Students eagerly entered Tea Gardens Public School as pupils for the very first time last Wednesday.

The new students seemed eager to start kindergarten, and although some were a little nervous, they still looked like they were busting to learn.

New students, Ben Woolard and Rex Shelton, were excited about their very first day of ‘big school’.

Ben said he was just “looking forward to everything” and Rex said he “couldn’t wait to learn things, like how to write more.”

Both four-year-old boys were proud to tell anyone who’d listen that they could already write their own names all by themselves!

Ben’s mum, Julie Woolard, said it is great living in a small town as Ben had gone through childcare and preschool in the area, so he already knew most of the children starting kindergarten.

Rex’s mum, Peta Shelton agreed, and said the fact that the teachers lived in the area also made the transition to ‘big school’ much easier.

“Because it is such a small place you see the teachers around town - down the street or at Bi-Lo doing their weekly shopping.

“We also had four orientation sessions before the children started kindy, so we got to know the teachers even better then,” she said.

Mrs Woolard said she was not too emotional about Ben’s first day of school, as she had gone through the process before, when he went through childcare and preschool.

Mrs Shelton however was well equipped with a packet of pocket tissues in her bag and a pair of big sunglasses just in case.

“It is exciting but it is also a bit daunting as it is the first major step in Rex’s life and he is officially not my little toddler anymore,” she said.

The State Government resolved a few years ago to reduce the size of kindergarten classes and it has now expanded this to the rest of the infant’s years.

An independent investigation of decreased class sizes found that it:

* increased one-on-one interaction between students and teachers;

* improved student outcomes;

* the majority of teachers reported increased job satisfaction and,

* the majority of parents reported being satisfied with their child’s level of progress in kindergarten.