Register students for government schools by 19 July

| 01/07/2013

clifton hunter.jpg(CNS): Children entering government Reception classes in the 2013/2014 school year must be at least four years old before 1 September, and students entering Year 1 must be five years old by that date, a government release states. Registration for these and older students transferring into the government school system should be completed by 19 July for the child to be eligible to attend school at the start of the school year. Parents and guardians are urged to enrol as soon as possible to ensure that qualifying children have a place at their local school in September. Children registering after 19 July cannot be guaranteed space at their nearest school. Parents will receive notification from the school of their child’s placement for September.

Registration for government Reception is open for qualifying children aged 4 years 0 months before 1 September 2013. That means a child born between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009 is eligible for reception, and that he/she must have already turned 4 prior to September 2013.

The government schools that have reception classes are Sir John A Cumber Primary School; George Town Primary School; Prospect Primary School; Savannah Primary School; Bodden Town Primary School; North Side Primary School and East End Primary School on Grand Cayman and West End Primary School and Creek Primary School on Cayman Brac.

Registration for Year 1 in government schools is open for qualifying children aged 5 years 0 months before 1 September 2013. That means a child born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008 is eligible for Year 1, and that he/she must have already turned 5 prior to September 2013.

Registration will take place at the Department of Education Services (GCM) and the Cayman Brac Teacher’s Centre (CB/LC). Parents may pick up registration forms at government schools, Department of Education Services, 130 Thomas Russell Way, George Town or the Cayman Brac Teacher’s Centre, Cayman Brac.

When the form has been completed, it must be returned to the Department of Education Services or the Cayman Brac Teacher’s Centre, with a copy of the following documents attached:

  • The child’s birth certificate
  • The child’s immunization card
  • Documentation of child’s residency category (i.e. birth certificate, passport, status letter/certificate, RS 101 form)
  • Proof of address (mandatory) street name, house/apartment number, block number.
  • Proof in the form of a utility bill (CUC or Water), lease or notarized letter from landlord if renting
  • The last school year’s report (if the child is transferring from another school including private schools). In the case of transfer to John Gray High School or Clifton Hunter High
  • School a transcript from the last school should be included.

The Department of Education Services Customer Service staff will check the documentation and determine the designated catchment area for the school assignment. Following approval by the Senior School Improvement Officer, the school secretary will make an appointment for a medical examination with the Public Health nurse. Parents can arrange for an examination from a private doctor. The medical examination must be completed before a child is enrolled.

Entry to Government Schools:

Priority for admission to Government schools is assigned as follows:

  1. Caymanians, with proof established by birth certificate, passport or status certificate
  2. Dependents of Caymanians
  3. Dependents of government employees
  4. Dependents of permanent residents

Class sizes are capped for Reception and Year 1 at 24 students and 28 for all other Year groups. Where maximum class sizes are exceeded within the school, spaces will be offered for qualifying students at the nearest school with available space. Spaces for categories 3 and 4 above will be reviewed following the 19 July closure of registration.

Payment of Fees:

All non-Caymanian students under approved categories must pay school fees at the following rates:

  • Year 1-6 CI$250.00 per term or CI$ 750. 00 per year
  • Year 7-9 CI$300.00 per term or CI$ 900.00 per year
  • Year 10-12 CI$400.00 per term or CI$ 1,200.00 per year

Payment Locations

Cayman Brac/ Little Cayman residents: Cayman Brac Teachers Centre, CB/LC
Grand Cayman residents: Department of Education Services, 130 Thomas Russell Way, Rm # 2.

The Catchment Area for Government Primary Schools:

SIR JOHN A. CUMBER PRIMARY: North of Government House to Spanish Bay Reef to include all of West Bay.

GEORGE TOWN PRIMARY: South of Government House to Memorial Avenue, North along Walkers Road to Maple Road and East along Smith Road to Crewe Road airport junction.  North on Airport Road, through the new Junction in the Industrial Park to include all areas North and East past the airport to North Sound.

RED BAYPRIMARY: Area on south side of memorial Avenue, along Walkers Road to Maple Road and South side of Smith Road, both sides of Crew Road bordered by Owen Robert Drive to the North and South Sound to the South Song Boarder on the east side Victory Avenue.

SAVANNAH PRIMARY: The East side of Spotts-Newlands Road to Beach Bay Road in Pedro including greater Pedro.

BODDEN TOWN PRIMARY: East of Beach Bay Road up to Breakers including Northward.

EAST END PRIMARY: East of the Frank Sound junction to include all of East End to Colliers.

NORTH SIDE PRIMARY: All of Frank Sound to Old Man Bay west to Cayman Kai.

