Barbados: Alma Parris Academy to reopen in 2025 with focus on special needs education

Barbados: Alma Parris Academy is scheduled to reopen, in a preparatory phase, at the start of this academic year with full enrolment expected in January 2025.

The development is one of the major moves by the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training (METVT) in increasing resources and developing suitable teaching methodologies for special needs education.

Education Minister Kay McConney, speaking at a recent media briefing, said that with more students having autism and other challenges, the demand for special education continues to rise.

She added that students with special education needs will be treated differently by basing their learning on play from nursery to upper schools through project-based learning.

Special education needs have increased significantly. The ministry does not have all the resources to address every single challenge at this time, but we are working to develop partnerships and strategies to meet these demands,” McConney said.

Personalised Learning Plans

One of the central features of the reopening will be mandatory diagnostic testing for all incoming students so that their individual needs can be determined and met through Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

Minister McConney emphasized that it is not “a one-size-fits-all” approach because the interventions are custom-fit to address the students’ specific needs.

“All children admitted to Alma Parris Academy had to undergo diagnostic testing prior to admission, and their IEPs would be available in January 2025. That’s very important, because we can then prepare for the challenges they face,” she explained.

Teacher Training and Pilot Programmes

Throughout the preparation period starting from September to December 2024, the Ministry will be engaged in intensive training of teachers regarding methodologies of special education.

Further, during this period, certain students will be taken for pilot programs involving different teaching methodologies. This phase will be very important in terms of feedback so that the strategies are refined, prior to full reopening.

These pilots added to the training of teachers will be fundamental in implementing the test of new methodologies in line with the commitment of the Ministry for quality education that addresses the needs of students with special needs.

Increased Enrollment and Space

Originally designed for 30 students, Alma Parris Academy will now have 80 students in January 2025 as more and more families clamor for a place here. But space becomes a problem since the school compound being small.

“Right now, we are trying to find ways of creating more space with modifications that are workable for students with special needs,” said the Ministry official.

“We were prepared for 30, but we are now at 80 students. We need to expand our capacity in light of this demand,” McConney said.

Scaling-up Education for Special Needs

Chief Education Officer, Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw said that the METVT has to “scale up” operations in order to provide additional spaces for special education students.

To this end, the Ministry has so far increased the number of inclusionary spaces at schools such as Baileys Primary, Eagle Hall Primary, Milton Lynch Primary, and St Christopher Primary Schools since 2022.

The official further said, “We realize our capacity is limited, but we are also working on ensuring that mainstream schools are equally equipped to deal with students with special needs, alongside increasing the specialized spaces.”

The reopening of Alma Parris Academy is a major step toward addressing the growing demand for special needs education in Barbados, offering a customized, well-supported learning environment for students with diverse needs.