XAVIER NURSERY SCHOOL- FARATO

Xavier Nursery school was established in 2008 with a total number of 70 pupils. It is named after Saint Francis Xavier of Spain. The number of children now is one hundred and forty (140). Seventy-four (74) are girls and sixty-six (66) boys .There are five (5) permanent teaching staff and one student teacher perusing her early childhood development (ECD) course at The Gambia College School of education, and an auxiliary staff.

Usually there were only children of the village Farato that were enrolled at the school but now children as far as Brikama and Busumballa are also in the school. The purpose of starting a nursery school at the area was to help ease the worries of parents of this part of the village. They were worried due to the fact that their children would have to walk a long distance to school.

We enroll children at the age of three years and above. At three years, they are enrolled in Pre-nursery. Four years and above are enrolled in nursery one. Children are therefore, prepared for four years at nursery level before they are promoted to the primary level. Some parents find it easy enrolling their children to the nursery, but find it difficult getting places for them at primary level. This is why three years back some parents formed a delegation to meet me about a primary school. I told them I cannot start another stage without getting the clearance from the Ministry Of Basic and Secondary Education. Now that I got the clearance from the ministry, I will start this September 2014/2015 academic year. Already 17 pupils are admitted to start Grade one next September, 2014.

Shelter is one of the many constraints we have. This is why we are to create a temporal shelter for the Grade one class. We also lack adequate furniture, teaching aids and stationery to name but a few. The school also encounters difficulties in late payment of school fees from the parents. Some will give you promises and fail because they cannot afford it. What can we do? We cannot send the children home. Some even come to school sick or hungry. The way they appear indicates the kind of home they came from.

Xavier Nursery school seeks to create a challenging learning environment that encourages high expectations for success through development, appropriate instructions that allows for an individual difference learning styles. Our school promotes a safe, orderly, caring and supportive environment. We strive to have our parents, teachers and community members actively involved on our pupils’ learning.

Xavier Nursery school is a learning centre that calls for collaborative efforts. We believe that each person’s ability is unique and can add value to another’s ability and the two or more becomes great. Our success depends on giving our best in overcoming our difficulties, accepting our faults and taking necessary measures to correct them. This cannot take place in isolation, but “together we can do it” as the motto of the school reads.

FIRST DAY OF 2013/ 2014 ACADEMIC YEAR

CHILDREN QUEING UP TO THEIR CLASSSES AFTER ASSEMBLY

STAFF OF THE SCHOOL

2014 PASSING OUT PUPILS WITH THE HEAD MISTRESS MRS. ROSE H. MENDY

PASSING OUT PUPILS 2012 SINGING THE SCHOOL ANTHEM.

MRS. ROSE H. MENDY LEADING PUPILS IN A MATCH PASS 2014.

THE GUEST -SPEAKER Rev. FR. EDWARD GOMEZ DURING 2012 PASSING OUT CEREMONY

SCHOOL DRAMA GROUP 2012

SCHOOL MANAGER MR. SIMON SUTA MENDY DELIVERING A SPEECH TO 2012 PASSING OUT PUPILS

AN OUTSTANDING PUPIL –PATRICK K. MENDY RECEIVING AN AWARD

SCHOOL BADGE