https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/home daily 1.0 2020-11-28 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5efbac15d305a44006d8b658/1603453058335/DSCN0939.JPG Home - Education beyond the classroom We aim to provide a well-rounded education that supports our students in all areas of their lives. From school trips to swimming lessons to vocational apprenticeships, we ensure that students get out of the classroom at every opportunity. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5efba8eccbb31971d520c47e/1603453086515/WhatsApp+Image+2019-12-28+at+16.20.52.jpeg Home - Dynamic teaching We provide regular training to ensure that our teaching is innovative and inspiring. We want the students at our Happy school to be actively engaged in their learning, whether it’s learning through play, using phonics for reading and writing, or using modelling resources in maths. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5efbac9c01f93e3017238836/1603453076653/IMG_2489.jpg Home - A healthy, safe and happy environment SEP is more than just a school; we are a community, sometimes, even a family. From free school meals to free medical insurance; find out how we keep our students healthy, safe and happy to ensure the best outcomes for them. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/blog daily 0.75 2021-07-29 https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/blog/learning-while-playing monthly 0.5 2020-11-15 https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/blog/jess-visits-saltpond monthly 0.5 2020-11-15 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5ef8cf819f8c8b0df0480c75/1593364384140/IMG_4160.jpeg News - Jess visits saltpond https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/blog/heathers-visit monthly 0.5 2020-11-15 https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/blog/isla-and-joe-in-saltpond monthly 0.5 2020-12-01 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5ef8d1955708dc5cb9d44a39/1605547065882/3d52b99f-6822-4a1f-92d1-aa7781017bca.jpg News - Isla and Joe in Saltpond https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/blog/apprenticeships monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/60f84595c844b57290d182a0/1626883481109/10A33ABC-5F9B-4BA5-83EA-6C3C26EF0BD1.JPG News - Apprenticeships - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/blog/jhs-building-work-re-starts monthly 0.5 2021-07-29 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/610299ac65fbe6552c6d9775/1627560380301/A06614D7-2053-4D64-A5D3-48ABDBD9C58D.jpeg News - JHS building work re-starts - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/our-vision daily 0.75 2021-08-26 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb2b3fc84632a50d3d1f08d/1605547020083/Schools%2B-%2BJHS%2Bstudents.jpg Get Involved - Sponsor a child For as little as £15 a month, you could help transform a child’s life. You can choose to sponsor one of the younger students who attend the SEP Happy Primary School, covering all of the costs of sending them to school, including their daily meals and health insurance. You’ll receive updates from us twice a year on the progress of the project in general and the students you have sponsored. Alternatively, you can choose to sponsor one of our graduates. We’ve placed over fifty children into secondary education, all funded through the kindness of individual sponsors. This means that learning doesn’t stop with us; students have the opportunity to gain deeper knowledge and the required skills to secure work in the competitive Ghanaian job market, while also creating a new network and peer group. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5ef8bc22d960e626a1e2db97/1593359433212/DSCN0200.JPG Get Involved - Get involved There are so many ways you can help out the Saltpond Education Project. Whether it’s giving your time, expertise or money, any gesture is hugely appreciated, and your contribution will go directly to our students’ education and wellbeing. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fc6a8f43485235c86b27789/1606854944170/IMG_2481.jpg Get Involved - Fundraise We’re kept afloat not only by generous donations and a few grants, but by the tireless fundraising of our supporters. From cake sales to ultra-marathons, any event is hugely welcome in contributing to the running of our project. Get in touch if you’d like to discuss fundraising ideas: saltpondeducationproject@gmail.com Volunteer Training and professional mentoring for our teachers in Ghana is a key focus for us, and we'd love to hear from education specialists who might want to help develop pedagogy and classroom practice. Email us if you’re interested: saltpondeducationproject@gmail.com https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/about-us daily 0.75 2020-12-10 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb2b011442fdf7b3006264c/1605546011559/20131114_144710.jpg Background - Background Based in Saltpond, Ghana, the SEP Happy School was set up for local children who couldn’t access mainstream schools. Founded on the principles of dynamic, inspiring teaching and serving the