An attempt to block education chiefs’ plan to have two schools operating separately at the same site has failed.

Kate Beecroft (LibVannin, Douglas South) tabled a Tynwald motion that would have made it clear the parliament was against the government proposal, which is to ’co-locate’ St Thomas’ CE School alongside Scoill Vallajeelt, but to operate them as entirely separate schools, from September.

Her motion would have seen Tynwald welcome St Thomas’ move to Scoill Vallejeelt in Saddlestone in Douglas, ’as an integrated school but not as a segregated campus’.

She argued that parents of children at Scoill Vallajeelt would welcome the children from St Thomas’ but had concerns that they would be separated along faith grounds.

Mrs Beecroft said: ’Children are being moved and a school is being separated. A physical building is being separated.’

The lack of difference between the two schools had surprised her, she said. That put into question the need to keep them separate.

She also branded the first meeting that education chiefs held with parents over the decision as ’terrible’.

’The way the parents were spoken to and treated when they raised legitimate concerns really was quite disgraceful,’ she said. ’I think they deserve an apology.’

She added: ’This is the department’s problem to find a solution and it has not done so.

’It is going to be creating more problems in the future than it thinks it is solving at the moment.’

She added that there was also a need for a fundamental debate on the role of faith schools.

But Education Minister Graham Cregeen said the move was crucial for St Thomas’ pupils and would break down barriers.

’We have to do something to put these children in a better environment.’

However, he said, it would not have been right to use taxpayers’ money to build a brand new school.

The minister rejected claims the plan amounted to segregation.

’It is not segregation,’ he insisted. ’It is not enforced separation - that is the meaning of segregation.’

Department member Ann Corlett pointed out that St Thomas’ School, next to Chester Street car park in Douglas town centre, had an all-island catchment.

It would have been easy to disperse pupils to their local catchment schools but that would have removed the option of a church school without a proper policy debate on that specific issue.

Bishop Peter Eagles said there was a ’vital distinction’ between a church school and a faith school.

’Church of England schools are established primarily for the communities they are located in.’

He said they served equally those who were Christian, of other faith or no faith. They sought common ground as well as understanding and respecting difference.

Kerry Sharpe MLC tabled an amendment to Mrs Beecroft’s motion. It changed the wording to state that Tynwald welcomed the move of St Thomas’ School to the ’shared Scoill Vallajeelt campus’.

She urged members to support the children and ’trust them to get on with what children do best, making friends without adult interference’.

She added: ’In doing so, I promise, they will teach us, the adults, the way forward.’

Her amendment was passed 20-4 in the Keys and 8-1 in the Legislative Council. The amended version of the motion - with the part opposing the ’segregated campus’ removed - was then passed 21-3 and 9-0