A number of local parents and Government officials have been meeting with a representative from a school for troubled teens in Vermont over the past three days.

Patrick Ramsay of Bennington School Inc. flew to the Island on Wednesday in order to attend a conference on how brain functions affect behaviour being held at Hamilton Princess this weekend.

He told The Royal Gazette there is a strong possibility Bermudians may be placed in the the school's 12 to 18 month programme next year.

"We've had a very solid response here this week," Mr. Ramsay said. "Folks have been real receptive to what our programme is and what it offers."

Bennington School and five other similar institutions in the United States displayed materials at the conference which was co-organised by Bermuda's Benedict Associates and the Chamberlain School of Massachusetts.

Bennington also ran an advert on the school locally to encourage interested parties to book interview sessions on Thursday and Friday.

Most of the parents who've been meeting with Mr. Ramsay are concerned with their children's behavioural issues.

"The kids simply aren't succeeding in a (traditional) school system," he said. "Some are unmanageable and need more structure on a round the clock basis."

Children that find themselves at Bennington come from an array of backgrounds - some are court- or hospital-referred, others may have been identified as risks to their communities, while others are placed in the school by their parents.

"The students have a multitude of problems and issues," Mr. Ramsay said.

Bennington accepts students with both emotional and social problems and those who are mildly disabled.

Many are also dealing with histories of abuse, he added.

"The real common denominator is that the kids are making poor choices," he said. "We try to put them in a structured environment where they can learn to make better choices.

In contrast to crowded classrooms, Bennington has a four-to-one student-teacher ratio, he said.

And while the school deals with extremely problematic children, it maintains an `open' setting.

"We don't lock them up," Mr. Ramsay said. "We rely on the close student-staff interaction to keep them at the school."

The students - the school has separate programmes for both girls and boys - are given both academic training and psychiatric and psychological services but also participate in adventure activities and sports including rafting and rock-climbing.

"We want to build up their self-esteem and help them make better choices," Mr. Ramsay said. "In every activity there is a member of staff with them participating in the activity not just monitoring."

The entering Bennington student is between ten and 15 years old and the bulk of the students are sponsored by government agencies, Mr. Ramsay said.

Their IQ and functional range can be from borderline to average but all have been failing in a traditional school setting.

The school takes 65 new students every year, he said, and on average 60 graduate the programme.

Many go on to college or to employment. "A success story can be someone who does not find himself back in the court system," Mr. Ramsay said. "Someone who is making good, safe choices for himself.

"With girls we work particularly on self-esteem issues and try to ensure when they leave they will not engage in high risk behaviours."