"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
One of our main goals is the provision of a quality preschool education for the children. Consequently, we have developed a Child Development Programme (CDP) which is a cornerstone of our commitment to providing quality education in our preschools.
2023 saw a commitment to providing continuation of the CDP to cover all our preschools. The goals of the CDP are to:
- Equip teachers with a tool that can systematically monitor knowledge and skills development of each child throughout their period in preschool;
- Allow teachers to easily identify pupils who may have learning difficulties and require additional support;
- Provide preschool leavers with an attainment certificate to present to their primary school;
- Collect data on the family backgrounds of each preschool child to examine/identify links between socioeconomic background and child development;
- Provide OST preschool teachers with an understanding of child development through regular monitoring and training;
- Engage parents in the child development process.
There are three parts to the programme:
1. Teacher Training
The training of our teachers is a top priority. Our aim is to improve teaching standards and provide a top-quality education for our students.
We continue to hold regular residential teacher training courses where teachers are trained on new curriculum additions, how to use the tablets and share best practices. The tablets have been transformational in the communication between teachers, teachers to parents, and staff at Ocean Stars Lanka, and Ocean Stars Trust.
Our flagship Child Development Programme was in the spotlight again in 2024 as 70 teachers gathered at the Miyani Centre in Batticaloa for our 4-day residential Teacher Training Course.
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2. Assessment Tool
An assessment tool that tracks the skills development of our preschool children. The aim of the tool is to;
- Make it easier for teachers to track progress of each child;
- Identify children who might require further support;
- Engage parents in their child's development and;
- Improve the quality of education.
The children are assessed three times during the year. The data obtained from the results informs our planning for the following year(s).
Children being Assessed
The teachers continue to see the benefits of using the tool and have given resoundingly positive reviews on the usability of the tool at all recent training courses.
3. Resourcing
As well as teaching resources our aim is for our preschools to have basic equipment: tables and chairs for each child, a teacher's table and chairs, a resources cupboard, a white/blackboard, rubbish bin, drinking water, toilets and where possible playgrounds.
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We have now captured enough data to enable a statistical accurate analysis. Our teachers diligently collect the data, and we are taking the opportunity to more detailed analysis than before. Identifying patterns and enabling changes to training and curriculum to make the programme flexible and more beneficial to the children's needs.
We are delighted that the analysis shows the CDP is proving very effective in increasing attainment in schools. When moving on into the main school system our children are being identified as the highest attainers.
Our key findings in 2023 shows that year one students on average increased attainment levels by 11%. Whilst year two on average increased by 14%.
With these results and other indicators, we continuously strive to improve and grow. For 2024 we added further indicators for communication and language across three key areas: listening, understanding and speaking.
The CDP whilst growing and improving, has been a stimulus for collaboration, specifically with the Sri Lanka pre-schools bureau.:
As part of this we will collaborate closely with the schools and teachers to ensure they understand the tool and programme. Whilst also measuring how effective the tool proves to be for the new schools. We are confident this will work, and this will take us one step closer to our vision "a Sri Lanka where every child has equal opportunities"
None of our achievements would have been possible without the continued support of the Fonthill Foundation for which we are very grateful. You have been with us from the start, kept the faith and provided funding to enable our innovative teacher training, tablets and the CDP in total – Thank You