needs of the community, SEP has grown to become a locally led project which is an integral part of the Saltpond community. In the beginning Co-founder Rachel visited Ghana in 2007, where she met Mike Ofori – a passionate local teacher – who wanted to set up a school project for the under-served children in his hometown of Saltpond. Over the next couple of years, the co-founders raised funds to help Mike and his brother Emmanuel, who was also a teacher – set up their dream school. SEP Happy School, so-named by the students, opened for teaching in September 2010 and now has over two hundred children on its register, supported by nine brilliantly dedicated members of staff. In July 2010, the SEP became an officially registered charity in England and Wales (1136738). In September 2015 we began sponsoring some of our highest-achieving students back into the state education system, sourcing good local JHS and secondary schools and paying for their entry and resources for a further six years, until the end of SHS 3. The UK team now play a funding role and leave the management and development to the Ghanaian experts, though supporters and education specialists do visit the site to help train and assist teachers. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb2b04ea448ab4f0ee2dc63/1605546119814/DSCN0234.jpg Background - Saltpond Our students come from the least affluent part of Saltpond, living along the seashore. Though the Central Region is a relatively fortunate part of Ghana, these particular children – like so many others – cannot afford the uniform, resources, or food that they are expected to purchase at state schools. We provide this, whilst also encouraging a sense of aspiration in our students, and an understanding of the value of education. We are careful only to offer the facilities to students who really do not have the option of attending a government school at the time of enrollment, and our local project leaders carry out regular needs-assessment surveys. We hope that, in time, our services will no longer be required, as the government continues to develop its education system in a way that means all students can access it. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/donate daily 0.75 2021-08-31 https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/primary-school-1 daily 0.75 2020-11-15 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb13600dd1d4d05204cfd6e/1605544314404/Dynamic%2Bteaching%2B-%2Bplay1.jpg Primary school - KG 1 & 2 In the youngest classes - KG (Kindergarten) 1 & 2 - the children learn through play. The classrooms are set up differently to the rest of the school, with lots of room for the children to move about and explore the many resources independently. They start to learn the basics of reading and writing through daily phonics sessions, while exploring basic number and shape concepts in maths. They learn how to cooperate with others, participate in songs and games, and generally learn about the world around them. The teaching is mainly in the local language of Fantse with some introduction of English vocabulary. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb15e7f54d01722c1e330f5/1605459593853/IMG_3601.jpg Primary school - Classes 1-6 From Class 1 (ages 5-6 years), the learning becomes slightly more formal with more emphasis on children reading and writing independently. The teaching is still mainly carried out in Fantse until Class 3, and then from Class 4, more and more of the teaching is in English. Through regular teacher training we encourage our teachers to use dynamic teaching methods to keep our students engaged in their learning. Read more about our pedagogy https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5ef8ca479e8f05514ac850bf/1602625263016/DSCN0918.JPG Primary school - Primary school The SEP Happy primary school opened its doors in September 2010 with just one class. We now have 8 classes of students from kindergarten up to Class 6. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/junior-high-school daily 0.75 2020-11-15 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb152e2162257496b9ea1d0/1605456619337/Schools%2B-%2BJHS%2Bstudents.jpg Junior high school - Junior high school In 2018, we secured funding to build a junior high school next to our existing primary school. This was a huge step for the project, giving us the ability to continue supporting our students with a high-quality, nurturing education. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb1530be741ef42c9305120/1605456661748/High+school+3+copy.jpg Junior high school - Building a new school Our team in Ghana and in the UK were convinced that by having our own JHS, we could ensure the same innovative and inspiring teaching methods that we have embedded in our primary school. We would also be able to maintain the caring, pastoral environment that our students have become accustomed to at the SEP Happy primary school. It is a founding principle of SEP that the beneficiaries we serve are able to break the cycle of poverty through education. In order to do so, students must reach the end of JHS so that they can take the BECE, the nationally recognised examination and certificate of education. In 2018, we managed to secure funding to buy a plot of land next to our current school and to build the JHS. Mike worked hard for several months to find the right contractor and get all of the plans drawn up. In late 2019, we started work on a new building needed to accommodate our own JHS school in late 2019, and work is ongoing. We’ve had a few setbacks along the way, including a global pandemic, but we’re hoping to open the new school in September 2021. In the meantime, once the building is completed, the primary school will use the extra classrooms and space to allow for social distancing. