As one of the last cohorts of students prepare to transition to secondary school under Barbados’ existing placement system, a small private all-boys Anglican primary school is marking an exceptional year of academic and extracurricular achievement. St Cyprian’s Boys’ Primary School is celebrating extraordinary outcomes from the 2024 Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE), headlined by 11-year-old student Kaden Ward who earned joint second place across the entire island. The standout student scored a perfect 100 in Mathematics and 94 in English, for a total combined score of 244.8. He will enroll at his top-choice institution, Harrison College, when the new academic term begins in September.
Principal Dave Layne broke down the school’s impressive collective performance, noting that 30 boys from the school sat this year’s examination. Across the cohort, students posted an average score of 80% in English and 86.6% in Mathematics. Eighteen of the 30 test-takers earned scores above 80% in English, while 17 hit the 90% threshold in Mathematics. Eleven boys scored between 95 and 100 in Mathematics, including three students who achieved perfect marks of 100.
Beyond individual and collective scores, the school saw overwhelming success in matching students to their preferred top secondary institutions. Ten students will move on to Harrison College, one of the island’s most elite secondary schools, and seven will attend The St Michael School, another top-performing Barbadian institution. Overall, 22 of the 30 graduating boys earned placement in one of their top two choice schools, six gained admission to their third-choice school, and only two were placed at their fourth option.
Ward, who described his feeling about the result as simply “I feel great”, attributes his success to consistent discipline and intentional sacrifice. When asked what sacrifices he made to earn his top ranking, the 11-year-old explained he gave up recreational device use on weekends to prioritize his studies. He also emphasized that he could not have achieved the result without consistent support and extra guidance from his teachers throughout the exam preparation period, noting that educators pushed him with challenging practice work and stood by him every step of the way. Ward added that he selected Harrison College as his first choice after visiting the campus on a school tour and immediately connected with the institution’s environment.
Principal Layne noted that the exceptional BSSEE results are just one highlight of what has been an all-around outstanding year for the school. Beyond academics, students have notched major achievements in inter-school sports, visual and performing arts, and a wide range of other extracurricular programs. Layne says the school’s core philosophy centers on the idea that meaningful achievement only comes through consistent, intentional hard work – a value he hopes graduating students will carry with them through the rest of their lives.
As students prepare to make the transition to secondary education, Layne urged the graduating cohort to hold onto the core values they learned during their time at St Cyprian’s: discipline, respect for others and institutions, and a commitment to hard work. These foundational principles, he noted, serve people well across every stage of life. He also encouraged parents to remain actively engaged in their sons’ ongoing educational development, reminding them that consistent involvement and reinforcement of expectations helps students grow into responsible, successful adults.
This year’s BSSEE cohort is among the final groups of students to sit the long-running Common Entrance Examination before Barbados transitions to a new secondary school placement system. When asked about the upcoming changes to the national education structure, Layne expressed confidence that St Cyprian’s and other primary institutions across the island will adapt successfully to the new framework. He noted that all schools are starting the transition on an equal playing field, and that institutions will adjust their approaches to meet the requirements of the new system.
For the moment, however, the entire St Cyprian’s community is focused on celebrating the hard work and success of this year’s graduating class. Layne summed up the school’s core mission, saying that at St Cyprian’s, the goal is always to nurture every student, give them the strongest possible foundational skills, and send them on to secondary school confident that they have the tools they need to thrive at the next stage of their educational journey.