Our History

The foundations of formal education in Barbados were laid by the philanthropic efforts of private individuals, and by the humanitarian interest of the churches. Most of the older secondary schools in Barbados, were funded by endowments originally intended for the education of the white children of the planter class at a time when slavery existed in Barbados.

Education during this colonial period reinforced and perpetuated the values upon which that social structure rested. In that structure, which was associated with sugar production, slaves i.e. blacks were denied access to formal schooling even though they comprised the majority of the population.

By the 1833 Act of Emancipation, some efforts were made by the British government to provide some kind of schooling for the ex-slaves in Barbados. The British government however terminated its funding for education some twelve years later in 1841, and the state provided the first grant of seven hundred and fifty pounds (£750) for education. This grant increased over time to fifteen thousand pounds (£15,000). By 1878, this amount continually increased, and made mass primary education possible for the start of the 1900s.

In 1971 St. George Secondary School enrolled its first students drawn mostly from the surrounding feeder schools. Among these were students who had been at home for a year, because, in those days, students finished school at age 13.

St George Secondary opened in 1972 while construction was still in progress. Its first principal was Mr. K.G. Alleyne and his deputy was Ms. Linda Jemmott. The junior boys wore khaki and the senior boys, dark brown pants and beige shirts. The junior girls wore lilac overalls and white blouses while the senior girls wore lilac skirts and white blouses. The school’s roll quickly grew to more than 1000 students. The class size varied from 30-34 students.

At the end of construction, the completion of the school and after three subsequent intakes, the school was officially opened on 28th November, 1974 by the Honourable L. Erskine Sandiford, Minister of Education. The principal and staff laid a sound foundation which was distinguished by the following characteristics:

• A high level of discipline
• A strong academic performance
• Excellent management/ staff relations supported by robust discussions
• A strong ethic of care for both staff and student
• A vibrant and successful athletic culture