Cupper Drive # 2 | Cul de Sac | Sint Maarten
Caring, Learning, Achieving, Excelling
About Us
St. Maarten Academy has been a leader in vocational education. In 1999, it launched its vocational sector, known as St. Maarten Academy BVO (Beroeps Voorbereidend Onderwijs). However, in 2002, the school underwent an educational reform and is called St. Maarten Academy Preparatory Secondary Vocational Education (P.S.V.E.). As off October, 2024, the school has entered a new phase in its evolution and has been rebranded as St. Maarten Academy Vocational Business Campus (VBC).
The changes were aimed at helping students adapt academically, socially, economically, culturally, and politically to prepare them for society. The school focuses on providing students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the real world. The Basic Secondary Education Program (BSE or BAVO) is offered to students in the first two years, including a comprehensive curriculum of 14 subjects.
After BSE, students move on to PSVE or VSBO in Form 3 for a two-year program and take an external examination (ETE - Expertisecentrum voor. Toetsen & Examens) at the end of Form 4. The vocational sector specializes in the "Administration and Commerce" sector program within the Economy sector program. Students can choose between two streams: Praktische Basisgerichte Leerweg (PBL) or Practical Basic Level (PBL) and Praktische Kadergerichte Leerweg (PKL) or Practical Oriented Learning Path (PKL). The Academy's vocational education is designed to prepare students with the skills and competencies needed to thrive in today's rapidly changing job market.
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​St. Maarten Academy VBC (formally known as PSVE) aims to successfully launch an English-translated stream for Theoretisch Kadergerichte Leerweg (T.K.L)—exams, specifically in Administration and Commerce, Economics, French, Mathematics, and Spanish.
St. Maarten Academy VBC
Vision Statement
The Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE) aims to provide and inspire a caring and stimulating learning environment where students of varying abilities thrive and excel vocationally, academically, socially, cooperatively, and individually, seeking to maximize their learning potential to meet the challenges and expectations of tertiary and higher education and/or the workforce.
Mission Statement
The mission of the St. Maarten Academy VBC is to empower and equip each student with a foundation in academic, technical, and life skills necessary to become a productive, contributing member of society.
Philosophy
Inspiring Excellence: We Create Achieve Respect Excel
At our core, St. Maarten Academy PSVE firmly believes in inspiring excellence. We are dedicated to continuously providing opportunities for achievement and expect nothing less than respect and excellence from ourselves and our students.
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LOOKING BACK FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE IN THE YEAR 2016-2022
When considering past events from a historical perspective, reflecting on their context and circumstances is essential. By examining the factors that contributed to these events, we can gain a deeper understanding of the past and use this knowledge to inform our decisions in the present and future. Through this process of reflection and analysis, we can learn from the mistakes and successes of those who came before us and continue progressing as a society.
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It is essential to note that under the leadership of the former principal, Mrs. Lavern Nelson.
Students who attend St. Maarten Academy VBC are enrolled in the Basic Secondary Education Program (BSE or BAVO) for the first two years. This program offers 14 subjects, with the CXC's CCSLC curriculum including five subject areas: English, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Social Studies, French, and Spanish. Once they complete the BSE level, students can enroll in one or more PSVE schools on the island. The sector program offered at St. Maarten Academy VBC is Economy, specializing in "Administration and Commerce". Students at the PSVE level have two academic tracks available, namely the Practical (PKL) and Practical Basic Level (PBL).
During the academic year 2016-2017, our school aimed to adopt CXC's Vocational Qualifications program that focuses on developing competencies. The new educational program was designed to enable students in Form 1 and 2 to complete the CCSLC qualification structure from CXC. At the Form 3-5 levels, students were intended to complete CXC's CVQs Level 1, while Form 6 students were expected to complete CVQ Level 2.
Starting from January 8th, 2018, the school launched a pilot program for CCSLC with all Form 1 students (93) and one accelerated second Form class of twenty-four (24) students, out of which twenty-two (22) completed the year. The pilot program covered two core CCSLC subjects, Mathematics, and English. By the 2017-2018 academic year, the school successfully implemented the CCSLC pilot program.
Out of the original twenty-two (22) students, eleven (11) were transferred to the Academic Campus and one (1) was transferred to the Sundial School. The remaining thirteen (13) students continued with the CCSLC pilot program at the Form 3 level. The Minister of Education, the Honorable Wycliffe Smith, approved the implementation of this program at the St. Maarten Academy PSVE on August 14, 2018.
By August 2020, thirteen (13) students in the accelerated class were permitted to take the English and Mathematics CCSLC examinations. The school achieved a 100% pass rate, a historic achievement for this program. Furthermore, two students from this group secured places on the regional merit list for Mathematics.
It is important to note that the CVQ program is still pending due to the need for significant institutional support from the government and other stakeholders, including the re-activation of ROA. The Board's intentions regarding this program are yet to be determined.
