ITS high-tech equipment may not be in place yet, but Beacon Primary is off to a bright start with a roster of highly qualified teachers.

The 'Future School' which is spearheading the use of technology in lessons, welcomed its pioneer batch of 240 Primary 1 pupils when the new school year opened on Wednesday.

Eight in 10 of its 23 teaching staff have a degree, compared with 50 per cent in the average primary school.

Out of those with a basic degree, 20 per cent have a master's and another 20 per cent are pursuing master's degrees, said principal, Ms Lim Boon Cheng, 50.

But Ms Lim emphasised that the eachers were recruited not just for their qualifications but for their passion, comfort level with technology and creativity.

'You must like to innovate. We are talking innovative curriculum,' she said.

The school's teachers range in age from the late 20s to 50.

Among them are Mr Koh Cher Hern, 42, a past winner of the prestigious President's Award For Teachers, and Madam Teo Geok Hiok, 47, a former Chinese Language teacher at Victoria Junior College (VJC).

At VJC, she gave students access to web-based exercises and games. She is keen to do the same for her younger charges at Beacon.

'It's a bit like in JC. We hope to get them to be responsible for their own learning from primary school,' she said.

Being responsible for themselves, was a point which Ms Lim sought to bring across to the 240 pupils in Beacon's pioneer batch on Wednesday.

'The first rule at Beacon is to take care of yourself so that you won't do anything to hurt yourself or others,' she told the pupils and parents who were invited to witness their children's first day at school.

Earlier on, parents cheered and snapped pictures as their children filed into the school hall in pairs, class by class.

'Thank you parents. I'm sure the children felt like superstars walking down the red carpet,' quipped teacher Fadilah Saban, and master of ceremony for the day.

Donation cans were also placed in the canteen to encourage the pupils to donate some of their pocket money to The Straits Times Pocket Money Fund.

Beacon was one of six new primary schools which welcomed their pioneer pupils on Wednesday. The others were Anchor Green, Endeavour, Greendale, Innova, North Vista Primary School.

About 40,000 children started Primary 1 this year at 179 primary schools across the island.

Among those who turned up at Beacon were fathers who took time off work to accompany their children.

One of them was property officer Anson Tan, 37, who took leave to take his daughter Belinda to school.

'Education is very important. I wanted to give her confidence as she?s new to the school,' he said.