Trinityhouse Palm Lakes High School will close its doors at the end of this year, after being open for only four years.

CEO of the ADvTECH Schools Division Mike Aitken, said the decision to close the school was a difficult one.

“We considered every possibility, but in the end felt that the decision would be in the best interest of our pupils,” said Aitken.

The reason for the closure was the slow growth in pupil numbers which Aitken attributed to the poor economic climate.

He said the lack of growth impeded the school’s ability to offer depth in terms of sport and also hampered the opportunities of high school pupils to practice much needed social skills.

“There is no doubt that the small environment benefited some pupils academically, but schooling is not only about academics.

“We feel that we are not in a position to do justice to the expectation of pupils and parents without a significant shift in pupil numbers.”

The 61 high school pupils from grade eight to 11 will be given the option to transfer to fellow ADvTECH school Crawford College North Coast.

According to Aitken, special arrangements have been made regarding transport and uniforms for the pupils.

As for the teachers, he said a small number will be impacted by the closure and every effort is being made to re-deploy as many of these teachers as possible.

Meantime, the pre-primary and preparatory schools will continue as normal.

“It will be business as usual at the pre-primary and preparatory school that can now make use of the full Trinityhouse Palm Lakes facility,” Aitken concluded.

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