Dress checks in full effect

by PHILLIPPE AIMEY

DESPITE THE WARNINGS, some students turned up at the Garrison Secondary School yesterday wearing short skirts, baggy pants, short socks, inappropriate hairstyles or excessive jewellery.

For ignoring the national dress code, the offenders were given suspension notices to take home.

Principal Matthew Farley told the DAILY NATION: "We have prepared a note which those persons that are in breach will receive. That note will indicate what is the breach and what the consequences are.

"In most cases that will include suspension for a specified period or as soon as the breach can be corrected. If the matter is fixed overnight, the student could return."

Farley said there was a significant improvement by the students, but reiterated that he would not compromise the standard for a few.

In an interview, Farley spoke sternly about the importance of parental support in enforcing the rules and also in making sure their children succeeded academically.

"We get support from parents but I think across the system, not only here, there is a scarcity of support when it comes to PTA presence. Most schools for the most part see 50 or 60 parents attending out of a school population of 1 000.

Supportive parents

"Research has shown that the children of parents who are really involved and are supportive of the school are the ones who excel no matter what school they attend and Barbados needs to work on this situation seriously," Farley said.

The school also welcomed 180 new students and Farley said he was pleased that the first form students came with a full understanding of what was expected in terms of dress code and more importantly behaviour.

He also highlighted the benefit of the Preparing New Students For Transition programme and said it was mainly that which helped them to settle quickly.

"What really helped our first form students was a two-day exercise organised between ourselves and the Barbados Light & Power last week, and that helped them to settle faster and get rid of those first day nerves."

In relation to his students taking full advantage of Government's free bus rides, Farley said that traditionally, students of the school had to rely on the Transport Board and much had not changed.

"About 90 per cent of our students have always depended on the Transport Board. We have about six to eight buses that service our school daily, bring students from as far as St Philip. So the free fares can only improve the situation and create a financial ease for some of them," he said.