The work of the classroom.
A Nigerian curriculum taught with rigour, taken further by international qualifications.
The approach
We teach the boys to think for themselves.
The classroom at Whitesands is not a place to memorise. It is a place to argue, to question, to test ideas, and to be tested. The boys are expected to do the work, and the staff are expected to make that work matter.
We follow the Nigerian National Curriculum across all year groups. From SS1 onward we add Cambridge IGCSE papers for the boys who will sit them, and we prepare interested seniors for GCE and SAT in parallel. The same teachers carry the boys through both.
The curriculum
Five qualifications. One syllabus.
The core programme is the Nigerian National Curriculum. The international papers are added on top for the boys who will use them.
BECE
Basic Education Certificate Examination
Sat at the end of Junior Secondary (JS3). The national gateway between junior and senior school.
SSCE
Senior School Certificate Examination
The WAEC and NECO papers sat in Senior Secondary (SS3). The standard Nigerian school-leaving qualification.
IGCSE
International General Certificate of Secondary Education
The Cambridge qualification sat alongside SSCE. Recognised globally and required by many international universities.
GCE
General Certificate of Education
The West African GCE papers sat by senior boys preparing for university entry in Nigeria and abroad.
SAT
Scholastic Assessment Test
Prepared for and sat at the school for boys applying to universities in the United States.
Subjects offered
From basic science to further maths.
Junior School (JS1 – JS3)
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Basic Science
- Basic Technology
- Computer Studies
- French
- Christian Religious Studies
- Civic Education
- Social Studies
- Yoruba
- Physical & Health Education
- Music
- Creative Arts
- Cultural & Creative Arts
- Business Studies
- Agricultural Science
Senior School (SS1 – SS3)
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Further Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Geography
- Economics
- Government
- Literature in English
- History
- Christian Religious Studies
- Computer Studies
- French
- Accounting
- Commerce
- Agricultural Science
- Technical Drawing
- Visual Arts
- Music
Senior elective
Philosophical Anthropology.
A senior elective on the nature of the human person, drawing on the Catholic intellectual tradition. The course gives the boys a vocabulary for the formation they have already been living through, and a serious framework for the questions that will meet them at university.
Timetable and calendar
A day, a term, a year.
The rhythm of the year is steady on purpose. Boys, parents, and staff know what to expect, and when.
- Term length
- Three terms a year
- School day
- Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 3:30pm
- Clubs and prep
- After school until 5:30pm
- Mass
- Weekly, with the whole school