PROSPECT PRIMARY: All area from Prospect Drive eastward to West side of Spotts-Newlands Road (to include all of Prospect Park, Patrick Island, Ocean Club, Mariners Cove, Cascades Drive and West side of Spotts-Newlands Road).

The Catchment Area for Government Secondary Schools:

JOHN GRAY HIGH SCHOOL: All areas West Side of Spotts-Newlands.

CLIFTON HUNTER HIGH SCHOOL: All areas East Side of Spotts- Newlands Road.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Well you all wanted new free public schools and not just one but three of them . So who did you think was going to go to them not just us right?

  2. Anonymous says:

    This sort of clearly illegal regime is what the Human Rights Commission would be looking into if they were not spineless government "yes" men.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Cayman could easily have one of the world's best education systems, massively boost local employment and employment prospects and reduce crime.  But that would mean paying income tax, and you don't want that do you?

    • Anonymous says:

      Do you really think that income tax would fix the schools? There is no lack of money.

  4. Anonymous says:

    @23:39 why don't you advise your fellow expat workers to return to their homeland for everything 'free'…if they decide to bring their children with them for better economic opportunities that was their choice, not the Caymanians.

    Nothing is free…even the Caymanians are going to have to pay for the increase in number of schools needed for more foreigners, bringing in more foreign teachers, and ultimately taking away or decreasing amount of resources from Camanan students with the increase in students. What about rights of Caymanian students who are then left behind so that the foreign teachers may focus on their own, that's the real discrimination going on in schools, not the fee that foreigners have to pay.

    Like the Australian PM said, you have lots of rights, including the 'right to leave', please feel free to exercise that one too, why don't you?

    • Anonymous says:

      It is that welcoming friendliness that just says "Caymankind".  Sorry Mr. Angry, but the rights expressed in the post are guaranteed fundamental rights to which every child is entitled.  By the way including the children middle class expat parents in the local public education system wouldbe the best single thing to help the education standards of Cayman as a whole.  Middle class parent percentage is the single most significant indicator of positive standards in schools.

      • Diogenes says:

        If you read the various posts think you will see that the concern is not so much with middle class expatriates, but blue collar status holders, and now potentially even non status holders.  That rather punctures the raising the bar argument – it just means that there are a lot more people asking for free education then there used to be.  That in turn either means higher expenditure – and there is an assumption that the cost (purportedly $12K per child) are far higher thatn the additional income/tax contribution brought by the parents.  Financing the cost of complying with human rights obligations without diluting the quality of education is a legitimate concern for a small island nation.

        Incidentally, is it just my cynicism, or is the inclusion of those on goverment contracts CIG trying to avoid having to pay for private education for their expatriate workforce.   

        • Anonymous says:

          "Financing the cost of complying with human rights obligations without diluting the quality of education is a legitimate concern for a small island nation."  Nope.  Cost is not a factor which can be used to deny the provision of ordinary primary or secondary education under Article 2 of the First Protocol.  The UK acknowledged that by limiting its reservation in respect of this article to the provision of faith or specialist schools, not schools in general. 

  5. Caymanian Concern says:

    I applaud the now elected politicians who ran on a platform that we need to allow expat kids back into our schools to rasie the bar at all levels.  The us vs them mentality has failed, period.

    Come on!  Get rid of dead wood Ms Mary and fix 5,000 students…..this is education for a small town and should not be so awful.

    Education and vocational training are the only keys to Cayman's future.  We need to be churning out the BEST students, not the worst.

    Better yet, Dart created a pretty  good darn little school at Camana Bay under budget and over performing so why not outsource this to him?  Problem solved, all kids get IB and we can save the 50 SALARIES  of the Education Department.  Fire the bums.

    If you look at the per child spend for Cayman kids,  ($12,000 each) they could all go to private school!

  6. Anonymous says:

    Non-Caymanians:

    1. Those who are able to get a place at government schools, write to the government, copying the governor and the UK Secretary of State for Education (emails will do for these two), and ask for a waiver of the fees which are charged on a discriminatory basis.   Refer to Article 2 of Protocol 1 and Article 14. When refused, pay under protest and keep the documents.  This tax is illegal and contrary to clear rights norms.  A class action, if you pardon the pun, will end up in the money being repaid.  It might take a while, but it will happen.  Keep your paperwork for that day.

    2. Those who cannot get a place, explain in a letter address to the same people that you want your child to be provided the free state education guaranteed under the ECHR, and that you want a place which is being denied on discriminatory grounds.  Inform the government what fees you will incur if forced to send your children to private education.  Keep all the fee invoices and again eventually this illegal tax, which the schools fees effectively are, will be ordered to be repaid and compensation should be payable by reference to the cost of the total school fees.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      can caymanians get free education anywhere else in the world?

