The Falkland Islands Government (FIG), is responsible for the provision of education throughout the islands.  Schooling is free and compulsory for children between five and sixteen years of age. 

FIG’s Department of Education provides this key service through its modern primary and secondary schools based in Stanley and small settlement schools in rural areas.  A ‘travelling teacher’ service ensures that pupils who live in Camp, (the countryside) and who are outside the catchment area of the above noted small schools, have access to the education service.  Older children (over 9) attend school in Stanley and board during term time at Stanley House. 

Stanley House is a bespoke accommodation unit built for this purpose and which has been home from home for hundreds of children since it opened in 1982.

Settlement and travelling teachers receive support from the ‘Camp Education’ unit based in Stanley.  This unit conducts individual daily lessons by telephone and internet, then sets homework for children between travelling teachers' visits. 

The curriculum is based on the English curriculum and applies similar teaching methods.

The Infant Junior School and Camp Education (IJS&CE) has 330 pupils aged from 3 to 11 years.  The Falkland Islands Community School (FICS) has approximately 210 pupils in the 11-16 age range.  An Executive Headteacher, Principal of Primary, and Principal of Secondary lead the schools. Both schools have a staffing complement which includes a SENCo, senior leaders, middle leaders and a team of teachers and learning support assistants.  Specialist teachers from the Community School support some subjects in the primary sector.

The Falkland Islands’ education system is fully inclusive; the schools share a Special Needs Co-ordinator who manages the team of SEN teachers and LSAs.  A Speech and Language Therapist works for several days every week in school and there is regular contact with the health services.  The department procures psychology services from UK.

All teachers are fully-qualified; the majority have trained and worked in UK.  We work within the UK Department for Education Teachers’ Standards.  Although we are outside of the system of OFSTED inspections, we base our school self-evaluation and external review on its framework.  There is a strong focus on evaluating impact and delivering continuous improvement through well-developed SEF and SIP processes.  We work with external improvement partners to ensure our schools are delivering the best education possible.

There is a strong commitment to providing effective evidence-based teaching strategies across the primary and secondary sectors.  We have a mastery approach to maths teaching; focus on curriculum intent, implementation and impact and are informed by the EEF research around best practice in all aspects of teaching and learning. There is a strong focus on evaluating impact and delivering continuous improvement through well-developed SEF and SIP processes.  We work with external improvement partners to ensure our schools are delivering the best education possible.

There is a commitment to CPD and we draw on the expertise our teachers have.  We engage with partners in the UK, including the University College of London’s Centre for Inclusive Education.  We support our teachers to obtain internationally recognised qualifications such as NPQML and NPQSL.  We use lesson study and SWERL as tools to aid improvement.  There is a Falkland Islands Women Ed group @WomenEdFalkland.

The school year is divided into three terms each having a half-term break.  This mirrors the schooling pattern found in the northern hemisphere.  The school year begins in September.  However, the summer holiday follows the first term in December to allow pupils to take advantage of the Falkland summer.

Primary Education

Infant Junior School & Camp Education

The primary curriculum in the Falkland Islands is based on the National Curriculum for England and is enhanced by the local context.  End of Key Stage assessments are taken at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 (7 years and 11 years).  The latest school review (March 2019) judged that the quality of education provided by the school remains good.

Classes are organised in year groups from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 6, with two classes in each cohort.  Current Government guidelines state that the maximum class size will be 30.

The Stanley Infant & Junior School and Camp Education (IJS&CE) is situated in the centre of Stanley.  The main school building was constructed in 1955, with large modern extensions being added in 1990, 1996 and 2002.  It is a well resourced, forward looking school with curriculum provision for pupils from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 6. 

The school has well equipped classrooms, including interactive whiteboards.  There is a networked computer suite with broadband internet connection,  a well stocked library and a spacious school hall.  Generous funding provides well maintained modern buildings, ample books, equipment and resource materials.  Use is made of the Community School’s playing field, sports hall and indoor heated swimming pool, which is a short walk away.

This community is small enough to enable school staff to have regular contact with parents and outside agencies.  Staff work closely with their colleagues from Stanley and Camp locations as well as liaising with staff from the Community School.  In addition to a written report and two parent consultation evenings, teacher work with parents and families to provide information about a child’s successes and challenges to make life in school a positive experience.

There is a wide range of after school activities made available by school staff for the children, these might include Choir, Recorders, Drama, Multi-skills PE, Netball, Football and a variety of arts and crafts.   Out of school there is an additional selection of clubs including Brownies, Guides, Cubs and Scouts, Sea Cadets, Watch Group, Past Finders, Karate, Archery, Swimming and Football. The Parents’ Association raise funds for the school in a variety of ways. They have donated a wide selection of resources including camping equipment, digital cameras,  and playground tables. 

The Falkland Islands comprise of two main islands, East and West Falkland, and several hundred smaller islands, a number of which are inhabited. These islands cover an area about two thirds the size of Wales, but are widely spread out. From Stanley in the East to New Island in the West, the distance is some 150 miles.  On East and West Falkland there are about 200 miles of largely un-surfaced roads and travel across Camp is by four wheel drive vehicles. 

Camp Education is for all children who do not live in Stanley; the service is co-ordinated from the main school site in Stanley.  Some children attend one of our 4 small settlement schools.  Others in more isolated settlements and farms are educated at home and have their educational requirements met through the combination of 2, 3 or 4 week visits from a travelling teacher, followed up with daily telephone lessons and homework for the remainder of the 6 week beat.  The telephone lesson system is in a transition phase, with the aim being to eventually use the internet for distance learning lessons.