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb1539854d7bd32ba2c6b0f/1605540224061/Stage%2B6%2B2%2B%25281%2529.jpg Junior high school - Sponsoring JHS kids In 2015, our first cohort of students at the SEP Happy school graduated. But we knew we couldn’t just stop supporting them. They had worked so hard to complete primary school and wanted to keep going with their education. The costs of attending junior high school (JHS) – uniforms, resources, PTA fees, lunches – were just too high for their families to afford. Not to mention the loss of earnings that the families would incur by the children continuing their education. So we set up a ‘Sponsor a child’ programme to sponsor our graduates into the government-run JHS in Saltpond. Five cohorts of students have now gone to the local JHS and many of them have really excelled there. However, Mike (project coordinator) and Emmanuel (headteacher) have felt strongly for a long time that SEP should have its own JHS. There are many reasons for this: We work closely with the Ghanaian Education Service (GES) who have always insisted that we build a JHS, since most primary schools in Ghana go from KG right up to JHS. The current system creates a lot of extra work for our team in Ghana - Emmanuel has continued teaching extra lessons for all of our graduates on Saturdays, and Mike meets all of them every morning to give them their lunch money. Additionally, there are contracts for fees and resources that need to be negotiated with schools each September. Having our own JHS on-site would reduce this additional workload. We’ve been saddened about reports from our graduates of the use of corporal punishment and uninspiring teaching in the government JHS, which has led to relatively high rates of students dropping out. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/our-vision-1 daily 0.75 2020-12-01 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb15a7a48fd365a10040136/1605458621510/IMG-20200127-WA0003.jpg Our vision - We do this by following these 3 principles: Dynamic teaching and active, engaged learning A healthy, safe and happy environment Education beyond the classroom https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5faecf7924c06f5373b0118b/1605458688283/SEP+Theory+of+Change.jpg Our vision https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/the-team-1 daily 0.75 2021-08-10 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb0151a03633f0646d81fb8/1605375267684/Our%252Bteam%252BEmman.jpg The team https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb014e5162257496b7efb4f/1605375223925/Our%252Bteam%252BMike.jpg The team https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb15cbd9a1aef48f696beb9/1605459160363/24eda407-4aed-4fbb-a715-b5ca2646dc90.jpg The team https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/senior-high-school daily 0.75 2020-11-15 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb1544cc2244972c69ae7d1/1605540858253/Schools%2BSenior.jpg Senior high school - Senior high school After 3 years of junior high school, the next step for students in Ghana is to attend senior high school. When our first cohort of graduates reached this stage in 2018, we knew once again that we had to keep supporting them. All the students had passed the national BECE certificate of education exam at the end of the JHS. This was such a huge achievement for these children who had never even expected to finish primary school. Awutu Winton School We encouraged all of our students to take the entrance exam for the EDP Awutu-Winton high school. This is a private senior high school a couple of hours away from Saltpond that we’ve had a relationship with for several years now. The school is also funded by a UK-based charity and follows a very similar ethos to SEP. They offer senior high school education to high achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds in a supportive and nurturing environment. Two of our students passed the tough entrance exams and have been attending EDP since September 2018. The rest of our graduates were allocated to various government senior high schools near Saltpond. Apprenticeships At SEP, we’re very aware that gaining the BECE educational qualification is so important but that 4 years of SHS might not be right for every student. That’s why in 2019, we decided to start a vocational apprenticeship sponsorship scheme. We want to support our graduates to have lifelong skills and trades that will support them and their community, so we’re currently in the process of building relationships with local tradespeople in Saltpond - tailors, mechanics, carpenters, basket-weavers - who might be able to take on some of our graduates as apprentices in the future. Watch this space for updates. