On September 4th, 2017, all public primary schools on Anguilla will open their doors for the upcoming school year 2017-2018. Teachers from across the island will be expected to create warm inviting classrooms that will engage their students from the first day of school – while instilling great expectations of a successful year ahead. This ethos is an outcome under the “Child Friendly School” initiative supported by UNICEF ( United Nations Children Fund) which schools in Anguilla have adopted.
UNICEF, in its mission to continually support child-centred initiatives, has again provided funding for this year’s refresher training workshop for all primary school teachers. The two-day training on Thursday, August 24, 2017 and Friday, August 25, 2017 focussed primarily on strengthening schools’ efforts in the area of positive behaviour management. Ms. Nicole Lynch, the visiting UNICEF’s consultant, reviewed Tier 1 interventions already implemented at local schools, before moving on to building teachers’ knowledge in Tier 2 interventions. The training allowed for teachers and principals to discuss and evaluate what is working, what needs improving and what more can be offered to ensure students in Anguilla are thriving as expected.
Further support from the UNICEF office in Barbados was provided in the person of Mrs. Lisa Mclean Trotman, Communication Specialist, who opened the training with an overview of the Conventions of the Rights of a Child (CRC) and an overview of Child Friendly Schools. The Department of Education’s representative, Mrs. Jacqueline Jeffrey-Connor, shared that there are ongoing plans with UNICEF to provide training during the upcoming school year.
