophyThe Codrington School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, which is authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the IB.
The philosophy of the PYP is based on a commitment to structured inquiry as an ideal vehicle for learning. The programme of inquiry is the school's framework for the PYP. It is based on six organizing themes which provide the structure for the exploration of knowledge.
These themes are:
Given the transdisciplinary nature of the programme of inquiry, each class explores a conceptual central idea through various lenses: the disciplinary subjects. For example, PYP six's study of the solar system does not only include learning in science, but also incorporates work in language arts, mathematics, technology and the arts. The specific content knowledge is selected from the Barbados National Curriculum Attainment Targets, augmented by international materials, and is developmentally appropriate.
Primary Years Curriculum PhilosophyThe school's curriculum is developed within the framework of the International Baccalaureate (IB), which identifies a learning continuum beginning with the Primary Years Programme (PYP) (ages 3-12), moving into the Middle Years Programme (MYP) (ages 11-16) and finishing with the Diploma Programme (DP) (ages 16-18). The Codrington School is authorized by the IB to offer the PYP and the DP. It is also currently implementing the MYP. The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. In order to achieve this, IB programmes provide a holistic education which places great importance on the development of concepts, knowledge, skills and attitudes, issuing in authentic action.
InquirersThe PYP, MYP and DP all require the inclusion of international-mindedness in the curriculum (including an emphasis on modern foreign languages), age-appropriate moderated criterion-referenced assessments, transdisciplinary initiatives within the curriculum, an action component where all students take action in their communities as a result of their learning, and a culminating product at the end of each programme.
Students work with the learner profile from the first day of school. The attributes are discussed, illustrated and modelled on a regular basis - they are an integral part of our programme and our environment. Similarly, students are assessed on how they display the profile in school, and are encouraged to reflect on their own progress as part of their oral and written reports.
Click here for further information on the Codrington High School in Barbados or telephone number (246) 423-2570.
00-2
|
