st gabriels vs st winifreds school
 

Hi
We're moving to barbados soon and we have two young girls. We are looking at St gabriels and St winifreds. what are the differences in the schools:confused:? Our oldest daughter will probably end up taking the 11+ in Barbados. Has anyone done that as well as the UK one?
Thanks!!

Re: st gabriels vs st winifreds school
 

how old are the girls now?? if you are wanting the plan is to be here through secondary and you want them to remain in private school, pick St. Winifreds (which now accepts both girls and boys to secondary school, which can make placement difficult as they only accept a limited amount of children outside the St. Winifred's school group.

.. My children all went (or still go) to St. Gabriel's and I'm very happy with that school. My daughters are now in Secondary and are at St. Ursula's which is the All Girls secondary at the Ursuline Convent Schools.

Also.. if you have not applied to either and plan to be here soon, you need to get on the stick, as they say.. Depending on the year, you may find there may not be places available at either school.

there are several posts about school, have a read through them to see if any answer any further questions. I am very partial to St. Gabriel's and have my reasons for not recommending St. Winifred's, but they are personal to me and may not have baring on your situation. There are pro's and con's to each school.

if you are coming from the UK system and prefer your child not sit the 11plus, the only school to recommend would be The Codrington School, which is based on the IB program and the children DO NOT Sit the 11plus (but they also do not change from that school to any of the other Secondary schools in Barbados with out sitting the 11plus)

Re: st gabriels vs st winifreds school
 

Thank you for your help. I have looked at the postings re: schools but there are no concrete conclusions on the schools. Happy to hear pros and cons of each school. My daughters are currently 8 and 5. We will be in Barbados at least 3 yrs if not more so need to think of all of the options.

:)

Re: st gabriels vs st winifreds school
 

There are really never any concrete conclusions as it's all pretty subjective.

I like St. Gabriel's because of the caring nature of the school towards the children.. the learning is important but the environment for me also important. The children are given a well rounded education based on the Barbados Ministry requirements, but also include music and art and PE and a little science, social studies etc into the mix.

primary school here is almost solely based on English and Maths as that is all the Common Entrance, 11plus exam, is based on.. handwriting and spelling are also incredibly important but very little of anything else.

We have special/smaller classes for children who have learning dissabilities such as ADHD/ADD, dyslexia etc. These children are encouraged and worked with to achieve the best they can. These classes hold about 12 to 15 children on average, with the regular, mainstream classes being on average of about 25students. The 3 infant years have a class teach and assistant in each. We have a learning support teacher in each section (junior and infant) who work with both children who are a bit slower and also children who excel).

The grounds of the school are open and lush, with trees and green grass around, not so much concrete. The buildings have recently been painted and the ground cleared and clean by a lovely group of parents.

The PTA is strong and all parents of the school are encourage to assist where possibly. Reading with the children in classes, being class reps, being on the PTA executive which works hand in hand with the management of the school.

Could I be a bigger cheerleader??

So there is my side of the story.. Oh yes, I wouldn't say we aren't without fault, but that comes with every school.