In the Cayman Islands there is a law which states that all government and private schools, as well as education facilities, must be inspected regularly by the Office of Education Standards (OES). This is an independent division within the Cayman Islands Government.
For more information on what OES does, and the reports they produce, continue reading.
For example inspections are conducted in a) all preschools and those caring for young children, b) all private and government primary and secondary government schools, including the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) and the Lighthouse School and c) all post-secondary education providers including those offering A-Levels, the IB and those offering the US High School Diploma and SATs.
The Process & Scoring Criteria
Inspectors evaluate each school and give it a result of Excellent, Good, Satisfactory and Weak. Excellent means the school has exceptionally high quality of performance and practice. Good is the expected level for every school in the Cayman Islands regardless of whether it is a public or a private school. Satisfactory is the minimum level of quality required in the Cayman Islands. All schools should meet or exceed this level of performance and practice. Weak means that the quality of the teaching and other factors is not acceptable, and urgent measures need to be undertaken to improve the quality of the performance and practice in this school or facility. Only one school has ever been awarded an ‘Excellent’ result.
The vast majority of schools which have been inspected to date have a ‘Satisfactory’ or a ‘Weak’ overall rating. Please note that inspection reports of many of Cayman’s private primary and high schools have not yet been undertaken. This page was last updated on February 12th 2019. We will add the new reports as they come in.
Key Facts Regarding the Overall Performance of Schools in 2018-19 School Year Following Completion of the First 25 Inspections
- Only around one quarter of all schools inspected to date are performing at the ‘expected’ level (good or better).
- Almost all of the institutions performing at the expected level are private schools or privately operated early years centres.
- Only around one quarter of Cayman Islands students are attending good or excellent schools.
- Montessori curriculum schools feature prominently amongst the group of higher performing private schools.
- There is currently only one public school performing at the expected level (‘good’ or better) and that is The Lighthouse School.
- Around half of the private schools inspected so far are performing at the expected level.
- The fees for the private schools and EYC’s performing at the expected level (‘good’ or better) are all in the ‘middle’ to ‘high’ fee bracket.
- Most public schools are performing at the minimum level of quality for the Cayman Islands (‘satisfactory’) and this constitutes some improvement since the last full round of inspections conducted in 2014-15, when most public schools were judged to be performing at an ‘unsatisfactory’ level.
The Key Areas Identified To Improve Standards Include:
- Teachers’ planning should include clear learning objectives which are achievable in the time available and which are closely aligned to the overall curriculum guidance for each stage and age. Teachers in their planning and also in the actual delivery of the lesson must be able to adapt lessons with flexibility and they must have evidently different outcomes in mind for those students who are working above grade standard.
- Across all stages of education in Cayman, teachers’ low expectations of students remain a fundamental barrier and too often restrict the pace of students’ progress.
- Tasks prepared for students should provide sufficient challenge and the content of lessons must be well matched to the levels of demonstrated achievement evident from assessment data available to teachers.
- Wherever possible, teachers should incorporate meaningful and purposeful contexts for learning within their programme. Students’ engagement in learning will be enhanced when activities have real-life relevance and application.
- In early years centres, lengthy whole group activities, tasks that lack purpose and extensive teacher-talk restricts the engagement and practical learning opportunities for children. Play activities are central to the learning programme to be offered in such contexts but, as necessary, such provision will need to be enhanced with timely intervention and direction by adults to support specific learning objectives. The daily programme in early years classes needs to include sufficient practical learning time as well as appropriate time for breaks, snacks and rest.
- Inspectors found that performance management arrangements of staff at times lack rigour and do not have sufficient impact upon the actual quality of teaching over time. As well as unannounced lesson observations, school leaders should undertake regular meetings with teachers to check the progress made by students. The rubric used by schools to evaluate teaching should be aligned to the ‘Successful Schools and Achieving Students’ framework and measurable targets should be set for each teacher on a regular basis to support ongoing improvement in teachers’ performance.
