Herm School reopening 'to cost £100k per pupil'

The reopening of Herm School will cost £100,000 per pupil next year, States members were told

A school on a tiny island near Guernsey is due to reopen by the end of October, according to a headteacher.

Adrian Paul, headteacher at Guernsey's Vauvert School, has written to parents whose children attend Herm School, on the privately-leased island of 60 people.

He said an exact date for reopening would be announced on 9 October.

It follows the States' decision on 8 September to back proposals to reopen the facility.

The school was closed as part of a “year-long trial” by Education, Sport and Culture (ESC) in July.

ESC President Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen told States members running the school moving forward would cost £200,000 a year.

She indicated with pupil numbers falling that will be “£100,000 a student next year”.

Former Environment Minister Deputy David De Lisle warned ESC he would call for a vote of no confidence in the committee if the school was not reopened in the next few days.

He said the decision-making had been pushed to the headteacher, but the should be “led by the ESC board”.

In his letter to parents Mr Paul also informed parents there would now be two members of staff at the facility each day, a teacher and a learning support assistant – rather than just a teacher as in recent years.

Once the school reopens, pupils will continue to attend Guernsey one day per week as they did before it closed but the day on which they travel is set to change from Friday to Tuesday.

Mr Paul stated his intention was “for the provision in Herm to be known as Herm Class which is part of Vauvert School”.

Mr De Lisle said he was completely opposed to that as well, adding: "It’s Herm School and that’s what it should be called."