SCHOOL'S out! Yet more importantly, Wednesday marked the end of the first school year since the implementation of major education reforms.

All public school students from Primary Six through the third year of high school were transferred to one of the five middle schools, causing a massive upheaval for education organisers.

But despite all the changes, students appear to have adjusted well to the new system.

On Tuesday, with the end of term just a day away, the Washington Street bus terminal bustled as usual with Middle School pupils excited at the prospect of the long summer holiday.

Students from Whitney Institute, Spice Valley and Dellwood middle schools autographed shirts and exchanged the daily gossip while waiting for connecting buses.

WHEN asked to sum up the school year the reaction was mixed. While some pupils gave their new teachers and the curriculum top marks, others complained of dull lessons.

"I liked the activities we did, like sewing, cadets, and careers,'' said Shanae Dill from Whitney.

The Department of Education has taken a more practical approach to teaching by introducing utilitarian subjects and activities.

"The school year went quickly and was exciting,'' said Shanae. "We got to meet new people and new teachers.'' "The work wasn't all that hard either,'' added her friend Raykeisha Burgess.

However, the remarks from male students were not quite as positive. "It was boring,'' said David Trott of Spice Valley Middle School.

"They (Government) don't put no fun in education,'' he added. "The teachers don't let us put no input into our education.'' But the year was saved from complete disaster. "We had a science fair and a math fair, which let us learn new stuff,'' David said.

Levi Perry from Dellwood Middle School said: "It was pretty fine -- I liked the teachers.'' MIDDLE schools were not exempt from the violence which plagued CedarBridge Academy this school year.

Serious incidents involving students late last year resulted in bad publicity for the new system.

One Dellwood student was hospitalised after a serious assault by a 15-year-old during school hours.

The assailant was suspended for five days.

PROBLEMS have resulted in solutions -- a violence prevention workshop was conducted at Dellwood Middle School in early November.

During that workshop students learned how to manage anger, stay away from street fights, resist gang pressure, and learned street smarts.

"There weren't no violence at Whitney -- there was a fight once in a blue moon,'' said Raykeisha.

"We ain't got no violence,'' echoed David when asked about the issue.

Shanae Dill of Whitney Institute Middle School David Trott of Spice Valley Middle School Dejon Simmons and Levi Perry of Dellwood Middle Raykeisha Burgess of Whitney Insitute Middle School.