For the Office of Education Standards 2019 Annual Report please see here. It is an incredibly detailed and insightful report and will give anyone who is truly interested in the current state of education in the Cayman Islands a very clear, honest and concise look at the situation. The good news is that these inspection reports have elicited a response from the Ministry of Education and changes to the Government primary schools’ curriculum are underway. The Cayman Compass newspaper reported in early October 2019 that a group of officials took two trips to England to observe and gather information on the curriculum being used there. That curriculum is being used as a model for Cayman. In April 2019 Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly detailed some of the anticipated changes:
- Children are to have mastered their times tables by the age of 9
- More emphasis will be placed on spelling, grammar and handwriting
- Children will learn to write computer code
- In science there will be a shift towards hard facts and scientific knowledge
- A mandatory second language, Spanish, will be introduced in Key Stage 2,
- In Social Studies children will be taught about Cayman’s history and culture
- Children will be expected to learn more at an earlier age
Cayman Islands School Inspection Reports 2017-2020
Excellent Overall Result
- Little Trotters – Overall Inspection ‘Excellent’
Full Inspection Report- Little Trotters Farm & Nursery School – Jan 2019
Good Overall Result
- The Lighthouse School – Overall Inspection ‘Good’
Full Inspection Report – Lighthouse School – February 2019 (See a snapshot here) - Cayman International School - Overall Inspection 'Good'
Full Inspection Report - Cayman International School - January 2020 - Cayman Prep and High School – Overall Inspection ‘Good’
Full Inspection Report – Cayman Prep and High School – March 2019 (see snapshot here - Island Montessori - Overall Inspection 'Good'
Full Inspection Report - Island Montessori - June 2019 - Montessori By The Sea – Overall Inspection ‘Good’
Full Inspection Report – Montessori by the Sea – March 2019 (See a snapshot here) - Montessori del Sol – Overall Inspection ‘Good’
Full Inspection Report – Montessori del Sol – October 2019 - Montessori School of Cayman – Overall Inspection ‘Good’
Full Inspection Report – Montessori School of Cayman – November 2019 - Red Bay Primary School – Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Good’
Follow-Through Inspection Report – Red Bay Primary School – March 2018 - Sprogs Garden Play School - Overall Inspection Assessed as 'Good'
Full Inspection Report - Sprogs Garden Play School - Overall Inspection 'Good' - Village Montessori/Starfish Village – Overall Assessment ‘Good’
Inspection Report – Village Montessori – February 2019
Satisfactory Overall Result
- ABC Kids – Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Satisfactory’
Full Inspection Report – ABC Kids – October 2020 - Achievement Centre The – Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Satisfactory’
Full Inspection Report – The Achievement Centre – November 2019 - Bright Start Learning Centre - Follow Through Inspection Assessed as 'Satisfactory'
Follow Through Inspection Report – Bright Start Learning Centre - May 2019Full Inspection Report – Bright Start Learning Centre - October 2018
Summary of Bright Start's Inspection Report - October 2018 - Bodden Town Primary School – Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Satisfactory’
Follow-Through Inspection Report – Bodden Town Primary School – December 2017 - Cayman Brac Day Care Centre – Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Weak’ and then ‘Satisfactory’
Inspection Report – Cayman Brac Day Care Centre – April 2018
Follow-Through Inspection Report – Cayman Brac Day Care Centre – October 2018 - Cayman Islands Further Education Centre - Overall Inspection Report 'Satisfactory'
Full Inspection Report - Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) - February 2020 - Creek and Spot Bay Primary School – Overall Inspection ‘Satisfactory’ x 2
Full Inspection Report – Creek and Spot Bay Primary School – January 2019
Full Inspection Report – Creek and Spot Bay Primary School – May 2018 - Discovery Kids Preschool – Overall Inspection Assessed as ‘Satisfactory’
Inspection Report – Discovery Kids Preschool – May 2019 - East End Primary School – Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Satisfactory’ x 3
Full Inspection Report – East End Primary School – January 2020
Follow-Through Inspection Report – East End Primary School – March 2018
2nd Follow-Through Inspection Report – East End Primary School – November 2018 - Edna M. Moyle Primary School – Follow Through and Overall Inspection ‘Satisfactory’ x 2
Overall Inspection Report – Edna Moyle Primary School – February 2020
