Show of hands is a bad sign for school plans

Thursday 16 January 2020

It seems there is still a long way to go before St Sampson's residents at a Douzaine meeting are convinced the infrastructure around the Baubigny schools can cope with the planned changes when the Lisia School model is introduced.

Estimates suggest there were more than 300 people at the meeting at its busiest, with some of those attending coming from other parishes.

The meeting had been arranged by St Sampson's Douzaine to address concerns raised by douzeniers and constables as well as residents, over proposals to make more roads one way and to create drop off zones for parents of pupils attending the future Victor Hugo College, which will replace the High School. 

While the Dean, Tim Barker, who chaired the meeting, gave priority to questions posed by St Sampson's residents, other people were also allowed to ask questions when time allowed.

Most of the questions focused on the traffic concerns which have been raised as more details about the plans for the schools transformation have been released. Many of the questions were met with a round of applause, while some of the answers given by the panel were met with murmurs of disagreement, and at times jeers and boos.

At the end of the two hour meeting, the St Sampson Junior Constable asked for a show of hands. Andy Le Cheminant asked the audience, which numbered around 200 at this time, to put their hands up if they believed the proposals presented to them that evening would work. Two people put their hands up. 

When Junior Constable Le Cheminant asked for a show of hands from those who don't believe the proposals would work, every other hand in the school hall went up.

"I think a lot of the questions asked were answered, but not neccessarilly what the parishioners or anyone else who asked them, wanted to hear," said Mr Le Cheminant, "saying that, there were also quite a few (questions) that couldn’t be answered, not through any fault of the gentlemen here but they just didn’t have the answer at that time, but they have promised to forward those on.

"Other than that, I think it went very very well. I was quite impressed with the type of questions being asked. The answers weren’t always necessarily forthcoming and the show of hands at the end there, I think most – I think I saw two people with their hands up for yes, but the rest were no."

Pictured: St Sampson's High School. 

St Sampson's Douzaine will be meeting on Monday evening to discuss last night's meeting. Mr Le Cheminant said they might then plan another meeting, looking at other aspects of the proposals for the school site and the impact on the parish and residents. 

Speaking for himself only though, Mr Le Cheminant said as a St Sampson's parishioner, he doesn't think the infrastructure around the Baugbiny schools will cope with the proposed changes. 

"My own personal feeling is, I hope so (the plans will be stopped) – I hope, and again this is personal, my own feeling is, I cannot see the one school/two site model working. That’s my own personal view, I can’t comment on behalf of the Douzaine."

Pictured top: The school hall at St Sampson's High was almost full for the Douzaine meeting looking at the traffic management proposals for the Lisia School model.