THE new St Sampson’s High and Le Murier schools will be ‘future-proofed’ to last at least 50 years. At a ceremony to mark the Baubigny Road project’s halfway stage, Education minister Martin Ozanne said that the construction had been built to last, unlike earlier schools which had had been designed to last for only 25 years.

‘The whole site has been developed so it is flexible and so it can adjust for changing educational methods,’ said Deputy Ozanne.

He added that the project had been a ‘roller-coaster ride’ since his involvement with it had begun back in 2002.

‘It’s a milestone in the future of Guernsey.

‘And we’ve learned a great deal.

He said it was vital that the project – which at £45m. he said was the biggest contract the department had ever undertaken – was carried out properly.

The new schools will replace St Sampson’s Secondary and Oakvale special needs school.

‘The development is going extremely well,’ said project director Peter Gregory, of contractor R. G. Falla. Chairman Andy Hall said that issues had been tackled and resolved before they had become problems.

Although Education said that the project was so far on time and on budget, it was initially planned for the two schools to running by next month.

In July, a spokesman said that final approval to appoint the contractor had been received only in June 2006 and that meant a different completion date was announced – meaning that construction could begin only in July last year.

As a result, the earliest any pupils will move to St Sampson’s High will be Easter 2009 – with current Year 5s being educated from September 2008 to July 2009 as part of St Sampson’s High community at St Peter Port School, which Education has termed the St Peter Port site annexe, along with that school’s Years 9 and 11 pupils (current 7 and 9).

St Sampson’s head Hazel Tetlaw – who will become St Sampson’s High head teacher – said that the transfer of students from St Sampson’s Secondary to the new school site would be as smooth as staff could make it.

‘But inevitably you can’t have change like this without some disruption,’ she added.