St Sampson’s pupil move ‘bad for Vale children too’
Saturday 24th January 2009, 9:29AM GMT.
St Sampson’s Infants School.
VALE INFANTS SCHOOL will become overcrowded and the quality of education be threatened if pupils from St Sampson’s Infants are transferred there, according to an Education board member.
Deputy David De Lisle visited the Vale site on Wednesday and came to the conclusion that the Education Department’s plan was a mistake.
It follows an outcry from the St Sampson’s PTA after it was told some children would be taught in prefabricated huts if they were moved to the Vale.
Education minister Carol Steere had told the St Sampson’s group she had never received any complaints from parents about children being taught in huts.
‘The Vale school has limited facilities and already uses portable buildings. I am not one for putting children into temporary quarters when there are good-quality quarters where they are,’ said Deputy De Lisle. ‘Also, they are going to be segregated. Keeping them outside the school in portable buildings is a backward step.’
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If only more deputies could see that this move isnt just about the St Sampsons children it concerns those at the Vale as well. CHild taught in portable classrooms segregated from the main building arent going to feel as part of their school as they do now, so will the ‘St Sampsons’ children always be the outsiders??
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This long-running issue is not entirely about economies of scale. It appears to be largely political. The issue, as I see it, is whether the people of Guernsey are prepared to pay a little extra (unfortunately the States have not said exactly how much extra) to keep both schools open or whether the people of Guernsey want to save the money that can be saved by merging the two schools.
And for those in other parishes, if you think this does not affect you, just wait and see which parish schools are to be moved next.
Either the people of Guernsey are prepared to pay the cost of having parish schools for the young ones or they are not. Now it is up to the people of Guernsey to make their position clear to the Deputies.
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I must congratulate Deputy De Lisle on visiting the Vale School so that he is able to make an informed decision when it comes to voting in the States next week, if only more deputies thought the same way. I dont understand how anyone can vote on a matter that is so important and affects so many people without looking at both sides of the argument. It is not just the Vale and St Sampsons schools affected because they will change the catchment boundaries in the future. As it will not just be St Andrews children that are affected it will be the surrounding schools this will cause an island wide issue.
As for the rest of the Deputies please take the time to visit the vale school or even drive past at peak time to look at the parking/traffic flow issues.
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Some aspects of the Education Report in the January Billet that cause concern and lead me more and more to the conclusion that the report should be kicked out for its general lack of integrity. It reads like a disjointed document written by a committee and suffering as a consequence.
Para 1.19 “The Board, by a majority, decided it should complete the structural rationalisation of the States primary schools begun over 20 years previously, when the then Education Council had embarked on the process of amalgamating infant and junior schools to become primary schools as headteachers retired”
[Comment : Clearly the rationale behind the closure proposal)
Para 2.11 “The Task Group produced recommendations on the following:
• the future number, location, size and character of maintained primary
sector schools over the next 25 years and a cost analysis
• revised catchment areas for the maintained primary sector schools”
Para 3.35. “The Department will not need to adjust catchment areas for any of the other primary schools should the decision be taken to close St. Sampson’s Infant School alone. The St. Sampson’s Infant children’s catchment area will be the same as for their elder brothers and sisters when they have gone on to Vale Juniors at the age of 7. Currently 20% of St. Sampson’s Infant children have elder siblings at Vale Junior”.
Para 4.12 “By a majority, the Board, therefore, decided that the impact which the closure of both St. Andrew’s Primary and St. Sampson’s Infant schools would have on catchment areas, and the need to give the primary schools more specialist spaces and to keep class sizes low where possible, meant that the closure of St. Andrew’s Primary School would not be pursued”
[Comment on these three paragraphs: From this it is fair to assume that if St Andrew’s School is closed that the catchment areas would need to be changed]
Para 3.38 Task Group A looked at catchment changes and travel distances for pupils if the options of closing La Mare de Carteret Primary and St. Andrew’s Primary were to be adopted.
[My Comment: Why “as the crow flies” and not the ”walking distance measured by the nearest available route” as in the Education law 1970? Does this cavalier disregard to the authenticity of data provide confidence in other figures produced in the document?]
Para 3.76 “The Education Department has never questioned the effectiveness and quality of educational opportunities offered to the pupils of St. Sampson’s Infant School by the dedicated and skilful staff of that school”
[Comment: Shows there is no education reason for closure]
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I had a grandson at the St. Sampsons infant school. In my opinion he had the best start to his education. He is now at the Vale Junior School which is good.
He was a very young pupil as his birthday is 27 August but he soon caught up with the other children.
I think all children should be given the opportunity that my grandson had. Why on earth would anyone want to close down such a wonderfull school? I live in Australia so I know what education is all about.
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This may be shot down in flames. But not all the pupils would go to the Vale, some would go to Hautes Cappelles depending on where they lived. Also maybe split a few into different schools (again dependent on where they lived, if poss)until the vale is bought upto scratch. Maybe the states should pay out to get the Vale school able to cope with the extra pupils, and with the closure of St Sampsons, this will effectively be paid back in a few years.
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