The Joint Select Committee on Education marked up teaching standards yesterday on a visit to one of the Island's middle schools.

Committee members toured Clearwater Middle School to see how recommendations from the 2007 Hopkins Report were being implemented.

Chairwoman Neletha Butterfield said: "The purpose of this visit was to get a hands-on approach from recommendation one of the David Hopkins Report, on quality of teaching and learning. "Clearwater was chosen by the committee and we were impressed with the classrooms, the content of learning, the extracurricular programmes, along with the success of those involved in football, the netball team and cross-country, winning just about every trophy.

"We also toured the school garden and the teacher stated that students continue to enrol in the gardening programme."

Ms Butterfield, Government MP for Pembroke West Central and a former Education Minister, added: "We were also impressed with the students learning Spanish, French, science and algebra. With this visit it also allowed us to get a real feel for the quality of learning and teaching. I am very optimistic that the students of Clearwater Middle School will continue to soar as eagles and fly high in their educational development."

Asked for specific examples of how the committee feels teaching standards have improved, Ms Butterfield said they will "be reviewed for comments in the final report with our findings".

The Joint Select Committee is a bipartisan Parliamentary committee whose role is to review the recommendations of Professor David Hopkins and how they are implemented in the nation's public schools.

Improving teaching and learning standards is at the core of the reform process, as recommended by the UK professor whose report described Bermuda's schools as "on the brink of meltdown".

Dr. Hopkins and his team visited all of Bermuda's public schools in March 2007.

Their 'Review of Public Education in Bermuda' claimed a quarter of lessons were taught inadequately, the curriculum was inconsistent, and principals were failing to ensure quality teaching. The report concluded that not one of the middle schools was better than 'satisfactory'; that two primary schools, one middle school and one senior school were 'inadequate' and only two schools both primary were 'outstanding'.

It did not identify the schools but recommended improving teaching across the board by bringing in external assessors, initiating staff performance reviews, and monitoring each pupil's progress.