Elizabeth College to go for huge site expansion

Thursday 21 June 2018

Elizabeth College have today announced it is going to be pursuing a "once in a lifetime opportunity": to make an expansion to the school's site and facilities by purchasing Canada Court.

The large building, currently occupied the the Royal Bank of Canada, was on the land originally granted to the College by Elizabeth I back in the 1500s, but it lost ownership in the intervening 450 years.

Currently, the school is working with the building's owner on a planning application for change of use to education facilities - this will be submitted before the end of the month. All going to plan, it hopes to have completed the purchase before the end of 2019.

”This fabulous opportunity to expand our site and provide much-needed additional teaching and study space is not one we can allow to pass by," Elizabeth College's Principal, Jenny Palmer, said.

"The open plan nature of the building is ideally suited, subject to Planning, for conversion to improved library facilities and study areas and we are very excited about the enormous enhancement it would provide to the educational experience of our pupils.”

The school said in the announcement that it was not planning to increase the overall number of pupils it takes as a school, as that would require an additional tutor group and teaching staff alongside the new site. It said this would be too much of a financial burden.

Meanwhile, the Royal Bank of Canada issued a statement saying it was moving to a new location within St Peter Port, and not leaving the island:

"While we look forward to relocating our offices to a new premises in St Peter Port, we’re pleased that the offices that served us well for 30 years will be repurposed by Elizabeth College, subject to planning permission, to help educate the next generation of Islanders," a company spokesperson said.

"Our move to a new premises will further enhance our capabilities in Guernsey.”

Pictured: Canada Court backs onto the lower area of Elizabeth College, and also is adjacent to the Main Building on Upland Road.

Outlining why it needed the space, it gave three contributing factors:

• The existing buildings have been expanded as much as is reasonably possible but the School has been struggling with insufficient teaching and learning space for many years.
• A wider and more sophisticated curriculum and the need for specialist classrooms.
• The important trend towards independent learning and a need for more study spaces.

The school's main building itself, a spokesperson for the College said, was built with 150 students in mind, about 200 years ago: "modern teaching methods and the increased emphasis on individual and independent study, combined with a wider and more sophisticated curriculum, mean that the College has been struggling to accommodate an ever increasing demand for space for some years.

"The opportunity to acquire land and buildings adjacent to the College site, with direct access by pupils to enlarged facilities, is just too good to miss."

Funding wise, the school has said it will use the "modest funds it already has available", funds it is able to raise from supporters, who will be approached in the new year, and any borrowing that may be required.

Previously, it has used donations from supporters and former students to generate capital for expansion, however this will be the largest project of its kind for years.

 Below: A portion of the FAQ Elizabeth College released with the statement.