A new school for disruptive students is set to open this year.

The Royal Gazette can reveal that child rights activist Sheelagh Cooper will launch a new alternative school programme designed to help wayward students get back on track.

Mrs. Cooper was to meet with Premier Jennifer Smith yesterday to discuss the programme and she declined to disclose details.

But The Royal Gazette understands the programme will be launched in September at the Coalition for the Protection of Children's new site on Mount Hill Road, in Pembroke.

To be known as Fresh Start, the programme will allow students who cannot function in the regular school setting to receive academic and psychological assistance.

"This is a programme that begins, not by assessing the problems a child has, but by assessing and building on their strengths,'' she said. Students will be referred by schools.

Mrs. Cooper said one of the most important components of the programme was a method called Heart Math, which monitors a student's biofeedback responses to learning and social interaction, she explained: "Many of these children are in high stress situations.

"We teach a variety of techniques to the students in order to bring them back into the mainstream.'' Heart Math -- a new stress-management technique that originated in California but has been adopted by well-known companies such as Shell, Hewlett Packard and Motorola -- uses positive feelings engendered by happy memories and specially composed music to physically change heart rhythm and improve physical and mental health.

Heart Math maintains that the emotional state affects the quality of communication between the brain and heart which, in turn, determines how well the brain and the immune system work.

Advocates say the benefits are twofold -- clearer thinking and better health.

Fresh Start -- which includes staff of psychologists, social workers, and resolution anger management specialists -- is expected to cost $140,000 a year to run.

And Mrs. Cooper is hoping that the private sector will be generous with its financial support.

"I am looking to the private sector to provide matching funds for this programme,'' she said.

"I'd like to see the corporations buy into this paradigm shift. It is taking a whole new look at an old problem and bringing much more to bear than looking at rehashing old methods.'' Last April, the former Government opened at Warwick Camp the Centre for Adolescent Development, Education and Training for disruptive students. But with just the capacity to take in 21 students it was not deemed sufficient for a school system of more than 7,000 students.