A quiet Saturday morning in Mapou. All that can be heard is the joyful shouting of the International Preparatory School (IPS) children. Tots from the nursery to those in Class 7 are running all over the playground for the treasure hunt or other games. Former pupils are also there, playing a football match on the ground usually devoted to the physical education classes. On the small lawn in front of the administrative building, the Coco Beach staff is busy cooking the barbecue lunch. The reason for all this animation: IPS is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary.

The warm atmosphere seems to reflect perfectly the usual ambiance at school. The children are unanimous: they love their school. And it seems the teachers feel exactly the same. In a small room in the administrative building, a retrospective slide show is on and the teachers present are all watching the highlights of the school with nostalgic eyes. They seem to recognise each pupil, those still there and even those who have left for Bocage or Northfields.

IPS was created in 1989 by Eda Coombes, who is still the head of the school. It was the result of a very simple feeling: she realised that English-speaking children had problems following classes at the Ecole du Nord where many of them had enrolled. She thus decided to found this private primary school ?to meet the needs of the many English-speaking expatriates and Mauritians.?

<B>Good atmosphere and curriculum</B>

The idea turned out to be a success. For next year, classes will have more than 25 pupils. ?We have had to refuse some enrolments because the classes would be too big, which would not allow each pupil to have special attention from teachers?, the administrative secretary, Dominique Gallet, explains. They actually have only one section of each class level so they cannot accommodate many pupils.

The general philosophy and the positive atmosphere could explain the success of the school. Teachers seem passionate about their profession; they have warm and responsive relationships with pupils. One mother humourously confesses, ?I think the children prefer their teachers to us. Teachers have much patience and are very friendly with them.? Parents are in fact satisfied with the standard of the school: ?We are not merely satisfied with the school ; we are very happy with it.? Most pupils have at least one English-speaking member in their family and are more at ease speaking English than French.

According to Dominique Gallet, the parents also play a great role in the good running of the school. ?Parents, especially mothers who do not work, are very often available and the school can really count on their support. Moreover, as many are foreigners, they have experienced different life styles and the school is very happy to benefit from all these different experiences.?

The curriculum is also very attractive. ?The carefully structured and balanced curriculum generally follows the British National Curriculum with all subjects in key stages one and two being covered (?) It covers the following subjects : English, Mathematics, Science, Social and Environmental Studies, Information Technology, French, Drama, Art, Music and Physical Education.?

This may well explain the very happy memories that Nicole, a thirteen-year-old girl from the Bocage, has kept in mind. ?My best memories are the ones I have of my childhood friends when we played in the small field. There were not many classes at the time. There are many more now.? Moreover, even if she likes the Bocage very much, she admits, ?I miss the IPS very much. If I had a chance to go back to those years, I?d really love it.?