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes, in the UK and if they are resident in Scotland they can go to university for free as well.

        • Annon. says:

          who the hell wants to go to scotland? 

          • Anonymous says:

            You should limit your horizons to somewhere you can learn what a capital letter is.

          • Anon says:

            Ye're a daft moronic bashtud Annon Wed 15:08, who cannae even spell "Anon" and disnae ken how tae capitalise a proper noun. Naebody gies a damn whit ye think.

            • Anonymous says:

              If you were going for Glaswegian, I think you will find that "bashtud" is pronounced "XXXT".

        • Anonymous says:

          Actuallynot true, although it would be if you instead said Britiish Overseas Territories Citizens of the Cayman Islands who have been registered and admitted to reside in the United Kingdom. Thousands of Caymanians are ineligible to even visit the UK as tourists, let alone go to school there for free!

          • Anonymous says:

            You are confusing immigration issues related to attaining residence and the position upon the attainment of residence.  All Caymanian children who are legally resident in the UK would be eligible for free primary and secondary education.  All UK resident children have that right regardless of nationality.  It is the same in Cayman, all children of any nationalities who are reisdent in Cayman of all have a protected ECHR right to free primary and secondary education.  I am surprised that one of the law firms on the island have not taken this one up, it is quite a big claim.

            • Anonymous says:

              Foreign children in the UK were not admitted to that country subject to a strict condition they be enrolled in private school.

              • Anonymous says:

                Tough.  Petty local conditions are secondary to fundamental guaranteed rights.  ECHR 1 Narrow minded little islanderism 0.

              • Anonymous says:

                So what?  Once the children are resident they can validly assert their rights.  The condition is meaningless.

    • Young_Caymanian87 says:

      Im sorry, did I miss something? Are we Caymanians allowed to obtain free education in another man's country? Can this be demanded as a 'right'?

      • Anonymous says:

        Well, yes, actually. Countries that have Fundamental Human Rights require that primary and secondary schooling be free. This applies to the children of bona fide work-permit holders, refugees, and immigrants. Some countries also offer free post-grad degrees to foreign students with no connection to the country: Argentina Finland and Sweden to name a few. Norway even offers free Masters Degree studies in English!

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes up to secondary level within the ECHR regime.  It is an expressly provided for right.  Provided you live there.

      • Anonymous says:

        You missed the fact that already there are very high numbers of non Caymanian already in Government Schools. Immigration, you watching this? Get the kids out of this country now unless they are in private school – otherwise we will be bankrupted by this issue alone!

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes. I bet you got a British Passport too.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Registration for the reception classes should be atr least 2 years BEFORE the year of entry. This would enable some degree of planning for space & teacher requirements.

    • Hoping for better days says:

      Caymanians need ease-off the baby making. REAL TALK. Slow down. Some women here have children for MANY different men and cannot take care of ONE! I am Caymanian yes but why are we making things harder for ourselves. Why? I for one am sick of people complaining about EVERYTHING because they made some really poor choices in the past.  

      • Anonymous says:

        I suggest that you educate yourself on social behaviours globally Hoping for better days (not verified) on Tue, 07/02/2013 – 14:22.  You may just find that this is not a Caymanian issue but one seen in every country amongst the uneducated and ignorant.

        • Hoping for better days says:

          I agree with you, and I will say this my point is simple. We are a small nation of people. If we cannot sort our issues with a small population of less than 60,000 people we are lost. We could easily set an example for the world because we are dealing with smaller numbers here in Cayman. Times have changed, we need to change with them and we need to change our legislation to reflect this.

      • Anonymous says:

        Or Cayman could permit abortions.  This would reduce a great deal of social problems and crime.

        • Hoping for better days says:

          Agreed! Rightly said.

        • David Shibli Snr. says:

          Killing a child that is safe in its mother's womb one minute and in a garbage bin the next is nothing less than murder. I wonder how the pro-abortion people would feel if their mothers had chosen to get rid of them?

          They wouldn't even be here to twist their version of right and wrong. Our children are innocent and need our protection.

          • Anonymous says:

            Your position directly leads to much higher levels of violent crime to the harm of society as a whole.

    • SSM345 says:

      That would involve common sense…..

    • Anonymous says:

      That would mean expat kits couldn't come in on the plane for a free education (and before posters say this is not possible, tell that to the Immigration and School authorities who have admitted hundreds to do this)!