BADLY resourced though most primary schools are, the good news is that there are a number of exciting initiatives taking place at first level - all designed to make school a happier place for children and enable them to achieve their true potential.

Traditionally, maths has been the bane of many a child's schooldays. Children can struggle for years without really understanding the concepts behind what they are doing. Some students never manage to succeed at maths and are left with a lifelong sense of failure.

Three years ago, the 390-pupil junior school, Scoil Nano Nagle in Bawnogue, Clondalkin, Co Dublin, adopted a paired maths programme, which is designed to help children understand concepts and develop skills through mathematically-based games played at home with their parents.

"A lot of problems arise in maths because children don't have the language associated with maths problems - for example `more than' and `less than'. It's not that they can't understand the problem, it's simply that they don't understand the language," explains Fiona Carmody, who is the project Coordinator.

"Paired maths helps parents to help their children at home and enables the youngsters to explore maths in a fun way, without realising that they are learning."

The project was developed by the Kirklees Psychological Service, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and was researched for Scoil Nano Nagle by Sister Gemma Beggan, the school's home-school liaison teacher.

The project is aimed at the school's three senior infants' classes, where the children are aged between five and seven years. Parents arc invited to attend a workshop which is run by parent-tutors who explain the workings of the programme in detail. Parents borrow a play pack from the school library at least once each week. and familiarise themselves with the vocabulary to be used when playing the game and also in normal life when going shopping for instance so that the child becomes familiar with the language associated with shape (circles, curves. squares), size (bigger, smaller) and proximity (next to, beside), for example. Games are to be played for at least 10 minutes each evening and parents keep daily record sheets, which are monitored by teachers.

The benefits of the programme are enormous, says acting principal Mary Mullarkey. The children are thinking more, their problem solving has improved, they're more au fait with numbers and it's helping their language development, she says.

INITIALLY we ran it as a six-week project, but it's been so popular that we now run it for the whole year and hope to extend it to other classes."

"It's a brilliant programme," confirms mother-of-two, Orla O'Reilly Wall. "I never played games to the same extent with my children before. . . We've had great fun.

Meanwhile, in the Limerick suburb of Kileely, St Lelia's Primary School is more than just a national school - it's a learning centre for the whole community, according to school principal Ann Higgins.

"In addition to the junior school we have a pre-school, a creche, the `three o'clock school' and we offer morning and evening classes to adults. Last week the youngest person on the premises was three days old and the oldest, 84 years," she says.

The three o'clock school which takes place on three afternoons each week, caters for up to 14 four to eight-year-olds. Children come from a number of schools in the area and are referred by parent-teacher arrangement.

The children who come to paint, play, read, write and participate in sports are supervised by teachers from St Lelia's and by parents. "The programme includes social, creative and remedial education. It supplements their school work and improves their motivation " says Higgins. "Because the group is small the children receive a lot of individual attention."

Children who fall behind with their homework, fail to keep up in class and can become de-motivated. The North Clondalkin Homework Project is designed to assist second and third-class children from four primary schools in the Clondalkin area, who are experiencing difficulties in school. A total of 64 children (divided into two groups) participate in the project which is sponsored by South Dublin County Council, on two afternoons each week.

"When they arrive (at their local community centres) we give them something to eat and they sit in a circle and discuss their day," explains project co-ordinator Anne Troy. "Then they settle down to do their homework. There is one adult - employed on a community employment project - to every two children, so they get a lot of individual attention. When the children finish their homework they join in activities - educational games or sports. We encourage them to interact, learn through having fun and play, and to develop social skills," she says.

The feedback from the schools - St Peter's School, Neilstown, Archbishop Ryan National School, Balgaddy, St Bernadette's National School, Quarryvale and St Mary's National School, Rowlagh - is positive, Troy says.

"The children feel good about going to school because they no longer have any grief about failing to hand their homework in on time. And they're more communicative. They're getting the opportunity to speak and are losing their shyness.