La Mare buildings ‘far past expected life-span’

The NASUWT also said it was aware of a significant amount of asbestos on the site, although it was not aware of any issues with this.

Education, Sport & Culture announced that because of the anticipated delay in starting work on the new Les Ozouets post-16 campus, the academic year starting in September 2025 would see sixth form students go to La Mare for a year.

ESC said that this plan ‘provides certainty and stability for the community’.

‘Parents know the transition plan for their child to move from primary school to secondary school and this remains unchanged.’

But the NASUWT said that the move must only be a stop gap.

‘The LMDC buildings are far past their expected life-span and we understand contain significant amounts of asbestos,’ said a spokeswoman.

‘Although we are not aware of any issues with the management of asbestos at the site, it is clearly preferable not to have asbestos present.’

She also described as regrettable the fact that affected teachers had not been consulted.

Some politicians, too, were worried about the proposal.

Deputy Heidi Soulsby said she was incredulous at the announcement.

‘[It is] effectively saying that pupils and staff at the sixth form are moving from a purpose-built sixth form building to an 11-16 building and those pupils and staff are moving in the opposite direction,’ she said.

She also wondered where the teachers were going to be based and questioned them being solely at the La Mare site.

‘I’m sure some will currently be teaching pupils at Les Varendes below Years 12 and 13.

‘In addition, given there is no certainty around the build of the new sixth form, there can be no certainty as to how long this sub-optimal situation will last either.’

Another deputy who was sceptical about ESC’s claim that the move would be for a year was Peter Roffey, who said that this was in particular due to the fact that for the last 10 years the perception had been that La Mare needed to be rebuilt or closed down.

Deputy Roffey also told the States that he was concerned at two cohorts of sixth formers having to move schools twice in two years during their A-levels.

New school proposed in 2014

Proposals for a new school to be built at La Mare de Carteret were taken to the States in November 2014.

Had they been approved, work would have started in May 2015, the new school opened in September 2017 and the old buildings demolished at the end of 2017.

However, an amendment was approved calling for extra scrutiny of the rebuild plans and costs.

The idea of rebuilding the school was brought up again in 2017 when plans for a three-school system were proposed by ESC.

These were later replaced by a two-school model and La Mare’s future once again remained undecided, while work was carried out on repairs and refurbishment to the existing buildings.

A vote taken in September last year saw the States approve the closure of the high school in two years’ time.