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- Last Updated September 2007 -
BACKGROUND
The British West Indies
Collegiate is a private secondary school whose founding ethos is the provision
of education of the highest quality possible for the children of the Turks and Caicos as well as those who come to live in the Islands. The school provides an
environment that encourages students to achieve their full potential, both
inside and outside the classroom. The Collegiate was formed and is operated by
the TCI Education Foundation, a charitable organization incorporated in
1993.
 The Collegiate
opened in September 1993 with ten students and a single teacher in a two-room
building in a commercial complex. In early 1995 land was purchased in Venetian
Road and work started on Phase I of the new school, comprising four
classrooms and an administrative office. In September 1995 the school opened to
40 students. Phase II, completed by September 1997, brought a science
laboratory to the Collegiate, along with additional classrooms. By September
1998, with the completion of Phase III, the school comprised of two modern
laboratories, six classrooms, additional office space, the largest library in the country with computerised records and Internet link, a computer
networked suite of 24 computers (totally refurbished in January 2004), an art room and sports-changing
complex. Phase IV is now complete: Two extra classrooms and a further science laboratory were
added prior to the start of the 2001/2 school year, while at the end of the year in July 2002, an
impressive assembly and function hall was completed, housing two further classrooms and fully equipped with
sophisticated hi-tech stage and lighting equipment. A large
Sixth Form Common Room was added to the campus in September
2006
fully resourced
with
with computers, bathrooms and a kitchen and lounge area,
and sufficiently spacious to comfortably accommodate 100
students for internal and external examination purposes. The
whole school campus is networked to facilitate file/resource sharing and Internet
communication, which is provided via a satellite system installed in 2002. This further facilitates
various wireless
'hotspots' in Brayton Hall, the Sixth Form Common Room and
an area covering the Science laboratories.
In the summer of 2000 the Collegiate saw its
first generation of students leave Turks and Caicos to enter tertiary
institutions overseas, including the renowned McGill University in Canada,
after successfully completing the Advanced Level course in the school's Sixth
Form. For the founders of the Collegiate, this represented the accomplishment
of their primary objective: that the young people of Turks and Caicos be able
to study and obtain international qualifications in an academic institution
recognised by universities and colleges worldwide, without the need to leave
their family and country.
The
current student population of the Collegiate numbers 144
(2007/8), providing a generous average student/teacher
ratio of 8/1. Of those students currently registered,
approximately 65% are native Turks and Caicos Islanders and Belongers. The rest
of the student population comprises a variety of nationalities. The TCI
Education Foundation in conjunction with other donors operates a scholarship
programme for Belonger students, based on academic merit. In addition, the
Collegiate is on the list of Government-approved institutions for further
education, which means that Government scholarships are also available for the
Sixth Form at the school.
The Collegiate
only employs teachers with university degrees
and postgraduate teaching qualifications, competent in teaching to Advanced
Level in their respective subjects. All are experienced in the delivery of the
British-based
National Curriculum, the mainstay of the Collegiate's teaching programme.
The academic year of the Collegiate starts in early September and finishes in
early July (see Calendar). The normal school day starts at 8:00 am with a
20 minute registration.
The morning session comprises three 40-minute periods with a break of 20
minutes between 10:20 and 10:40 am. This is followed by a further three
40-minute periods and then lunch from 12:40 to 1:20 pm. The afternoon has three
more 40-minute periods with the academic day ending at 3:20
pm. After school there are a variety of activities for
students, such as basketball, softball, track and field,
soccer, table-tennis, drama, the Interact Club and the
Student Council, which comprises representatives from the
various year groups. The school is also an enthusiastic
participant in the academic, cultural and social life of
the Islands, with many of the students taking part in
national teams and receiving national awards. The school is
also supported by a
PTA which
has made a valuable contribution to both the life and fabric of the school over
the years. The Collegiate values the relationships that have been built with
our students' parents and regular Parent/Teacher Meetings are arranged to
monitor the students' progress.
Unusually for a private school, the
Collegiate participates in a student-teacher experience programme in
association with the Education Faculty at
McGill University in Canada. This
involves two or three student teachers coming to the Collegiate annually to undertake
experience and training from the Collegiate's highly experienced teaching
staff.
Some benefits of the British West Indies Collegiate:
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Small
class-size means students receive individual attention at all times.
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Teenagers
can gain tertiary entrance qualifications in Turks and Caicos
and thereby
mature before having to leave their family.
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Parents with
children of secondary school age do not feel compelled to leave, or to pass up
an opportunity to move to the Islands.
