The education minister expects work on the new southern high school building to begin in the next four years.

Dr Alex Allinson told the Keys that work on the new school’s playing fields is progressing well and should be completed by September 2022, with a budget for the new school to be agreed with Treasury within the next two years.

A new high school for the south of the island was due to be opened in September 2024, according to Dr Allinson’s predecessor Home Affairs Minister Graham Cregeen. However, this week Dr Allinson said the DESC was examining the scope of the project.

In response to a question from Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew), Dr Allinson said: ’We are working to review the scope and capacity of the school with Treasury. I hope to get the budget agreed in the 2022/23 Pink Book and then move on from there.

’We will be working on the brief and appointing a team and we hope that the initial construction will begin in 2024.’

Mr Moorhouse asked Dr Allinson if the DESC would be looking at lessons learned from Covid-19 and new build housing estates that are planned for the south of the island over the coming year.

Dr Allinson said his department would be looking at the design of the school in order to ’future proof’ it and ensure it would be ready for an influx of families in the south of the island with the proposed new estates.

He added that the new school would benefit not only its students, but the whole community.

’Most of our schools already open for community use, whether that be sports or culture,’ Dr Allinson said.

He continued: ’Certainly a new school at Castle Rushen will continue to do so. We’ve seen around the island schools being used for a performance space and the live screenings initiative has been very important for communities and local opportunities and those will be looked at when we get the design brief for this new build.’

In January 2021, Mr Moorhouse asked the then DESC Minister Mr Cregeen for an update on the school and was told the fields were due to be completed by 2021 and the school was due to be finished by 2024.