Private schools captured the top spots in this year’s Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination (BSSEE).
Finn Graham of St. Winifred’s School and Aryanna Bascombe of Providence Elementary School are the top performers in the BSSEE, also known as the Common Entrance Exam and the 11-Plus.
Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training (METVT), Kay McConney, made the announcement earlier today, during a press conference in the Media Resource Department at her Ministry.
The top boy is headed off to Queen’s College, while the top girl will enter Harrison College in September.
Finn and Aryanna received identical marks, gaining 99 in Mathematics, 96 in English, and an A in Composition, for an overall score of 246.81.
Leading up to the announcement, Minister McConney commended all those students who wrote the BSSEE this year, which saw students of 68 public primary schools and 26 private primary schools sitting the exam. She added there was a noted decrease in the number of students who took the Common Entrance Exam in 2023 when compared to this year; 252 more students wrote the exam this year.
The Education Minister further stated that there was also a decrease in the number of requests for special support during the examination, from 180 requests last year to 138 requests this year. She attributed the decline in requests for special support to the Ministry increasing the frequency and availability of appropriate testing for students, and continuing diagnostic testing for hearing and sight, which allowed it to identify challenges and provide early intervention for the students.
Ms. McConney said there was an increase in the number of students allocated to public secondary schools with 96.1 per cent sitting this year, compared to 95.4 per cent in 2023. Mathematics scores ranged from zero to 100, with five children scoring zero and nine students gaining 100 per cent, while 35 gained 100 per cent in 2023. However, in the English examination, the scores ranged from zero to 98, with one student scoring zero.
The Minister explained that the statistics overall indicate that there was no significant difference in the performance of students between 2023 and 2024. While she expressed concern at this finding, she said an in-depth analysis of the examination results was conducted by the Ministry. She stated consideration must be given to how best to optimise the potential of each student by going back to the basics of how children relate to what they are learning.
Ms. McConney also announced that the METVT will offer a free summer school programme to provide additional support to those students, primarily in Class Four, who have shown deficiencies in basic numeracy and literacy skills.
Meanwhile, when asked about the allocation of schools for the top students, Chief Education Officer, Dr. Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, indicated that this year, the focus was on highlighting all students, commending them for their hard work throughout the last year and their performance in the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination.
The Education Chief continued: “We wanted to highlight the fact also that the Ministry of Education is committed to providing an environment at every school that will be conducive to their learning and development, and this is the reason that we did not highlight particular schools this year.” (PR/GIS)
Caption: Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Kay McConney, and Chief Education Officer, Dr. Ramona Archer-Bradshaw at a press conference to announce this year’s Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination results.
