Nearly half of CedarBridge Academy's students are functioning below the required level.

Principal Ernest Payette revealed this during an interview with The Royal Gazette on the last day of CedarBridge's first school term.

"When you have 17-year-olds functioning at a grade nine level, there has to be concern,'' he said.

Fifty percent of the student population had literacy skills below the Bermuda Secondary School Certificate (BSSC) graduating level, he noted.

And he admitted that he did not believe planned modifications to the BSSC programme would help.

"The current BSSC programme is totally inappropriate for these young people,'' Mr. Payette said. "This population needs programmes to deal with low literacy skills.'' Programmes similar to Skills for Action -- which places emphasis on conflict resolution, self-discipline, self-appreciation and community appreciation -- a separate reading programme, and "something to bridge the gap'' between CedarBridge and the Bermuda College was needed, he added.

"We're looking into setting up a reading programme that will help such students develop their reading skills,'' he said. "We've reorganised the roles of some teachers. We have one learning support teacher (Marjie Jarvis) in a full-time position of establishing suitable programmes.

"Other programmes are in place, but we need support. We have to get proper resources.'' Mr. Payette declined to speculate about why some students were well below their expected literacy level. But he said it was obvious that for some it was not a lack of ability.

"It will take three to five years of a concerted effort to bring many of these young people up to an appropriate literacy level,'' he added. "I've spoken to the Minister and Permanent Secretary about specifically what we need.

"We have to accept the fact that we need something to bridge the gap between CedarBridge and the Bermuda College.'' However, Mr. Payette added that there was a nucleus of very gifted students at CedarBridge.

And he said if the middle and senior schools were successful, perhaps in ten years there will be no need for a special programme to help students from CedarBridge to reach the required college-entry level.

Education Minister Jerome Dill could not be reached for comment.