Education in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Education in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha covers the schools and learning places on these three special islands. These islands are far away from each other in the Atlantic Ocean and each has its own way of teaching children.

Because the islands are small and far from big cities, schools there are different from many others. Children learn in small classrooms and often help each other because there are not many students in each class.

The islands work together with the United Kingdom to make sure children get good education, even though they live far from large towns or cities. Learning in these places helps children grow and understand their unique island homes.

Saint Helena

Education on Saint Helena is free and required for children aged five to 16. In the school year 2009–10, there were 230 students in primary school and 286 in secondary school. The island has three primary schools for children aged four to 11: Harford, Pilling, and St Paul's.

St Helena Secondary School provides education for students aged 11 to 18. The Education and Employment Directorate offers programs for students with special needs, vocational training, adult education, evening classes, and distance learning. The island also has a public library, the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere, which has been open since 1813, along with a mobile library service that visits rural areas weekly.

Saint Helena does not have tertiary education, but scholarships are available for students to study abroad. The St Helena Community College offers some vocational and professional education programs. The curriculum follows the English national curriculum, adapted for local use, and offers various qualifications including GCSEs, A/S and A2 levels, Level 3 Diplomas, and VRQ qualifications in subjects like Business Studies, English, Maths, and more.

Ascension Island

The only school on Ascension Island is Two Boats School.

Tristan da Cunha

Education on Tristan da Cunha is basic, with children attending school until they are 16. The main school is St. Mary's School, which welcomes children from ages 4 to 16. The original school building was set up during World War II, and the current school opened in 1975. It has five classrooms, a kitchen, a stage, a computer room, and a craft and science room. Students who wish to study after age 16 receive help from the Tristan da Cunha Association Education Trust Fund to continue their education in England and South Africa.

The Tristan Song Project started in 2010. It was a fun collaboration between St. Mary's School and music teachers in Britain, led by Tony Triggs. Students wrote poems, and Tony Triggs created music for them. In 2010, a book called Rockhopper Penguins and Other Songs was made, and it helped bring guitars to the school. In 2013, special stamps were made showing island instruments and songs about the island's volcano and animals. The project grew and is now known as the International Song Project.