-
Residents of
Turks and Caicos have a choice between state and private secondary education.
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One advantage of the Collegiate's international outlook,
is that students, parents and the entire community
benefit from ongoing interaction and cultural exchange.
YEAR GROUPS
LOWER SCHOOL
(YEARS 6 TO 9)
Students can settle into the Collegiate early. The school offers a
Preparatory Form (Year/Grade 6). This is organised as a transitional year to
accustom students to the high school environment and to facilitate their
placement in Form 1 (Year 7). Students in this group enjoy the specialist
teaching of a variety of subjects, such as sciences and languages, while
retaining the security and comfort of a Class Teacher whom they see for
English, Mathematics and Caribbean Social Studies. This is combined with a low
student/teacher ratio (currently 6/1) to create an ideal learning environment. Admission to the
Preparatory Form is strictly on performance in the Entrance Examination held in
April each year.
Because of the limitation on class-size and classrooms,
a place at the Collegiate is not assured, and parents should consider starting
their child in the Preparatory Form. From Form 1, there are fifteen subjects in
the curriculum. Class sizes are limited to ensure that each student receives
individual attention from our experienced and committed teachers. In Forms 1 to
3 (Years 7 to 9) students are taught the foundation skills in each of their
subjects. Admission to Form 1 is based on performance in the
Entrance
Examination in early May. Admission to other years is by special examination and
interview. In these years, students are prepared for
courses leading to external examinations.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
(YEARS 10 and
11)
In Forms 4 and 5 (Years 10 and 11) the
students undertake courses that will culminate in external
examinations at the end of Form 5. However, the Collegiate
has a tradition of students sitting external examinations
early, often with considerable success. In each subject the
student will sit an examination set by one of two UK based
examination boards: the Assessments and Qualifications Alliance
(AQA); or the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate
(or
Cambridge International Examinations). These boards offer domestic or international versions of the British General Certificate of Secondary
Education qualifications (GCSE or IGCSE),
which are recognised in universities and colleges
around the world, and are used as important indicators of a student's abilities
when he or she applies for a place at university at the beginning of the
second year of the 6th Form. Most subjects have a 100% pass rate at this level.
The majority of students take examinations in 10 subjects, with their results
comparing very favourably with their counterparts in other schools.
UPPER SCHOOL
(YEARS 12 and
13)
One of the main reasons for the establishment of the Collegiate
was its founders' recognition of the need for provision of post-16 education in
Turks and Caicos. Few institutions of higher education in North America and
Europe consider an education that finishes in Form 5 (Year 11) to be complete.
Sixth Form
(Years 12 and 13) students
at the Collegiate undertake two years of study in the British GCE
and IGCE Advanced
Level curriculum.
The two-year programme at the Collegiate now allows students
to intensify and deepen their studies
without having to leave the Islands, thereby allowing them to mature as young
adults while remaining in the confines of the family home.
Under the Advanced Level programme, each subject is split into two parts. In
the first year of the Sixth Form, students may choose to follow Advanced Supplementary
(AS) Level syllabi in three to five subjects. Completion of
the first year of Sixth Form reveals the student's
potential for the full Advanced Level, and therefore
facilitates applications to tertiary institutions during
completion of
the programme. In the second year of the Sixth Form, students concentrate their
studies in three of their AS subjects at the second or 'A2'
Level, so that
upon successful completion of the second-year examinations students have full
Advanced Level qualification (AS + A2) in those subjects.
The Advanced Level remains the
'gold
standard' of the British education system and is recognised as such throughout
the world. It is unique in its depth of study at this level and is essential
for university placement in the UK and Europe. It is specifically recognized in
the admissions criteria of the premier universities in the USA and Canada. The
Collegiate also facilitates students wishing to take the US Scholastic Aptitude
Test (SAT), which is an essential pre-requisite for applications to enter
American universities and colleges. Students are able to take the test at the
Collegiate in both December and following April. The student's results in the
external examinations in Year 11 (IGCSE) and in the Advanced Level
programme are an important adjunct to the SAT mark, because
the admissions boards at US tertiary institutions do
consider those results in deciding whether to award a
place. Indeed, in some universities, good results in the
Advanced Level can qualify the student for exemption from
the initial "freshman" year of undergraduate study.
Additionally, the Collegiate offers information, guidance
and assistance in preparing for Advanced Level and SAT
examinations, in considering possible careers, and in
choosing and applying to overseas tertiary institutions.
For
more information visit
the Sixth Form
page.
CLICK HERE
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