OverviewThe Jonathan Grant high School is located in a typical inner city community in Spanish Town - St. Catherine. The school was opened in October 1980 as a new Secondary School. It began with a complement of 18 teachers and 637 students drawn from 6 or 7 schools in the Spanish Town environs. In 1984 the shift system was introduced, owing to the increase in the school population, and a Vice-Principal appointed. The first batch of students graduated from the institution in 1985. In 1988 the school was upgraded to High School, receiving its first set of Common Entrance Awardees. The school has grown over the years and has outgrown its facilities. The present student enrolment is 2431, with 100 teachers, 11 members of the administrative staff, 18 members of the ancillary staff, 3 Guidance Counsellors, 3 Vice Principals and 1 Work Experience Officer. There are 2 shifts in operation – Shift A accommodates Grades 7 and 8 students and 5 grade 9 classes, while Shift B has Grades 10 and 11 and 6 grade 9 classes. Grades 10 and 11 students are grouped according to their vocational choices – hence 10 Metal, 11 Business 1, 10 Cosmetology, 10 Foods 1 etc. In these classes there are mixed abilities. There are 11 classes in Grade 10 and 11 in Grade 11. Classes in grade 7 – 9 are named after precious gems and students are streamed according to ability. The teachers of Jonathan Grant High School are committed to continual improvement of the academic performance of the students, improved relationship between parents and teachers and the use of varied instructional strategies to accommodate the differences in learning abilities of our students. Equal emphasis is placed on the co-curricular programme as that placed in the curricular programme, in order to produce well-rounded individuals for the society. |