News from the School

In advance of our annual Trustee visit, and the start of the 2026 Ugandan academic year, we are delighted to report very positive news from Uphill Junior School.

During 2025 the school applied for, and was awarded, PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) exam centre status. This means that that the P7 candidates are able to sit for the PLE exams in the comfort of their own school hall, and have the name of the school on their certificates. In the past the Uphill pupils took their exams at the local government primary school.

We are delighted to report 100% pass rate this year.  Two children achieved Division 1 passes, 12 achieved Division 2 passes and  1 was awarded a Division 3 pass. Division 1 and 2 grades confer eligibility for secondary school entry, if parents can find the money to pay the school fees.

Congratulations to all the pupils and teachers who worked so hard to prepare for the examinations, and especially to the 4 children who were helped to go to school by our Pupil Support Fund donors. You have given these youngsters a great opportunity.

Still smiling from individual PLE results news, you can imagine how excited we were when School Director Elius sent us scans from the local weekend newspaper. Uphill Junior School has been ranked as one of the 10 ten schools in Kabarole District,  an area which includes many rural schools and all the schools in Fort Portal city! Now that really is something to celebrate!

We know that Uphill pupils are rated highly by local secondary schools.

Some of the former pupils have returned to school over the holiday period to work as trainers in the Summer Skills Training programme, and Elius has shared news their successes.

These three girls attend Nyakusura School, the top ranking private secondary school in Fort Portal, where they continue to excel. The young man attends a local secondary school and regularly returns to Uphill to pass on his tailoring skills, having excelled in this since he the sewing machines arrived in school when he was in P4.

Other former pupils are making their mark at Ibanda Girls School, Alliance School in Ibanda and Kyebambe Girls School in Fort Portal – all top performing secondary schools.

The Summer Skills Programme will run up to the start of the new term. Liddy is particularly pleased to see her old knitting machine being used in the new vocational classroom!  Vocational skills will continue to be an extracurricular activity at Uphill in 2026 and beyond, making use of the new building and equipment that has been provided for this purpose.

Tags: former pupils of uphill junior school, PLE success, summer skills training workshop, Uphill Junior School