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/dynamic-teaching daily 0.75 2020-12-03 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb161a3e741ef42c9327a69/1605460401159/INSET%2B2%2B.jpg Dynamic teaching - Teacher observations In order to advance our teachers’ professional development, we conduct termly teacher observations. These are carried out by our headteacher Emmanuel. The teachers are set 3 targets each term relating to specific areas for development. If they meet 2 or more of their targets, they’re rewarded with a pay rise. Based on the teachers’ needs, Emmanuel also prepares specific trainings as he sees necessary. An area that we’re constantly reviewing is the teachers’ ability to assess children’s understanding. To ensure high standards, we’ve delivered training on Afl (assessment for learning) and Bloom’s taxonomy of questioning to support this area. Additionally, we also offer all of our teachers financial support to pursue a university degree in Education. Most of them are currently undertaking this through distance learning while continuing to teach. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb160a516947a58fe27ab55/1605460143150/Add%2Bto%2Bgallery.jpg Dynamic teaching - Phonics To help teach our students reading and writing, we introduced phonics as a core part of their learning. Phonics is a system used to teach reading and writing, and it involves short, daily lessons with lots of games and fast-paced activities to embed the learning. We’ve managed to adapt it to work for students learning English as an additional language, creating resources to teach in Fantse. The impact has been significant - within 2 years, those students who had received phonics teaching were reading at a much higher level than some of the older students who hadn’t learnt to read in this way. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb1601544e8212553230905/1605460000445/Dynamic%252BTeaching.jpg Dynamic teaching - Dynamic teaching We aim to bring the latest methodologies to our classrooms, ensuring that learning is both fun and rewarding for our students. Our teachers are developing their skills all the time, and we provide as many resources as we can to ensure open, creative spaces with engaging lessons. Starting with language We encourage teachers to use the local language of Fantse instead of the official language of the curriculum, English, which none of the children understand. Teachers start introducing key vocabulary in English, but make sure the concepts are understood in the children’s first language. We’re so pleased that the Ghanaian government has now stated that the language of instruction should be children’s first language up until Primary 3, and then switch to English from Primary 4. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb15f6f2bb93a1ea2ef9779/1605460457209/INSET%2B11.jpg Dynamic teaching - Engaging classes We’ve focussed on using more active methods that engage the students and moved away from a more didactic, teacher-led approach. We’ve had teachers from the UK come out to Saltpond to deliver training to the teachers. Some of our strategies include: Using real-life objects in the classroom particularly in science lessons Taking the students outside of the classroom and into the community Using talk partners, to encourage more talk in the classroom and to build confidence before sharing with the class (“think, pair, share”) Using group work Project work and presentation Using concrete modelling resources in maths e.g. cubes, bead strings Storytelling - training for the teachers on how they can use storytelling and how to teach it to the students Singing and movement are used to get the students energised at the start or to give them a brain-break midway through The results have been incredibly positive. We’ve seen students engaging more in their studies, and the atmosphere in the school is generally more positive. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb1603b03633f0646fa0418/1605460465111/WhatsApp+Image+2019-12-28+at+16.20.52.jpeg Dynamic teaching - Play-based learning For our Kindergarten classes (3-5 years old), learning through play is the order of the day. Inspired by the great educational pioneer Maria Montessori, and the excellent Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum in the UK, Our classrooms have been especially built to accommodate this style of teaching. They have a host of resources, including Lego, blocks, dressing-up clothes, musical instruments, small world and home corner toys and outdoor play equipment in the playground . We encourage students to explore independently, while receiving guidance from their teachers along the way. The teachers do some adult-led teaching in small groups, but the focus is on challenging and developing the children’s learning by playing alongside them. We offer ongoing training to teachers, as many are totally new to this kind of teaching. We were lucky to work with an organisation called Sabre Education who have led the way in introducing play-based learning in KG classrooms in parts of Ghana, so we were able to take our teachers to see it in action before we had established it at SEP. Since we introduced play-based learning in 2014, the Ghanaian government has taken the amazing step of introducing play-based learning into the KG curriculum. We’re so thrilled that students across the country in government schools can also benefit from more age-appropriate learning. