Hitting the National Headlines - and an Inspector Calls

At last, the A’ level results came out this week and this has been a real cause of celebration. Many students were awarded the 2 principal passes needed to access higher education. Several could be eligible for government bursaries. All but one got passes in their subjects.

Very satisfyingly, everyone passed the General Paper - which really helps with university entrance. In Uganda, the best performing students are listed in the national papers in the areas of Arts or Sciences. Nakuya Nashibah gained 18/20 points overall, equal to top performing students at the 'best' schools in the country. This is a huge boost to teacher and student morale and also so good for the school’s wider reputation. Congratulations  to Nashibah, the teachers and all at WTA!

S6 class of 2018, just before they finished school- now able to celebrate at last

The week before, WTA received a Ministry of Education inspection. Whereas Ofsted give a 24 hour warning that they are about to appear, in Uganda, the inspection team arrive, ready to ‘do battle’ at 0730 on the very day. HM Benard and his team were fortunately unfazed by this and answered endless questions about the school. The iinspectors asked to see the scheme (planning) books, discuss O’ / A’ level results, talk to students and teachers, inspect the facilities and, most importantly of all, they spent time observing lessons in progress. These were the recommendations:-

What Went Well: WTA scored well on:

Good leadership and governance

Great facilities: library, laboratories, dormitories

Good quality resources

Smartly dressed, very well disciplined, appreciative students

Fabulously clean latrines

Steady water and power supplies

Safe, secure environment

Even Better If – WTA should aim to improve on:

Improving academic results to reflect the quality of the facility

Less traditional ‘chalk and talk’ plus using more learning aids in the classroom

Increase the number of practical Science lessons

Increase use of digital media and IT for learning development

Introduce teacher mentoring and regular classroom observations

Install lightening conductors on the dormitories 

All in all, some very fair and accurate comments. O’ level results indeed are starting to improve. For the first year in a while, there were some excellent passes in Science subjects. S5s (equivalent to Year 12) are starting to return after the long break.  Some new teachers are already active in using digital media to support their lessons, but others are wary of using technology and are less keen. Change comes slowly. But the A' level results have done a lot to boost confidence and trust in WTA offering quality education and great 'value for money'.