Prairie-style school offers memorable start

THE first day of term for Herm school was almost a washout. Heavy rain and high winds meant that several boats were cancelled and teacher Mary Carey only just managed to make the journey across from Guernsey.

It's customary to take a picture in the playground on the first day of school, but we had to wait until the first fine day, a whole week later.

This year there are eight children in the school, ranging from Reception age to Year 6. The youngest child, Ffion Dobson Jones, is only four, while the head girl, Morgan Jones, is almost 11. For the past few years there have been several children of the same age, so the range hasn't been quite so wide.

Mrs Carey has her hands full teaching the Key Stage 1 children the basics, while also getting the older children ready for their 11-plus exams. It seems a bonus that she has a background in teaching special needs children, so is able to tailor her teaching to each child's strengths and weaknesses, which is no mean feat.

Luckily, the school works in such a way that often the older children are able to help the younger ones in many ways without impairing their own progress. We've also found over the years that the younger children often emulate the older ones and work harder to try to catch up with them.

There are a lot of pros to this kind of group teaching and few cons from a parental point of view.

The children study to the current national curriculum, while also weaving in their unique environment wherever possible. It is a bonus, for example, to be able to go out and pick blackberries only minutes before a home economics class in which they make jam, making their ingredients exceptionally fresh and home-grown.

There is a lot to be said for this Little House on the Prairie-style school set-up. If nothing else, it gives them a unique and memorable start to their education that wouldn't be found elsewhere.