A happy Archbishop Barbara Burke said yesterday that five pupils from the St Barbara's Spiritual Shouter Baptist Primary School created history when they wrote the creative component of the 2013 Secondary Entry Assessment (SEA) examinations last Thursday.

"This is the first time that any of our children sit the exam, and I am very happy. I am hopeful that they will do well," she said.

The school, which is named after its founder Archbishop Burke, is located along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, Maloney and was officially opened on March 30, 2011 by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

At present some 130 pupils attend the primary school, but it has the capacity to accommodate 250 pupils, ranging from First Year to Standard Five.

And while up too late last year, there was limited staff and no principal on board, Archbishop Burke confirmed that there are now six teachers on staff and a principal is in place.

"We still need two more teachers but I am certain that will come in due course.

"We also have a computer room and as time passes, more pupils will enrol in the school," she said.

The Spiritual Shouter Baptist community had waited for 14 years before the People's Partnership government decided to allocate lands to the group to build a primary school at Maloney.

Archbishop Burke is a member of the United National Congress and sometimes serves as a Government Senator.

She told the Sunday Express yesterday that plans are on for the community to build a secondary school, following a promise by Persad-Bissessar two years ago.

"Yes, we are seeing about plans for that," Burke said, adding that she was also busy with planning this year's Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day celebrations on March 30.

Since the building of the school at a cost of $28.3 million by Super Industrial Services (SIS) a walkover has also been constructed for pupils to have easy and safe access to the school.

Communications specialist at the Ministry of Education Alicia Busby yesterday said intake into the school is expected to be higher when the new school term starts in September, and the staffing requirements will be brought in line with this.