An emergency meeting was called by staff at CedarBridge Academy this week over a lack of teachers recruited to deliver its signature learning programmes.

The Royal Gazette understands that a vote of no-confidence against the school’s principal was planned in relation to the matter.

The school’s board of governors confirmed that a “productive” meeting was held with the Bermuda Union of Teachers and CedarBridge union representatives yesterday morning, and that the school opened as usual.

It is understood that representatives from the Ministry of Education were present at the meeting.

According to sources, members of the BUT at the school staged a sit-out throughout Wednesday afternoon to discuss the issue, and some lessons had to be cancelled.

One public school educator told The Royal Gazette: “CedarBridge teachers are upset and called an emergency meeting.

“The schedule for the signature learning programme is in place but there are no teachers, so the regular teachers are filling in all the time and are seriously upset.

“The programmes without teachers at CedarBridge are cosmetology and engineering.

“It went from the entire staff meeting to now just the school union representatives.”

Another source close to the public education system spoke of a vote of no-confidence in Kenneth Caesar, the principal of the school.

The source said: “The principal, for second year running, has not recruited teachers for the programmes. He doesn’t recruit them in time, so other teachers have to cover these classes during their prep time.

“Students are in the courses with no qualified teacher to teach it. It happened last year and the same thing is happening this year. It’s a recurring theme, yet there is no recourse.

“The union reps met with the ministry to outline concerns. They held a sit-out yesterday for a meeting during which they said they would file a vote of no-confidence in the principal today.

“The principal is supposed to identify which spaces will be open and let the ministry know which teachers he needs, but he doesn’t let them know.

“Students last year went through the entire year without the place holder teacher there for engineering, science and, I believe, cosmetology.”

A spokesman for CedarBridge’s board of governors confirmed that a meeting was held between the BUT and CedarBridge Academy union representatives yesterday to discuss “matters pertaining to the school”.

The meeting was said to be productive, and the school opened as usual.

“CedarBridge Academy, the Ministry of Education and the Department of Education remain committed to providing a supportive and thriving environment for students and teachers, doing everything possible to meet their needs.

“The wellbeing of our community is our top priority and we are actively engaging with all relevant stakeholders to maintain the highest standards of education and care.

“At this time, we have no further comment."

The Ministry of Education declined to comment, deferring to the CedarBridge board.

The BUT declined to comment “at this time“.

Diallo Rabain, the Minister of Education, provided a brief update on progress towards implementing signature schools in the House of Assembly last Friday.

Mr Rabain told MPs: “We have made significant progress in our transition from a three-tier to a two-tier education system. This includes phasing out middle schools, and establishing parish primary and signature senior schools.”

He added that the process had encountered some snags.

Mr Rabain said: “While we certainly must celebrate the progress we are making, we must also be honest about the challenges we face.

“In some areas, longstanding practices and customs have slowed our progress, preventing us from moving as quickly as we would like.

“These issues are real, and we are actively addressing them — but in a collaborative way, to ensure all voices are continuously heard and considered.

“However, we remain steadfast in our commitment to reforming our education system for the sake of our children.”

He added: “We will continue to push forward, working through the obstacles, because ensuring that every child and young person in Bermuda receives a quality education is not just our goal — it is our duty.”

The Government plans to open the island’s third signature senior school in September 2025 at the Sandys Secondary Middle School site, offering hospitality and tourism, as well as Education Services Signature Learning Programmes.