![](https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Welfare-Dept-and-Common-Entrance-students.jpg)
Chief Welfare Officer, Deborah Norville (centre) and staff of the Welfare Department pose with some of the recipients of the Common Entrance kits. (GP)
The Welfare Department has stepped up to offer assistance to over 100 students who will be writing this year’s Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Exam, commonly referred to as the 11-Plus examination.
Chief Welfare Officer, Deborah Norville, presented 24 students recently with ‘Common Entrance kits’, comprising a clipboard, two pencils, one eraser, one sharpener and a drawstring bag, engraved with the department’s insignia.
Ms. Norville explained that the students were just a few of the over 100 who had been earmarked from the zones within the St. Michael catchment area as beneficiaries. She said she hoped the outreach, which was held at the Department’s Weymouth Office, would become an annual event.
“As social workers, we have a vested interest in the education of our young people and want to ensure that they are armed with the tools for success,” she stated, as she wished the children success in the examination.
Deputy Chief Welfare Officer, Cheryl Holder, was also in attendance, as well as Senior Welfare Officer, Pauline Miller, who encouraged the students to “always give of their best”. The students were also given the opportunity to speak about their future goals and dreams.
The parents who attended the session also got the opportunity to discuss their fears and anxieties, with one parent expressing gratitude to the department for hosting the event and providing the necessary items for the children.