Mathematics teachers at Godfrey Stewart High School in Savanna-la-Mar are putting their reputation on the line. Next year, they will join their students in writing the mathematics paper in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinat ...

If one is looking for a case study in the role of leadership in improving school performance, then Godfrey Stewart High School, formerly Savanna-la-Mar Comprehensive High School, is a classic example. Once plagued by low levels of academic performance coupled with negative behaviours, the school is gradually becoming Westmoreland’s centre for mathematics, which is no mean feat as, according to the school’s website, “incoming students are usually at the lower end of the academic continuum with only 18 – 25 per cent of them functionally literate”.