Plans to create temporary facility for St. Martin’s School subject of political exchange

Plans to create a temporary facility for St. Martin’s School have come under fire from the GSD.

The facility would be set up at the site of the old strength factory gym at Glacis Road.

According to a planning statement, the facility would serve as a temporary site for 12 to 18 months while alterations are made to the existing school.

The GSD has accused the government of poor planning, saying it has failed to properly cater for children requiring additional support.

The Opposition claims the Education Minister has clung to the claim that St. Martin’s School was future-proofed, even though it was clear after completion that the school was too small.

They question why a permanent solution, such as an extension, wasn't included from the outset.

A review last year revealed that 30% of children in government-run schools have special educational needs, with this figure up from 20% nine years prior.

The GSD the government should have proactively prepared to support this early intervention. It asks where the expanded provision for the early birds nursery and for St. Martins is and asks for evidence that the government took its data seriously and built accordingly.

The Shadow Minister for Supported Needs warns the school may now face a situation where some children remain at the main site while others are relocated to a temporary facility. Atrish Sanchez raises concerns about how suitable the Glacis Road location is, especially given the specialist equipment and resources at the main school.

According to plans filed, the temporary site would have a maximum of 21 children and 20 adults in total. This would be with a maximum of seven children and five adults per class.

The GSD says it urges the government not to boast about schools built, but to plan properly. They argue that if a school can’t accommodate the children it was built for, it was never future-proofed, as claimed. The party describes the current plans as short-sighted and potentially damaging to future generations.

The Education Minister says the GSLP-Liberal Government has invested massively in providing for Gibraltar’s children for many years.

John Cortes says there is still more to do and its plans for a long term solution at St Martin’s will be revealed shortly.

He says the use of the Glacis Road site has been agreed by all the relevant professionals and the design will suit the children’s needs, working well next to the PossAbilities site.

John Cortes says the new St Martin’s was built based on the expected intakes at the time, with the intake increasing from 6/7 a year to about 20 after the school was built.

He accuses the Opposition of a “deliberate fake news” approach, saying the GSD said it would not have replaced the old St Martin’s School.