A number of parents from Scoill yn Jubilee are upset at the possibility of the school’s catchment area being changed.

As it stands, the Douglas primary school students go on to Ballakermeen High School. However, the Department of Education, Sport and Culture is now looking at changing this with the pupils attending St Ninian’s High School instead.

In response to this, a petition has been launched by two school parents and has collected about 130 signatures overnight.

’It makes no sense. We’ve recently moved back into the area and it takes only a few minutes to walk to Ballakermeen High School,’ said Chris Connor, a parent who lives on Woodbourne Road.

’Going to Bemahague in Onchan is completely nonsensical, why are they making children go out that way?’

Both he and his wife Louise set up the petition ’Stop the changes to Scoill yn Jubilee catchment area’ as they have two children aged seven and nine who attend the school on Laureston Avenue - formerly known as Murray’s Road and Ballaquayle schools.

’It’s also going against policies made by government to reduce vehicle movements,’ said Mrs Connor.

Traffic

’People have planned their futures and their working hours around living in these areas.

’For example I know there are some single parents that work and will be trying to get their children up to Onchan through the traffic and back again. Some children live right next to Ballakermeen.’

They told the Examiner that no consultation was made nor had any letters been handed to the parents.

’We feel it’s been done in a very underhanded way,’ she continued. ’We’re very upset about it.’

Education Minister Graham Cregeen MHK made the announcement of the School Catchment Areas Order being laid before Tynwald.

He said: ’As part of the review process for catchment areas in the Isle of Man it has become apparent at an early stage that there is an issue in relation to the number of pupils attending high schools in the Douglas area, and as a result an amendment of the School Catchment Area Order 2017 is necessary for Scoill yn Jubilee pupils.

’Under the new order the Scoill yn Jubilee catchment area will become a joint catchment area for Ballakermeen High School and St Ninian’s High School in the academic year 2019/2020.

’It will then become a catchment area for St Ninian’s in subsequent years.’

If it goes ahead, parents from the school will have the option this coming year to choose which of the two Douglas high schools their child will attend as part of the ’joint catchment area’.

In spring, students will be invited along with their families to both secondary schools for the Year 6 (ages 10 and 11) open evenings.

Year 5 students (ages nine and 10) and their families will also receive an invitation to attend St Ninian’s High School, where they can find out more about the school ahead of their 2020 enrolment. The couple said the proposal has shown a ’complete disregard for the families that will be impacted’.

’If you’ve got kids you know it’s not easy getting them organised in the morning, it’s not fair to then have to drive into Onchan,’ said Mrs Connor.

Mr Connor added that there is ’already an issue’ with congestion in Onchan and that this move will affect it further.

Read the petition here: www.thepetitionsite.com/488/831/305/stop-the-changes-to-scoill-yn-jubilee-catchment-area/