The island’s three high schools requested a meeting with the Ministry of Education to address “concerns” and “assess the readiness for September 2025”.

Principals of the three schools — The Berkeley Institute, CedarBridge Academy and Sandys Secondary Middle School, which is due to become a senior signature school in September — requested that Crystal Caesar, the Acting Minister of Education, meet their school leadership teams to review the progress being made by their working groups.

Parents and a Department of Education source said they had been told that senior schools have indicated they can receive M3 students but not the M2 students who should be eligible to transition to them.

A November update on the Government’s education reform plans explained that Years 6, 7 and 8 in parish primary schools created under the new system were designed to provide an “enhanced curriculum that supports a seamless progression into senior schools”.

While middle schools are in the process of being abolished as the island moves from a three-tier to a two-tier system, an option also remains for pupils leaving parish primary schools to attend middle schools before they transition to senior-level schools.

Francis Patton Primary School and Purvis Primary School became the first — and, to date, only — parish primary schools in September 2023.

The ministry said that school leaders, teachers and parents had expressed “concerns” and provided “insights” about the process going forward.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Education said: “At the request of the principals of CedarBridge Academy, The Berkeley Institute and Sandys Secondary Middle School, the Acting Minister of Education recently met with school leadership teams to review the progress made by their working groups and to assess the readiness for September 2025.

“The acting minister has carefully listened to the concerns and insights of school leaders, teachers and parents.

“Understanding that this transition impacts students and families directly, the ministry is now in the crucial phase of reviewing the readiness reports and recommendations from the three senior schools.

“This review is essential to ensuring that the Year 9 curriculum is delivered effectively and that teachers receive the support they need to provide the best learning experience.

“We recognise that parents and students have many questions and we are committed to keeping school communities informed.

“The final report is expected to be submitted to the ministry next week and we will share updates with parents and students as soon as possible.”

A source in the Department of Education told The Royal Gazette: “I was told that The Berkeley Institute has told the minister they would take M3 students but not M2s and CedarBridge Academy agreed with this stance.”

One parent whose child is in the final year of a parish primary school said: “I’ve been told that high schools will not be ready and cannot admit M2 and Year 8 in September as planned.

“The ministry is not telling us where they will go in September. They should have let parents know earlier so we had a choice to go private or make other arrangements. Registration is now closed for private schools.

"People need to speak up about it because it’s the only way change will happen.”

Another parent said: “The high schools are not prepared for the number of students that are due to transition.”