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There’s nothing stopping Herm School from being opened immediately, according to Deputy David de Lisle, who has once again grilled Education, Sport and Culture on what is now being called a ‘classroom’.
The President of ESC, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen – who has refuted this claim - opened herself up to questions in the chamber after a statement on education.
The opportunity for questions gave deputies a chance to reveal that ESC sent a letter to parents of Herm School students this week, indicating some changes to the operation of the school. This comes just weeks after a successful Requete forced ESC to renege on its pilot closure of the school.
“What engagement and consultation did the Committee undertake with Herm parents before sending them a letter yesterday, which detailed significant and not necessarily well-received changes to the operation of the Herm School?” asked Deputy Yvonne Burford.
Express has reached out to the Committee and representatives in Herm to better understand what changes Deputy Burford was alluding to.
In response to the question, Deputy Dudley-Owen said:
"I'm not entirely sure that I understand why you would need to consult with parents about sending them a letter which is part of a consultation.
“I anticipate that there will be quite a few questions around Herm this morning... and I would caution colleagues to think very carefully about the type of questions that they're asking because... this is an extremely small cohort.
“I'd be very happy to take this conversation out of the public domain, which is appropriate...I think that the conversations between a head teacher and the parents of the children who attend their school are exactly between them.”
Pictured: Deputy Dudley-Owen, President of ESC.
Following a question from Deputy Gavin St Pier on whether the school will be re-opened with staffing as it was, Deputy Dudley-Owen answered by first clarifying that Herm School is not a school at all.
“Herm is not a school,” she said. “It's a classroom. It's an extension of Vauvert Primary School.”
The re-contextualizing of Herm School came as a surprise to many, including Deputy Peter Roffey.
"I think that nearly all of us until quite recently regarded there has been a micro school... the Herm School. I notice that ESC has recently downgraded that..."
To try and clarify, Deputy Dudley-Owen said: “A school by definition requires a head teacher it requires formal, distinct or discrete processes from other organisations. That is not the case with this particular education provision.”
The leader of the Requete took the opportunity to ask ESC why it can’t simply re-open the school immediately, going so far as to threaten a call for resignation of the board.
"Why not open the school immediately, at the very latest the beginning of next week. Parents are concerned because of sea sickness, which is a problem on board the ferry and with cancellations... Why not open immediately given the fact that all the facilities are in place?”
"There's a myriad of things that need to be in place for the reinstatement of the Herm education provision,” replied Deputy Dudley-Owen.
“Colleagues within the education office space are working very hard to reinstate the home provision.”
"Deputy Dudley-Owen indicated that the children are always at the heart of consideration,” continued Deputy de Lisle, who refused to be directed away from the idea of getting ‘Herm School’ re-opened immediately.
"This huge delay in opening the Herm School again and stopping this needless transfer of children from home to Guernsey daily [needs to be avoided]...and there seems to be some indication that the board is transferring the responsibility to the head teacher. Opening that school is a board decision... and without the board coming forward in the next few days and announcing that this has been done. I will be calling for the resignation of the board in its entirety.”
Deputy Dudley-Owen concluded by suggesting that there had been a disproportionate amount of time spent on discussing travel between Herm and Guernsey.
"[This] completely ignores the fact that these young people have been travelling... without one whisper of concern about their safeguarding from this chamber for many, many years without any contingency plans in place previously."
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