‘Closing Herm School is not in the interests of Bailiwick’ says Herm leaseholder
CLOSING Herm School is not in the interests of the Bailiwick, Herm leaseholder John Singer has said.
The school has been educating Herm’s children for almost 70 years.
But this September the classroom door will be staying closed, while the children travel to Guernsey every day.
‘This is not in the best interest of the Bailiwick in any way,’ Mr Singer said.
‘We need to keep the island as a place for everyone to enjoy.
‘We don’t need these problems created by the States.
‘We should be working together for the future of the island's tourism.’
Mr Singer said he was fully supportive of Deputy De Lisle’s requete and that the Education committee had seized on a one-off situation where there were only four older pupils.
Until the end of the last term the school’s four students, aged between eight and 10, spent one day a week at Vauvert School and four in Herm.
From September they will be at Vauvert School full-time as part of a one-year trial.
Mr Singer said they currently had a number of key staff, including a head engineer, plumber, chief gardener and head chef with young children who would be considering whether to stay working on Herm.
He said that he believed a number of deputies would support the requete.
‘Deputy John Gollop asked questions on the closure of the school in the last States and a number of deputies had tried to ask supplementary questions but were frustrated on points of order.’
Mr Singer said he had also been in direct contact with ESC regarding the school's closure.
‘I am waiting to hear back from ESC, who are being a bit evasive,’ he said.
‘It takes time to organise a requete and I don’t want this to be a “fait accompli”. If there is no reversal I will be mounting a major campaign.’
