Requete leader unhappy at Herm School delay
THE deputy who led a successful requete to force the reopening of Herm School is unhappy that it will remain closed until next month.
Herm parents were told this week that the school will reopen on 1 November, the middle of the week after half-term, but David De Lisle said yesterday that was not soon enough.
He believes the school is already sufficiently equipped for teaching and is concerned that pupils will miss out on important learning due to travel sickness caused by daily ferry journeys between Herm and Guernsey, where they are currently attending Vauvert Primary.
‘Some Herm pupils have not been making the crossing every day and have been getting sick from the boat,’ said Deputy De Lisle.
‘The school is up and running and has been fully equipped for at least a week or two.’
The States recently voted to scrap Education’s plan for a year-long trial closure of the school.
Director of Education Nick Hynes said the delay had been caused by Education’s preparations for a ‘really high-quality and equitable’ offer in Herm.
‘It’s not because we don’t want to return to Herm. We’ve been directed to return to Herm and we’re happy to return to Herm because that’s the will of the States,’ said Mr Hynes.
‘Everything could have been put back in place to how it was much more quickly,’ said Deputy De Lisle.
‘It’s a school in its own right and it’s been too long of a wait.’
He hoped the reopened school would be led by Mary Carey, Herm’s teacher since 2005.
‘She was and still is very popular,’ he said.
When asked whether Mrs Carey was going to be the teacher, Mr Hynes did not mention her name directly, but said there was an existing teacher who supported Herm at the moment, and that she was currently employed to be the school’s teacher.
‘Some of the anecdotal conversations that are had around Herm via websites or elsewhere haven’t necessarily been helpful and sometimes have avoided some of the facts,’ said Mr Hynes.
‘What we’re trying not to do is get involved in making direct comments about our members of staff because it’s not fair.’
Education is recruiting a learning support assistant to work alongside the teacher.
‘Having a lone worker in an isolated environment like Herm is always going to be a challenge, so from a safeguarding perspective – for that employee and also for children and young people – there should always be two members of staff available there.
‘It’s just good practice, especially when we have a spread of ages,’ said Mr Hynes.
