Policy Council wants St Andrew’s school closed
Friday 9th January 2009, 2:30PM GMT.
SEVEN ministers want St Andrew’s Primary School closed, it emerged today.
The Policy Council’s opposition to the school remaining open coincided with Education releasing its report detailing why it wants to save the school but close St Sampson’s Infants.
The issue goes to the States at the end of the month and Education minister Carol Steere said it would be ‘interesting’ to see to what extent the House would be guided by the council.
‘That all depends on how seriously they take Policy Council’s view – they may be guided by it,’ she said. ‘From my point of view, if we are acting corporately, thinking sensibly about financial implications, I’m not surprised the majority of the Policy Council have decided to vote in that particular fashion.’
This will be one of the first tests of the States’ resolve to curb spending, she said.
‘It will be interesting to see whether the States has the stomach for it, because this is such an emotive issue, whether the States will do what is best particularly in a time of huge financial constraint.’
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Im not sure what the point is of trying to close both of these wonderful schools. They keep on going on about numbers being down 400 pupils but yet the birth rate for the last 10 years has been fairly stable with minimal ups and downs the last 2 years certainly havent been low birth rate years. Which schools are supposed to house St Andrews students no-one will be able to walk to school. St Sampsons children wont be able to walk to school and there is no parking available at the Vale as it is. Are Education then going to make Enviroment spend money by creating further parking and traffic flow being changed. Also why should St Sampsons children be taught in huts!!!!!
There has already been the development of Courtil de Fontaine in the Vale which is bound to increase numbers at the school without the extra intake of St Sampsons. Seeing as Education have only guaranteed the current reception places there it will mean they will change parish boundaries which will then affect Capelles and Amherst.Young children should be taught in small environments not huge establishments. Small schools thrive and do provide a full curriculum.
at the moment children in these schools are treated as individuals, larger schools however they try can not provide a close relationship with students/parents etc as they simply would not have the time. What are we going to end up with super schools in the island with hundreds of pupils where they are just a number and not an individual. Surely we can save money in other ares and keep the schools open.
Both schools deserve the full support of their surrounding communities and the Island as its going to affect alot more people than those who are currently at these schools.
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I can’t help feeling that closing the small primary schools, could well be a false economy. The way our community develops over the coming years, is largely dependent on how we raise, educate and nurture our children. I can’t believe that putting young children in large schools, not in their parish, will achieve the best results. The smaller and more personal that schools are, the more likely problems are to be picked up at an early stage thus avoiding many of the difficulties that can lead to anti-social behavior later.
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Once these schools are closed it will be forever and there will be no going back. I know its a highly emotive issue but come on States members is it really worth saving £750k when consultancy reports are drawn up all the time at a cost to the taxpayer. Think of these children they are the future of this island cost should not be an issue when closing these wonderful schools. I urge you to visit these schools and see the children that your decision will affect.
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I hope the decision is made objectively and not on sentiment alone. I have seen little objective evidence to suggest that closing St Andrews school will do much more than upset some people whose only weapon is to use emotional rhetoric and scaremongering to sway opinions, rather than hard facts.
Rosie – suggesting that closing the school will fuel anti-social behaviour is wide of the mark. Good social behaviour is taught primarily in the home, not the school – evidenced by many children in the developing world. I have been to Africa and the Far East and seen children with nowhere near the facilities we have here, yet they are more often than not respectful to adults, polite, cheerful and well-mannered. Clearly good behaviour isn’t proportionate to the standard of primary education available.
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That’s not to say I don’t have some sympathy as in an ideal world it would be nice to keep all small parish schools open. We don’t live in an ideal world however and Guernsey is not isolated from the real world. In the real world the government has to find a balance between the “ideal” and the cost-effective. It would be great if all our children could be educated in classes of 10 with the best equipment, a high level of personal attention and free healthy dinners.
If objective evidence was provided that would categorically state that closing St Andrews school would be seriously detrimental to the welfare of the island’s children then I would stand with those who are seeking to keep it open. As things stand I have yet to see any evidence.
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I think Carol Steere and the Policy Council should be applauded for being willing to show their convictions on what clearly is an unpopular and contraversial subject. It would be much easier to go with the outspoken public oponion than to make a longer term strategic decsion.
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Peter, strategy requires evidence and logic. Neither of those have been properly applied over this issue. It is purely political now.
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I feel that it would be very dangerous to close any of the schools in question. They have been needed for a long time and will be for ever.
So many children nowadays are suffering from all manner of conditions. ADDD, ADHD and a long list of other ailments. Class numbers need to be kept low for the child’s educational benefit.
To increase them is educational suicide. Savings will be made but the longer term costs will be considerably more.
It is crazy to save today and pay tenfold tomorrow.
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Does ‘joined up government’ mean:-
1) close schools, then,
2) reverse the population increase to go for a growth economy, then
3) find there is a shortage of school places, so
4) have to build another new school
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I can understand why they would close these schools if they are not being filled to capacity, but then its the educations fault for allowing children to go to schools out of their catchment area. If they were to take out all the children at St Martins School, (which is bursting at the seams)that are not in the catchment area, then St Andrews for sure would not have even been thought off for closure.
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