Travelling teachers rotate round a ‘beat’ of up to three locations; the school-aged population of each location ranges between 1 and 4 pupils.  A single circuit of a ‘beat’ takes six weeks. Internal travel in the islands might include air transport provided by nine-seater Islander aircraft or ferry between East and West Falkland. Travelling teachers also drive themselves in 4x4 vehicles round their ‘beats’.  A travelling teacher works either in the home, or in a separate ‘school’ building.  The hours that the children are at school may vary occasionally and staff are flexible and fit in with the requirements of the farm/settlement.

Camp based staff travel to Stanley for training, workshops and some staff meetings.  The service retains accommodation in Stanley during these times.

Most children in Camp move to the main school in Stanley when they are 9 or 10 years of age and lodge in Stanley House, the boarding hostel.

The ethos of Stanley Infant Junior School and Camp Education is one of learning and enjoyment. Pupils enjoy going to a school where their educational attainment and welfare are uppermost in the minds of the Executive Headteacher, the Principal and staff.

Secondary Education

Falkland Islands Community School

The aim of the Falkland Islands Community School is that all our students are supported to reach their potential and leave as happy, curious and well-rounded individuals with the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need for the next stage in their lives. Our students are at the centre of all that we do as a school.

The school building was opened by Lord Shackleton in 1992. It includes specialist classrooms with interactive whiteboards.  These include two IT suites, three science laboratories and well resourced subject rooms for  Art, Music, Computing/ICT, Design technology and Food and Nutrition.

The school building is adjacent to the leisure centre and PE makes use of its facilities which include a 25 metre heated swimming pool, a sports hall and playing fields.

The Falkland Islands Community School is committed to developing the whole child and developing learners who:

• are resilient in their learning and willing to take a risk
• become increasingly aware of how they learn
• take responsibility for and are active in managing their own learning
• are able to set their own targets
• are confident about expressing their thinking and listen to and respect others’ ideas
• review their own and their peers’ progress and have a very good idea about improvement
• exploit skilfully the opportunities afforded by ICT to extend their knowledge and skills

The curriculum at FICS is designed to encourage a love of learning and be delivered by passionate teachers. At KS3 it is based broadly on the principle of the National Curriculum for England and it gives all students the opportunity to study a breadth of subjects while individual subjects will focus on a depth of learning that is relevant to our unique local, regional and global communities. It draws on the unique opportunities presented by the history and environment of the Falkland Islands.  The curriculum is knowledge rich and ambitious, but is accessible to all and builds on foundations laid at KS1 and KS2.  While we  are committed to preparing our students for GCSEs, the KS3 curriculum will not be driven by GCSE and each subject has a carefully developed rationale and topics are carefully sequenced to ensure knowledge is embedded.

At KS4 we offer a range of GCSES and IGCSE from a variety of examination boards: AQA, CIE, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC. Those students who meet the academic and residential criteria for Falkland Islands Government sponsorship are funded to complete A Levels or equivalent overseas. The school and the Education Department have very close links and a long standing partnership with Peter Symonds Sixth Form College in Winchester and Chichester College of Further Education and are developing links with other colleges.

An ever developing programme of Personal Health Social and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) augments the main curriculum with a number of external agencies contributing to its delivery: including the King Edward Memorial Hospital, Members of Legislative Assembly, the Police and the Social Services.

FICS is committed to providing students with opportunities to find and develop their interests and talents.  There are a variety of extra curricular activities available ranging from homework support to music groups to science club to sporting clubs.  There is also a strong Student Council.

The school has a vertical pastoral tutoring system with each pastoral tutor responsible for a small number of tutees from either KS3 or KS4. This allows older pupils to develop a nurturing and mentoring attitude towards their younger classmates.

Parents receive a number of written and data reports throughout the academic year and there are frequent opportunities to discuss their child’s progress with teachers in school both formally during official Parents’ Evenings and informally.

Falkland College

Falkland College provides a range of FE & HE courses, accredited through City & Guilds or High Field which are taught locally. 

These include Business Administration, Customer Service, Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools, Leadership & Management and Child Care. 

The College also assists people studying online courses, providing examination facilities, study help and access to computer and printing facilities.

A number of short taught courses are  also offered including Customer Service, Conflict Management and First Aid. 

These courses are free of charge to all Government Departments.  CPD on line courses can be accessed through Highspeed.

The new College building and refurbished workshops will open in 2020.  A range of evening classes are offered.  

Falkland College website is https://www.college.ac.fk/

Further Information:

Primary                                                          

Principal

Infant Junior School and Camp Education

Stanley

Falkland Islands

FIQQ 1ZZ

Tel:  +500 27294

E-mail: secretary@primary.ac.fk   

Secondary

Principal

Falkland Islands Community School

Stanley

Falkland Islands

FIQQ 1ZZ

Tel:  +500 27147

E-mail: secretary@secondary.ac.fk 

Training College

College Development Manager

Stanley

Falkland Islands

FIQQ 1ZZ

Tel: +500 27133

E-mail: ebrook@training.ac.fk

Department of Education

PO Box 586

Stanley

Falkland Islands

FIQQ 1ZZ 

Tel:  +500 27289

E-mail: lmcmullen@education.ac.fk

London Office

Falkland Islands Government Office,

14 Broadway

Westminster

London

SW1H 0BH

Tel:  020 7222 2542

Human Resources - Falkland Office

Human Resources Department

Cable Cottage

Stanley

Falkland Islands

FIQQ 1ZZ 

Tel: +500 27420

E-mail: recruitment@sec.gov.fk