Education Minister Graham Cregeen has rubbished calls for a child psychologist to assess the impact of the controversial co-location of two Douglas schools.

In the latest twist to the row over the plan for St Thomas’s CE School to move into the premises at Scoill Vallajeelt, on the other side of Douglas - but for the two schools to operate separately - Kate Beecroft (LibVannin, Douglas South) asked in Tynwald whether a child psychologist had been asked to conduct an impact assessment on the effect of the move on children.

Mr Cregeen gave a blunt answer of ’no’. When Mrs Beecroft pressed about whether he would ’take responsibility for any detrimental effects on children’, the Minister accused her of piggybacking on an argument put forward by Liberal Vannin councillor Claire Wells, who is a parent of children at Scoill Vallajeelt. She retorted that many parents were concerned.

The Minister said: ’We have children who are going into different schools all the time. These are children who are mixing together. When they go to secondary school they will mix together.

’From what I understand, children have already been from St Thomas’ up to Vallajeelt and they had a very successful day.’

He added: ’We do not do psychological assessments. Would any member here want psychological assessments done on their children every time they met with new people?’

Mr Cregeen also rejected a suggestion from Daphne Caine (Garff) the reason no assessment was taking place was because the educational psychologist was fully booked for referrals until next term. Capacity was not an issue in the decision, he said. From September, St Thomas’s is to ’co-locate’ with Scoill Vallajeelt, in Meadow Crescent, Douglas.