Public school M2 & Y8 students will not move to Berkeley or CedarBridge as expected
Francis Patton and Purvis Parish Schools, Dellwood Middle School and Whitney Institute. File photos
Second-year public middle school students, who were set to transition, along with M3s to senior school in the Fall, will remain in Middle School as Year 9 students instead.
Parents at Francis Patton and Purvis Parish Schools, Dellwood Middle School and Whitney Institute were informed about the “revised plan” on Tuesday evening.
They were also informed that Y8 Parish Primary students will transition to Middle School instead of High School to complete the Y9 programme.
The Ministry of Education published a news release shortly after parents were informed, with new Minister of Education Crystal Caesar explaining that the workload of the senior schools teams has “created some unreadiness”.
This revision partially reverses the plan announced by then-Education Minister Diallo Rabain in November 2024.
Its part of the overall education reform plan to transition the public education system from a three-tier to a two-tier system.
At that time, Minister Rabain said the current M2 and M3 year groups, plus Year 8 students from already-transitioned Parish Primaries, would move on to Senior Schools in September 2025. Cedarbridge Academy and the Berkeley Institute were due to transition to a five-year programme, and take on an additional academic year as M2 and Year 8 students transfer to senior schools as well as the usual M3s.
Many M2 and Year 8 students have already attended Senior School taster sessions and selected Signature Programmes.
This evening, parents of M2 and Y8 students were told that the physical move to senior schools would no longer take place, but the students will follow a Year 9 curriculum at Middle School.
Y9 students will take the same courses at Middle School sites as they would have taken at Senior School sites, parents were told, and they will start earning senior school credits.
Schools will also develop plans to help students adjust to the change, with details to be shared with parents by the end of the month.
The revision to the senior schools transition plan follows reports released just before the February 2025 General Election that school leaders had cited concerns over readiness at a meeting in January.
Then-Acting Minister of Education Crystal Caesar said at the time, “we are giving the senior school leaders and staff on the front lines an opportunity to come up with a comprehensive plan that can be clearly communicated to both parents and students for September 2025.”
Today, Minister Caesar confirmed the change of plans, saying “the senior school teams are working on the essential tasks of completing Signature Learning Programmes (SLP) courses for S4 students for 2025, preparing for incoming S1 students for September 2025 – who are currently M3 students and preparing for both internal and external examinations in the next few months.
“This complexity of these critical tasks has created some unreadiness. The senior school teams have been working long hours to accomplish these demands. I appreciate their time and commitment.”
Government Press Release below:
The Ministry of Education has announced the revised transition plans for Year 8 and M2 students for September 2025.
The Minister of Education, Senator, the Hon. Crystal Caesar, emphasised the collaborative nature of the decision-making process, stating that this follows her meeting on 28 January with the senior school leadership teams from CedarBridge Academy, The Berkeley Institute, and Sandys Secondary Middle School. This meeting was a crucial step in reviewing their progress and assessing their readiness for September 2025, and it was a testament to the collective commitment to the students’ education.
To highlight the scope of the work that the senior school teachers are engaged in, Minister Caesar stated, “The senior school teams are working on the essential tasks of completing Signature Learning Programmes (SLP) courses for S4 students for 2025, preparing for incoming S1 students for September 2025 – who are currently M3 students and preparing for both internal and external examinations in the next few months.” The Minister emphasised, “This complexity of these critical tasks has created some unreadiness. The senior school teams have been working long hours to accomplish these demands. I appreciate their time and commitment.
Minister Caesar continued, “Following the meeting on 28 January, the Commissioner of Education facilitated meetings with parish primary school principals from Francis Patton and Purvis Parish Schools, middle and senior school principals, the Department of Education and the Education Reform Unit. The following changes were agreed:
* Current M2 students will NOT physically move to the senior school site in 2025. However, they will remain at their respective middle school sites and complete a Y9 Senior programme. These students will be on track and have the credits necessary to transition to Year 10 Senior School in September 2026.
*Year 8 students at the Parish schools will transfer to a middle school site in September 2025 to complete the Y9 Senior programme.
Minister Caesar added, “The Middle School Principals have provided sound leadership around the changes and are prepared to lead and ensure a successful Y9 Senior programme at their respective sites.”
Minister Caesar concluded, “I have carefully listened to the concerns and insights of school leaders, teachers, and parents. Understanding that this transition impacts students and families directly. The Department of Education leadership team is now prepared to meet with the 20 parents of current Year 8 students from Francis Patton and Purvis Parish Schools and 222 parents of the current M2 students from Dellwood, Sandys and Whitney to share the framework and logistics for Y9 students for September 2025. The parent presentations include information on the components of the Y9 program and address questions raised by parents to date. The presentations are tailored to meet the needs of each parent group. The meetings will take place today, Tuesday, 11 March. We recognise that parents and students have many questions, and we are committed to keeping school communities informed. These are the first meetings, and a second one will be arranged before the end of the school term.”
