Closing Herm's school heart-breaking say islanders

Morgan Jones, pictured with her former Herm primary school teacher Mrs Carey, said she felt sorry for the students

The closure of Herm's only primary school has been described as a "crazy, mad decision" by the island's CEO.

The States of Guernsey announced children being educated in Herm would attend Vauvert Primary School in Guernsey full time from September.

It said the saving of between £60,000 and £85,000 per year was not a primary factor in the decision.

Former students have said the decision was "heart-breaking" and they felt "really sorry" for the current pupils.

Children starting from age five will trial travelling between Herm and Guernsey by boat to get to the school for one academic year.

Maya George, 22, left the school in 2010, and said she "loved telling people" about her unique education in Herm.

She said: "People are understandably baffled when I tell them that for the first five years of my education, I shared a room with about 10 other children of different ages, and one teacher on a tiny island.

"This is disappointing news as my experience on Herm and at the school helped shape my life, it's a shame other families and the children will not be afforded the experience."

Former student Morgan Jones, 22 said she was disappointed by the news.

She said: "I feel really sorry for them, it's a little bit heart-breaking that they won't get to experience the schooling that I got to experience.

"I feel sorry for them that they're going to have to commute every day to go to school."

Maya George said Herm School "helped shape my life"

Herm's CEO Craig Senior said it felt like "a knife has been pushed through the heart of the community".

He said: "When I arrived here four, five years ago, I wouldn't come here if I was putting my kids on a boat every morning.

"It's just a crazy, mad decision for what the seems to be no plan, no reasoning, no justification, we've not seen it or the only thing they've heard is that it might save £60,000 pounds a year."

Mr Senior said if the education department was "in that much of a mess that they've got to save £60,000 pounds, then we're all in trouble".

Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, the President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said the decision was made in the best interests of the children.

She said: "The logistics need to be detailed to ensure that there are good transport opportunities for the children which is safe, and that's our primary concern.

"When it comes to digital learning for bad weather, that's in place as well, and that's been agreed and furthermore, the children already attend Vauvert school once a week, resources are in place and the provisions in place for them to attend on a more regular basis."

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