The first days and weeks of school are always the hardest for the children and the teachers - in fact it is well known that missing the beginning of the school year can cause irreversible damage for students... It takes some time for both teacher and student to find their bearings and establish a routine. After a while, things will begin to run naturally but it is important to make pupils feel at home in the classroom at the very beginning of the year both in terms of the class environment and the contents of the programme.

?In line with the reforms of the education sector, refresher courses are being conducted in primary schools for the first couple of weeks to enable students to gain, after a long break, from the consolidation and reinforcement of learning in their transition to a higher standard.? So said the cabinet after its first meeting of the year last Friday. The concern is to provide the best possible conditions for pupils so that they succeed during the year. And this is particularly true for Standard I where the ministry has launched the official Bridging the Gap programme for that specific purpose (see inset).

It is true that, in view of the academically-oriented system of education at the moment, teachers may feel that they should not waste time going back over what pupils should already know and have mastered ? especially in classes where there are important exams at the end of the year as in Standard VI with the Certificate of Primary Education.

Making sure pupils have the basic skills to start the year is a must in order to give the same chances to the whole classroom.

However, making sure pupils have the basic skills to start the year and be successful is a must in order to give the same chances to the whole classroom. It is important for teachers to tell their pupils what is expected of them during the year and how they will work together to achieve the objectives set.

After two months with pupils completely cut off from the school environment, it is important that they are made to feel at ease and reminded of some basic knowledge to tackle the new year. This will definitely make pupils more confident, which is a key to success.

But making of the first days at school a success is not only a question of academic preparation. It involves the whole atmosphere in which the child will develop throughout the year. Building a relationship between teachers and pupils thus appears as one of the most important elements in creating a good classroom environment.

The mere fact that teachers memorise the names of their pupils quite rapidly ? a few days after the resumption of school ? might be an important sign for pupils, as each of them will feel that they have their importance in the eyes of the teacher. This might be the ?click? that will make the students more attentive and conscientious at school.

Moreover, the classroom environment can also play an important role in the way the child will relate to the school in the coming months. Creating a pleasant atmosphere full of pictures and colourful charts to encourage reading for instance will definitely stimulate pupils in the classroom.

The teacher is responsible for creating an environment within his or her classroom that enables every student to realise his/her full potential. With this in mind, the teacher must do everything possible to create a relationship based on confidence where pupils will feel perfectly comfortable about asking questions and participating actively in the learning process.

HELPING FIVE-YEAR OLDS TO BECOME ACTIVE LEARNERS !

The Bridging the Gap programme is specifically designed to make life easier for the Standard I child during the first weeks and months at school. It is seen as the ?smooth transition from pre-school to standard I? within a fun environment that corresponds to the child?s interests at that age. Providing ?all 5 year-old children with the tools to become active learners? is the main aim of this programme launched by the ministry in 2005. Teachers have been prepared during their holidays to respond to that aim. Workshops were organised in every educational zone to make sure all Standard I teachers were ready to meet the objectives set out by the ministry. These included ?ensuring an easy adaptation and adjustment to the new physical and social environment; developing competencies and skills through activities in a relaxed atmosphere; using knowledge as a vehicle for expression and movement to foster individuality; learning to be together and developing healthy relationships and making learning fun?. During the induction programme for teachers in December, Premilla Gukhool, the director of pre-primary and primary sectors at the ministry of Education, made it clear that the main problem until now has been the fact that the ?child loses his/her individuality because of a lack of accessibility and attention from the teacher?. So building a relationship based on trust might be the key. Group work is among the main methods used to achieve such objectives. For the director of curriculum, Santosh Kumar Mahadeo, ?Frontal teaching does not work and we have to promote sharing values in education?. This is what teachers must be striving for today during those first few days at school?