Follow Through Inspection Report – Edna Moyle Primary School – May 2018 - First Baptist Christian School – Overall Inspection and Follow Through ‘Satisfactory' x 2
Follow Through Inspection Report – First Baptist Christian School – February 2020
Full Inspection Report – First Baptist Christian School – March 2019 (see a snapshot here) - Grace Christian Academy – Overall Evaluation ‘Satisfactory’
Inspection Report – Grace Christian Academy – October 2018
Summary of Grace Christian Academy’s School Inspection Report – October 2018 - John Gray High School – Overall Evaluation ‘Satisfactory
Inspection Report – John Gray High School – October 2018
Summary of John Gray High School’s Inspection Report – October 2018 - Just For Kids – Overall Inspection ‘Satisfactory’
Full Inspection Report- Just For Kids – Jan 2019 - Layman E. Scott High School – Overall Evaluation ‘Satisfactory’
Inspection Report – Layman E. Scott High School – October 2018
Summary of Layman E. Scott’s School Inspection Report – October 2018 - Little Cayman Education Services – Overall Evaluation ‘Satisfactory’
Inspection Report – Little Cayman Education Services – January 2019 - Prospect Primary School – Overall Progresses Assessed as ‘Satisfactory’
Follow-Through Inspection Report – Prospect Primary School – January 2018 - St. George’s Preschool – Overall Inspection ‘Satisfactory’
Full Inspection Report- St. George’s Pre-school – Jan 2019 - Shining Stars Childcare and Education Centre
- Sir John A. Cumber Primary School – Follow Through Inspection 'Satisfactory' as of October 2019. Previous Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Weak’ x 2
3rd Follow-Through Inspection Report – Sir John Cumber Primary School – October 2019
2nd Follow-Through Inspection Report – Sir John Cumber Primary School – January 2019 - Sister Janice Early Learning Centre - Overall Inspection Report 'Satisfactory'
Full Inspection Report - Sister Janice Early Learning - February 2020 - Tiny Tots Academy – Overall Inspection ‘Satisfactory’
Full Inspection Report – Tiny Tots Academy – February 2019 - Treasure Garden Preschool – October 2020 Overall Evaluation 'Satisfactory’
Full Inspection Report - Treasure Garden Preschool - October 2020 - Triple C School – February 2020 Follow Through Assessed as 'Satisfactory'. Previous Assessment May 2019 was ‘Weak’
Follow Through Inspection Report – Triple C School – February 2020
Inspection Report – Triple C School – May 2019 - West End Primary School – Inspection Reports ‘Good’ and then ‘Satisfactory’
Follow-Through Inspection Report – West End Primary School – June 2018
Overall Inspection Report – West End Primary School – January 2019
Weak Overall Result
- Calvary Baptist Christian Academy - Overall Inspection 'Weak'
Full Inspection Report - Calvary Baptist Christian Academy - January 2020 - Clifton Hunter High School – Overall Evaluation ‘Weak’ x 4
Follow-through Inspection Report – Clifton Hunter High School – November 2019
Follow-through Inspection Report – Clifton Hunter High School – March 2019
Inspection Report – Clifton Hunter High School – September 2019 (See a snapshot here)
Summary Inspection Report – Clifton Hunter High School – September 2018 - George Town Primary School – Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Weak’ x2
Follow-Through Inspection Report – George Town Primary School – January 2018
2nd Follow-Through Inspection Report – George Town Primary School – September 2018 - Miss Nadine's Preschool and Jack and Jill Nursery – Overall Inspection Report ‘Weak’
Full Inspection Report – Miss Nadine's Preschool and Jack and Jill Nursery - June 2019 - Precious Gems Preschool - Overall Inspection Report Assessed as 'Weak'
Inspection Report – Precious Gems Preschool – December 2019 - Quality Child Care - Overall Inspection Report Assessed as 'Weak'
Inspection Report – Quality Child Care – September 2019 - Rite Start Day Care & Preschool – Inspection Report Assessed as ‘Weak’
Inspection Report – Rite Start Day Care & Preschool – September 2019 - Savannah Primary School – Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Weak’
Full Inspection Report – Savannah Primary School – October 2019
Full Inspection Report – Savannah Primary School – February 2019 (See a snapshot here)
Follow-Through Inspection report – Savannah Primary School – November 2017 - Tiffany’s Pre-school – Overall Evaluation ‘Weak’ x 3
Second Follow-Through Inspection Report – Tiffany’s Pre-school – December 2019
Follow-Through Inspection Report – Tiffany’s Pre-school – April 2019
Inspection Report – Tiffany’s Preschool – October 2018
Summary of Tiffany’s Preschool Inspection Report – October 2018 - Truth for Youth School - Full Inspection Assessed as 'Weak'
Full Inspection Report - Truth for Youth - February 2020 - Wesleyan Christian Academy – Overall Progress Assessed as ‘Weak’
Inspection Report – Wesleyan Christian Academy – May 2019