The St Cyprian’s Story

St. Cyprian’s opened its doors to its first students in September 1960 at the initiative of Rev (now Bishop) Clive and Mrs Abdulah, who were seeking a school where they could place their two sons. As the priest of the St. Cyprian’s Church (Anglican) in Highgate, Rev Abdulah thought the rectory would be an ideal place to house the School at its inception. A new rectory was built on adjacent land and the School welcomed its first students from K to Grade 3. A new building was eventually built to accommodate the cohort from grade three that needed space to move up and make way for others to join.

To fully appreciate the value of St. Cyprian’s, one has to understand the history and role of preparatory schools in Jamaica. Preparatory Schools were for the most part affiliated with churches. They became vehicles for holistic education that imparted Christian morals, values, and ethics without imposing the Christian religion on their students. Students of all religions have attended preparatory schools from their inception to this day. Preparatory schools also offered a more optimal teacher-student ratio, which made for closer attention to students’ progress and greater capacity to provide remedial help to students needing different learning approaches.