St Michael’s Girls School

St Michael’s is a girls’ primary school founded in 1962 by the Mill Hill Fathers under the leadership of Sister Mary John. The Headmistress and her predecessors are from the congregation of the Little Sisters of St Francis. The school was Government-aided in 1967 (1 government teacher for every 70 approx pupils, and a Grant). The Grant is very small – approximately 70p per child per term resulting in a lack of the most basic essentials.

Uganda’s population is projected to double to 90 million by 2050. Educated girls in Uganda have, on average, 2.9 children as opposed to 6.5 children born to uneducated girls so the education of girls is vital for the development of the country.

At the heart of the work of REVS is a commitment to village girls empowering and supporting them so they can thrive - from 3 years old in Nursery right through to Vocational Skills Training all available close to home.

St. Michael’s welcomes all girls irrespective of religion or tribe. There are now over 600 girls at the school.

Offering quality education and school lunches at St Michael’s is a magnet and the school is full.

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  • The School Nurse and Matrons encourage the children to brush their teeth properly

  • A girl demonstrates at the Science Fair what she has learnt in class

  • Chess is very popular

  • The 4 Houses compete against each other on Sports Day - it does get very competitive

  • Nursery children quickly picked up what to do with connecting blocks

  • Playtime is really important - thank you to East African Playground for helping us with this funding

  • IT teaching on how to operate a computer is so important - plenty of fun games too

  • Pupils explaining to their parents the importance of having a First Aid Kit at home

We are so proud of what has been achieved at the school - the PLE Exam results are excellent - once again St Michael’s is the top performing school in Bugweri District.

We have already funded:-

  • Building Kitchens & funding School Lunches

  • Building & stocking Library and funding Librarian & Phonics Teacher

  • Building 4 bed Sick Bay and funding School Nurse

  • Malaria testing and treatment

  • Development of the School Gardens and Farm

  • Installing Solar Water Pump and Washrooms

  • School requirements for needy girls

  • Support for pupils and staff during Covid lockdowns

  • Get A Girl Back to School Appeal after Covid

  • Playground equipment

  • Funding Science Fairs

  • Solar etc

But of course defining success is so much more than what happens at the school - it is all about the girls many who have gone on to having successful careers. In 2018 Maria a St Michael’s girl represented Uganda at the East African Spelling Bee Final in Tanzania and in 2024 Faith won a National Mathematics Challenge at Makerere University. St Michael’s and REVS aims high and with brilliant phonics teaching and high levels of literacy and numeracy many girls have a really bright future.

The commitment of Friends of St Michael’s now RedEarth Village Schools is to continue to support this remarkable school where happiness, joy and love is in the air. Everything that we have learnt from our 15 years supporting St Michael’s will now help us as we scale up our work at other primary schools in Bugweri District.

  • Joanne, Florence and Resty - 2 qualified nurses and a qualified midwife. Old Girls of St Michael’s

  • Faith with Damascus St Michael’s Maths Teacher - Faith is the winner of the National Mathematics Challenge 2024

  • Jane Francis Head Girl is now in charge of a medical clinic in Kampala

  • Latifah got through to the National Spelling Bee Final in Kampala

Nursery School/Pre-Primary

The government wants Nursery/Pre-Primary education in all primary schools. There is no government funding to help and parents need to pay fees for three years. With little guidance, and training in Early Childhood Development in its infancy, this has brought many challenges.

The St. Michael’s Nursery opened in 2015 using the School Examination Hall. There are now over 150 children - but at the moment only four trained teachers. Resources are stretched and space is very limited. 

Very few of the parents manage to pay the full 45,000 UGX/term (£10) - parents try to pay little by little when they can. 

In 2023 we provided funding so that they could create educational resources from locally available materials. Long term the pre-primary wants to relocate to a dedicated site with more indoor and outdoor space for the children. We are looking for financial support to properly support ECD - which we know is so vital for a child’s development.

Orphans/Vulnerable girls

There are an increasing number of orphans and girls who have come from extreme poverty and some times neglect. The schools receives no money to help support these children, and is reliant on funds they receive from us and kind hearted Ugandans to pay for their uniforms, food and other basic items.

In 2011 we created a dedicated fund to support these children while they are at school. Some donors ask that their regular giving helps the headteachers to buy essentials for these children.

At St Michael’s some children, not just orphans, live at the school, St Michael’s is their home.