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/environment daily 0.75 2020-12-01 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb2937342d7953c33a628a9/1605538691613/IMG_20200123_143533.jpg Environment - Community health-awareness campaigns We hold regular parent meetings to pass on information and raise awareness about hygiene and health issues. Sometimes, the students perform plays around these issues for the community and create posters to display around the school. During the recent Covid-19 pandemic, our founder, Mike, visited many of the families at their homes to explain the importance of hygiene and hand-washing. A safe, secure site We want our students to feel safe when they come to school, so every effort is taken to ensure that our school site is secure for the children to learn and play in. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5f92c89c4efd0e5a4f6e19ee/1603455142624/IMG_2489.jpg Environment - A happy, safe environment At SEP, we care deeply about the health, safety and happiness of our students. We aim to make our environment feel more like a family than a school. A lot of our students come from homes with incomplete family structures and many are facing extreme poverty, with family members therefore working very long hours (including the children, who often go out to sell items after school). This means that important aspects of healthcare can be overlooked, as well as the equally important aspect of time spent together. The teachers at our Happy School, led by our headteacher Emmanuel’s huge, caring heart, look out for their students’ wellbeing and happiness as well as their academic achievements. After school and at weekends, the school yard is filled with students who stay around to spend time with their teachers. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb1566d1cc5cc6622b56794/1605544291408/Environment.jpg Environment - Free medical insurance for students We pay for each student’s annual medical insurance card so that when they get sick, they’re able to access healthcare and medication at any time. A monthly health visitor Every month, a nurse visits the school to assess the children, checking for things like malaria, worms and other common ailments. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb1557b9488406ed9f98647/1605457285423/IMG-20200123-WA0006.jpg Environment - Free school meals for all students Mike and Emmanuel’s mum, Comfort, cooks delicious and nutritious food for our students every day. Their sister, Bless, is a trained nutritionist and supports the menu development to ensure that its healthy and balanced (see, it really is a family affair). This is one of the most important things we do; without it, many families wouldn’t send their children to school because they’d have them out working to earn money for their food. Access to safe drinking water We have clean water pumped into the school, meaning students can avoid the unhealthy mains water. Free uniforms All schools in Ghana have uniforms, and this can be one of the most prohibitive costs for families. We provide completely free uniforms for students, and we replace them as the children grow or the uniforms wear out. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/extracurricular daily 0.75 2020-12-01 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb14dca44e8212553203127/1605455350056/DSCN0939.JPG Extra-curricular - Education beyond the classroom We know that education is so much more than just what happens in the classroom. SEP aims to offer students an enriching and broad education that supports them in all areas of their lives. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb14ed49071527666365dbb/1605455582324/EBC%2B-%2BReading.jpg Extra-curricular - Access to a wide range of reading material Reading sparks the imagination and opens up new worlds of possibilities to children, so we provide a library full of books that are relevant to our students’ lives and ages. We have a timetable of daily reading for our students, as well as encouraging reading outside of school hours. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb1515944e821255320b6bd/1605456226756/EBC%2BComm%2Bfacing%2Bplay.jpg Extra-curricular - Community-facing plays and performances Drama and dance are really popular, and the students regularly put on shows that they’ve devised and produced themselves. