Saved schools celebrate
Saturday 31st January 2009, 9:30AM GMT.
Pupils at St Sampson’s Infants School celebrate.
LOUD ties pupils wore yesterday in aid of charity shone more brightly when news came through that the States had saved St Sampson’s Infants and St Andrew’s Primary.
Parents joined in the celebrations at the weekly family assemblies.
‘We can now plan for our future and, as always, the children’s learning is at the heart of all we do. We will continue to provide quality learning and teaching at St Sampson’s Infants School,’ said delighted head teacher Anne Brouard, whose school was saved by a single vote.
‘We are obviously ecstatic,’ said Maria Tostevin, chairman of the St Andrew’s PTA. ‘It’s the icing on the cake that both schools are remaining open.’
Christine Guilbert, her opposite number at St Sampson’s, was equally pleased. ‘It has been a tense few days,’ she said. ‘It still feels like a dream. Now we can go back to what the PTA should be doing.’
But Education minister Carol Steere, who voted for the closure of both, warned fellow deputies that they would have to put their money where their mouths were when it came to spending cuts.
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This is excellent news for both schools and well done the States Members who voted for this.
It was diversive to insinuite it was one school or the other and this not the way we should be going about debating the future of education in our Island. I hope no one is going to argue that this will hold up long overdue provision of nursery education. We have to accept that education at all levels is a long term investment for the benefit not just of the individuals concerned, but for our community as a whole.
Perhaps the States will now accept that we cannot unrealistically cut budgets and that we need to find ways of raising the money to meet all of our Island’s needs in all areas and not just education. Important areas of expenditure should never bed one against the other, and we have to move away from that negative thinking.
Tony Webber
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Hooray!
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So, if the States now decide to close another school in place of St Sampsons and St Andrews, or make cuts in another area of the education sector, will these same parents put up as strong a fight? Or is it yet another case of ‘not in my back yard’?
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Lisa. It will be another case of ‘not in my back yard’. NImbyism rules on this island.
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The words “education” and “cuts” should never be used in conjuction with each other. Education and teaching for the benefit of this generation and future generations is paramount in every society and so the very idea of closing a school in any circumstances (unless for health and safety reasons) should never be considered.
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Fantastic news. I am glad future generations of children will be able to experience the wonderful little school just as I did 37 years ago
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Education should have looked at other services before looking at the emotion of closing schools for 5 year olds. One area which has never seemes justified to many is the schools music service. As music is already taught at school where opportunities to make music and sing in choirs also exist. Why then do we supply free instrument lessons to a select few,when we do not supply free lessons in dance or drama or sports all of which arguably offer more to an individuals development.The music centre(Saturday Orchestra club) is financed differently as I understand it with parents and the’Friends’ contributing. Several thousand pounds of free lessons over a childs school life does not seem fair or reasonable particularly when pupils are ‘tested’ at such a young age. I would imagine the costs of this Service far out weigh the potential savings offered by St Andrews primary or St Sampsons.
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I think they shood close down st sampsons infants because its such a small school and there is no primary school for them , they either go to Vale or Hau Cappeles
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