The Primary Years Programme as a Framework for National School Improvement
Audience: Primary Years Programme
Audience: Middle Years Programme
Session: Block 2: Friday 2:00 to 3:15, Room: Golden Gate Room
The Cayman Islands is undergoing a sustained period of educational transformation, which begin with a national conference in September 2005 for over 600 participants. The outcome of this conference was a comprehensive strategy for improving education, encapsulated in a vision of "The Educated Caymanian." While researching international best practice, it became apparent that the Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme would be ideal frameworks to deliver the new national curriculum. This session describes the progress in implementing this strategy through a partnership between IB North America and the Cayman Islands government in the subsequent 3 years following the conference.
Helena McVeigh, Director of the Education Standards and Assessment Unit , Cayman Islands
Helena McVeigh has over 30 years experience in education, with management positions in schools, private sector companies, and local authorities. She was one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools in England for nearly ten years, where she evaluated a wide range of educational institutions and organizations. From 2004 to 2008, Ms McVeigh served as the Chief Inspector of schools for the Cayman Islands Government and she recently spearheaded a major reform in the country that included the development of a new national curriculum for schools. She is a strong advocate of IB programmes as a tool for school improvement in the Cayman Islands.
Clive Baker, Head of Curriculum Services, Cayman Islands Government
Clive Baker is the Head of Curriculum Services for the Cayman Islands Government. He is responsible for the implementation of their new national curriculum and has been instrumental in the introduction of the IB approach to the Islands. Clive was a co-developer of the curriculum documents, with particular responsibility for the middle school programs. Clive has extensive experience of curriculum issues in several countries, and has been an educator, in many different capacities, for over 20 years. He is originally from the United Kingdom and has resided in the Cayman Islands for the past eight years, latterly as a Caymanian citizen.