La Mare de Carteret set to close in education proposals

A school is set to be closed under new proposals described by the committee for Education, Sport and Culture as its "hardest" decision.

The recommendations suggest La Mare de Carteret should close, with Les Varendes being used instead.

This means Les Beaucamps and St Sampson's would be used as the other two high schools.

The committee president said: "We cannot shy away from doing what we believe is right for Guernsey."

As the project has progressed "we know a rebuild of La Mare simply does not make sense financially" said Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen.

"We joined the committee knowing we would have to make some tough decisions and this has been by far the hardest."

In March, two models of secondary education for Guernsey were revealed, both consisting of three schools and a sixth form centre elsewhere.

The main difference between the two models was whether a third school would be situated at the Les Varendes or La Mare de Carteret sites.

The proposals are due to be published on 28 May and debated by the States on 14 July.

A rebuilding of La Mare would cost around £30m, which is more than the cost of using Les Varendes and cannot be justified, the States said.

The committee wrote to staff and parents of La Mare de Carteret to explain the decision on Friday.

If the States agrees to introduce the proposals, it has pledged to support anyone who may feel unsettled by the changes including school staff, students and their families.

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