Les Beaucamps Year 10 students make the best of their old school building at the end of last term. (0606442)
FRUSTRATION is growing as it looks unlikely the States will decide its capital priorities until the spring.
It would mean a long wait for both Education’s plans for Les Beaucamps and Health and Social Services’ for mental health facilities. The debate was previously expected to have taken place in the autumn.
Education minister Carol Steere said a promise had been made in 2001 to develop the secondary schools when the States decided to keep the 11-plus.
Plans for redeveloping Les Beaucamps are ready to go, she said.
‘In my initial discussions with the chief minister there was an indication there were funds for Les Beaucamps and, quite possibly, for Health as well. I agreed to take on this job on the basis that we would be able to go to the States and get the OK to see through a major project,’ said Deputy Steere.
‘To now find myself in a situation where, although I haven’t heard officially, the indications are the prioritisation debate will be in the spring, which is a great concern. It was a priority in the last House and we’ve got to get our act together to get these things through.’
She said that the public were being patient.
‘But I think patience is running out,’ she said.
‘I’m a parent with a child at Les Beaucamps and I went there. It needs to be rebuilt. Parents with children at the school are starting to lose patience, as are parents at La Mare de Carteret.’
A lot of parents must now be considering the developments will not happen while their children are at the school, she said.
‘There will come a breaking point where they will say, “come on States, you made a pledge to us, you are leaving us behind. The Grammar School has got its facilities – that sector of society is looked after – and there is a new school in the north. What about us?”. I can understand that feeling.’
She recently visited La Mare to learn about the maintenance programme.
Deputy Steere said she was sure the head teacher of both that and Les Beaucamps would say the schools were not fit for purpose.
‘The buildings have come to the end of their life and we’re spending a lot of money maintaining them. It can’t go on – we really must invest in these schools.’
Article posted on 11th August, 2008 - 2.29pm
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