PREMIER Alex Scott is going to Wonderland next week ? but he will not see the Mad Hatter, only students of Purvis Primary School.

Wonderland is the name given to a "microsociety" in which all students have their own role to play.

Every Thursday afternoon for the past five months at Purvis, the children have become citizens of Wonderland by donning their red coats.

Next Thursday, the Premier, along with Ministry of Education officials and other dignitaries, will pay a visit.

They will attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a buffet lunch and be entertained with songs from the children.

The concept of microsociety as a teaching tool was developed in the 1970s by American George Richmond. It is now practised in around 200 school districts world-wide.

At Purvis, each student has their own job in one of 13 ventures.

The school principal, Roseclaire Bulgin, said the experience helped the children to work together, respect each other and to develop the skills they will later need in the world of work.

The Wonderland project has received support from the business community as well as many volunteer parents.