St George Primary School head boy Tyriq Goddard – ranked tenth in the 2026 Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination – is headed to Queen’s College.
But his mother, Karen Goddard, said his journey to high school was built not on extra lessons or last-minute cramming, but years of steady academic achievement and involvement in school activities.
Her son maintained the same disciplined approach throughout primary school and did not require any drastic changes to prepare for the exam, she said.
“Tyriq… from Class One, he was always a very diligent child. I didn’t put him in anything extra in terms of lessons. He would have just gone to school, paid attention in class, came home, did his homework, done any assignments that he needed to do, and that was basically it.”
Confident in the work he had already put in, she said exam day was more exciting than nerve-racking.
“I always had confidence that Tyriq would have done well because he has been doing well throughout his school life. I know that the outcome would not have been anything too far away from what he has been doing all along.”
That confidence was rewarded when the 11-year-old secured a place at Queen’s College, his first choice school.
According to his mother, the decision was entirely his own:
“He looked at the booklet with the schools and what all of them offered. He browsed through the booklet and saw what each of the schools had to offer and which one resonated best with him,” she said. “It was more his decision rather than me putting something on him… even in terms of the sixth form, he even looked at that.”
Queen’s College appealed to him because it offered both strong academics and opportunities in his favourite sports, said Tyriq.
“The sports. There was volleyball and basketball, which are my two favourite sports.”
He added that while having cousins already attending the school was a bonus, “overall, the education” was what excited him most.
Unlike many students who approach the examination with anxiety, Tyriq said he remained calm: “I didn’t really feel anxious or excited. I just felt like I made it.”
When the results arrived, however, the emotions quickly changed.
“At first I had to let it process. It was a lot,” he said. “Then after I just smiled and I was rejoicing and celebrating and everything.”
Asked about his first reaction to learning he had earned a place at Queen’s College, he said: “I ran up and down the house and screamed, telling everybody.”
The family marked the achievement with a celebratory dinner that same evening.
“As soon as we found out, we took him to dinner that night and did a celebration there,” mum Karen Goddard said.
His success comes as no surprise to those who know him. In addition to serving as head boy, Tyriq has consistently excelled in academics and extracurricular activities. His mother noted that he placed first in an inter-primary school diabetes competition, won a board prize at a recent chess tournament after claiming victory in all five of his matches, finished fourth in a mental mathematics competition and placed first in the Lions language arts competition.
“He has consistently, he has always been consistently doing well,” she said, while also praising the support he received from St George Primary’s staff. “The teachers at the school, they’re very good and supportive. I must commend them as well.”
As he prepares to begin secondary school in September, Tyriq said he will miss aspects of life at St George Primary but is looking forward to the next chapter.
“I had some good times there,” he said. “Some of my friends are coming to Queen’s College with me.”
While he acknowledged it would be disappointing not seeing some classmates as often, he added that he intends to stay connected and return to visit.
“The teachers and the principals and the helpers, I would always come back to school and see them. So it’s not really devastating to me. I’m so happy I made the most of them.”
His mother said: “A number of these children have been consistently doing well and the results at the end of the day really show, they show.”
(LE)
The post St George Primary Head Boy, in 11-plus top ten, earns QC place appeared first on Barbados Today.
