Alderney parents seek lunch review

RISKS to vulnerable Alderney schoolchildren are being heightened by allowing them to go 'home alone' at lunchtimes. Four parents ' Sue Phillips, Maria Ives, Debbie Burgess and Bill Walden ' went to the Review Board to complain at the Education Department's decision not to make provision for supervised lunches at St Anne's School.

They argued the decision was unjust and oppressive or improperly discriminatory and acted contrary to the principles of natural justice.

It was felt that Alderney pupils were disadvantaged compared to Guernsey youngsters; were denied fundamental rights and did not receive the necessary pastoral care.

The parents claimed there were blatant double standards and called for equal treatment.

The parents were concerned that some children were left unsupervised for 90 minutes at lunchtimes each day as families were working and believed this was not educationally conducive, especially to the vulnerable.

They believed the department had disregarded the advice of in-island professionals, including child protection and social workers.

NSPCC and Rospa were also concerned that there was a need to provide a safe, supervised environment.

Many parents wanted supervised lunch facilities provided as they were not able to care for their children during lunchtime and feared they could take risks.

The four-strong delegation believed that Education's decision, based on recommendations by the school management, was invalid and sought reconsideration.

'The best interests of Alderney school children are not best served by this decision,' said Mrs Phillips.

Some parents had to pay '25 per day for child supervision as there were no childminders in Alderney.

The hearing heard that a decision was made recently by the head teacher not to provide school lunches.

Director of Education Derek Neale said the whole issue revolved around the ability to keep the school open at lunchtime without the support of teachers.

'We cannot instruct or compel the school to open because it is ultra vires,' he said.

The department has no statutory obligation or duty under the Education Law to provide midday supervision, but it has always maintained its willingness to fund it providing the school requests it and the department can assure itself that the duty of care can be adequately exercised, said Mr Neale.

It has no powers to impose on the school staff a contractual requirement to work at lunchtime.

'The Education Department does not have the support of the head teacher current or previous, nor of the majority of the staff for such a move and considers it educationally disadvantageous to make a change,' said Mr Neale.

He insisted it was critical to accept that the head teacher's duty of care might also include accepting responsibility for contesting negligence and insurance claims and legal action brought on the basis of the occupier's liability for duty of care towards children on the site.

'The events which happen during a school lunch hour can, at the extreme, include fights, vandalism, intruders on the premises, arson, bullying, theft and sexual assaults. They can also include accidents and injury ' from cut knees to fatalities,' he said, having experienced all of these in Guernsey.

He claimed there was no support from the school committee, including the PTA representative, or Alderney's Policy and Finance Committee, for such a change to be implemented.

'The Education Department, therefore, does not consider it can be demonstrated that it has acted in an unjust, oppressive or discriminatory way or that it has acted unreasonably or contrary to law or to the principles of natural justice,' said Mr Neale.

The decision by the board chaired by Deputy Tom Le Pelley with fellow deputies Mary Lowe and Francis Quin is expected to be made shortly.