Private school campuses to merge by September 2025

The secondary school opened on the Isle of Man in 1833

Consolidating the campuses of the Isle of Man's only private school would create a "seamless" transition for students and save money, the head teacher has said.

Plans to bring the Buchan School to the King William's College site are set to be completed by September 2025.

Principal Damian Henderson said, although the two schools merged in the 1990s, they had remained on different sites in Castletown.

However, he said it no longer made sense to "run two campuses which are separated by a mile and have to double up on all of the services that run in the background".

'Whole school ethos'

Mr Henderson said, while there was work to do ahead of the move, it marked the start of an "extraordinary journey" for the two schools, with the consolidation representing "an exhilarating new chapter" for both.

He said the plans would help create a more "seamless" transition from primary to secondary education and create a "whole school ethos".

Under the plans, which were first revealed in January in a letter sent to parents, some of the buildings on the King William's College site would be refurbished and repurposed to allow for the relocation of the Buchan.

Construction is expected to take about eight months to complete.

A sub-committee of members of the school's governing body has also been created to discuss future of the primary school's West Hill site.