Contingency plans have been prepared for students at two parish primary schools after construction work at the schools was hit by delays.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Education said this afternoon that while there had been “some delays” in construction work at Purvis Primary and Francis Patton Primary, a plan was in place to provide “uninterrupted learning” at the schools.

“This plan was shared initially with parents in June and will be further shared with parents directly next week,” the spokesman said.

“School will open on September 11 for students and our contingency plans will ensure that all students can be welcomed and an exciting new school year can begin.”

The spokesman added that after the meetings with parents, Diallo Rabain, the Minister of Education, will inform the public about school readiness and the progress made with repairs and general maintenance over the summer break.

According to planning documents, the ministry sought to create four new classrooms and two new washrooms at Purvis Primary, along with a covered walkway, a concrete ramp and exterior steps.

The new classrooms would be built on the eastern side of the school’s main building near the school’s auditorium and library.

Meanwhile, in a second application, the ministry proposed the creation of two new classrooms, two new washrooms and a prep room at Francis Patton Primary.

The extension would be built to the immediate east of the existing Lyceum Nursery School.

Purvis Primary in Warwick and Francis Patton Primary in Hamilton parish are due to become the first two parish primary schools next month as part of government efforts to reform the island’s public education system.

The move to a parish primary school system will reduce the number of primary schools on the island to ten, one per parish except for Pembroke, which will have two.