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb14f4f2bb93a1ea2ed4443/1605455708407/EBC%2BTrips.jpg Extra-curricular - School trips We regularly take the students on local cultural trips, such as the historical sites of Kakum National Park and Cape Coast Castle, as well as trips to local manufacturers to spark their entrepreneurial spirit. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb1524de741ef42c9303970/1605456472682/IMG_2446.jpg Extra-curricular - Aspiration-raising talks We’ve organised focus events featuring visiting professionals including a police officer, carpenter and doctor. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb150ff54d01722c1e120f3/1605456135593/EBC%2B-%2Bsports.jpg Extra-curricular - Sports teams We have a range of teams including girls’ and boys’ football and volleyball. Football is particularly popular among our students, and our teams regularly take part in tournaments with other local teams. https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/gallery daily 0.75 2020-11-16 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/5f92c2b5a85f076f864588b0/5f92c35f38cb2c777ef3fef5/1603453888008/DSCN0200.JPG Gallery https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/5f92c2b5a85f076f864588b0/5f92c35feabde0201d243a39/1603453895391/DSCN0203.JPG Gallery https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/5f92c2b5a85f076f864588b0/5f92c35f497b39456c893868/1603453883537/DSCN0250.JPG Gallery https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/5f92c2b5a85f076f864588b0/5f92c35f457f120d290bfb5b/1603453884695/DSCN0323.JPG Gallery https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/5f92c2b5a85f076f864588b0/5f92c3b6eabde0201d2446ce/1603453968425/DSCN0326.JPG Gallery 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https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/5f92c2b5a85f076f864588b0/5fb2ab4f327f2e4fadf457e4/1605544787154/unnamed.jpg Gallery https://www.saltpondeducationproject.org.uk/schools daily 0.75 2021-07-20 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb297bf7455e72fcc9e08ed/1605540003315/DSCN0918.JPG Schools - The SEP Happy Primary School The SEP Happy primary school opened its doors in September 2010 with just one class. We now have eight classes of students from Kindergarten up to Class 6. The KG classes (ages 3-5) learn through play in specially designed classrooms. Classes 1-6 (ages 5-11) learn in an active and engaging way. We follow the Ghanaian national curriculum but make sure that our teaching methods are always dynamic and innovative. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb29b82a448ab4f0ede38b9/1605540749010/High%2Bschool%2B3.jpg Schools - Building a new JHS Our JHS will continue the innovative and inspiring teaching methods embedded at the SEP Happy Primary School, and we’ll be able to maintain the caring, pastoral environment that our students are used to. It is a founding principle of SEP to support our community in breaking the cycle of poverty through education. In order to do so, students must reach the end of JHS so that they can take the BECE examination, the nationally recognised certificate of education. In 2018, we secured funding for a plot of land next to our current school, and Mike worked hard for several months to get the plans drawn up. In late 2019, we started work on a new building, which is ongoing. We’ve had a few setbacks along the way, including a global pandemic, but we’re hoping to open the new school in September 2021. In the meantime, once the building is completed, the primary school will use the extra classrooms and space to allow for social distancing. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb2998042875701310d9401/1605540293718/Stage%2B6%2B2%2B%25281%2529.jpg Schools - Junior High School In 2015, our first cohort of students at the SEP Happy School graduated from the primary system. But the costs of attending junior high school (JHS) – uniforms, resources, PTA fees, lunches – were just too high for their families to afford. Not to mention the loss of earnings that the families would incur by the children continuing their education. So we set up a sponsorship programme to support our graduates into the government-run JHS in Saltpond. Five cohorts of students have now gone to the local JHS and many of them have really excelled there. However, Mike (project coordinator) and Emmanuel (headteacher) feel strongly that SEP should now have its own JHS. There are many reasons for this: We work closely with the Ghanaian Education Service (GES) who have advised us to expand, since most primary schools in Ghana go from KG right up to JHS. The current system creates a lot of extra work for our team in Ghana – Emmanuel has continued teaching extra lessons for all of our graduates on Saturdays, and Mike meets all of them every morning to give them their lunch money. Additionally, there are time-consuming negotiations with schools each September. We’ve been saddened about reports from our graduates of the use of corporal punishment in the local government JHS schools, which has led to relatively high rates of students dropping out. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e540333d8b9a21d59594ea3/t/5fb29bfa1eafc76d09e44f36/1605540865190/Schools%2BSenior.jpg Schools