A difficult year of transition. Children from other schools have been noticeably weaker in their English speaking, reading & understanding, by comparison to our OAKS pupils whose command of English is far better. It has taken quite a while to upgrade their skills and confidence.
English – Pupils have been encouraged & motivated to pay more attention to their academic studies. Improvement has been gradual, steady, with extra time to build up their standard in reading class novels (Harry Potter & The Secret Garden),
plus other individual books along with their prescribed literature texts – Merchant of Venice, Lambs Tales etc. Even the weaker ones who find concepts a bit tough can now do well in their class work. Chris Kawa.
PE – They’ve been studying basic skills in volley ball. Cricket is an up & coming new sport. In September we hope to join local leagues for these two sports. Football continues to be very popular as is Rounders. Matches with other schools really help and encourage sportsmanship. We are helped to improve due to good sports equipment and an annual Sports Day.
Using a larger premises for our next Sport Meeting in 2015 will greatly improve JSS in the area of athletics. Mike Baio.
Social Studies – Pupils are encouraged every lesson to explain the main points of each topic to ensure full understanding. Role play is used for some elements of the curriculum. Brief but clear notes & good charts & diagrams are assisting revision & improving test scores. Francis Rogers.
Agriculture – next term we need to include much more practical work. We will have Aunty Margaret’s land near to a water supply. Mr Williams has been approached for equipment – spades, rakes, hoes etc. Francis Rogers.
Home Economics – Course work is progressing well. 
We now have the furniture for practical work and equipment for cooking and craft work/sewing. Pupils are interested in all aspects of future home making. Isata Kanneh.
Creative Practical Arts – The practical work room furniture will be very helpful. We’ve made rag rugs. Soap making is our next project. Practical skills which can help our young adults earn a future living are very important. Lucy Kposowa.
Mende – Our native language. The pupils can all speak & understand, however, reading, writing & understanding the grammar is totally new. Progress was initially slow but we’re now making steady progress. JoeWilliams.
Religion – Improvements in written & spoken English are aiding progress. If each pupil had their own Bible it would greatly assist progress & homework. Their curriculum is going well, plenty of moral examples to discuss. Princess Alieu
Science – A very wide topic embracing many disciplines. Gradual improvement. Patrick Goba
Maths – arithmetic, simple interest, % profit & loss, ratio/proportion, equations; Roman numerals – add & subtract; Geometry; Graphs; Fractions – whole & mixed numbers; Data – Mean/mode/median; Distance/time/speed; Indices; Measurement, Weight (gms/kgs) & Capacity; Area & Perimeter. Pupils are growing in confidence. Patrick Goba
Business Studies – We’ve looked at various offices, their functions, equipment and systems. Followed by a more detailed look at departments and structures. Highlighting problems, adva tages & disadvantages. Eric Kobba
Collectively we all feel the year was initially quite a struggle, however the pupils are now beginning to settle into their studies and understand our high expectations. Although we want the whole year group to progress to JSS 2 one or two are still not as good with their English as they should be – we’re working on it.
