Multiple families opt out of Warwick parish primary school
The Year 8 group at one of the island’s first two parish primary schools has a mere five students enrolled after parents decided to transfer their children elsewhere.
The Ministry of Education confirmed that some Purvis Primary School parents had moved their children for “personal reasons” but said that did not reflect trends in other year groups.
A source in the Department of Education told The Royal Gazette that there had originally been 24 students in the P7 year group before the students headed into Year 8 for the 2024-25 academic year.
The source said Purvis pupils were being moved because although the core subjects of maths, science and English were in place, the school lacked encore subjects, which could include subjects such as art and music, compared with other middle schools where some students had transferred.
The ministry did not confirm how many had left and did not respond to questions over whether plans were in place to reduce the number of children leaving the school.
Questions were sent to the ministry in October — but it said enrolment figures were not available internally until the end of that month, and did not respond until this week.
Purvis Primary School opened along with Francis Patton in September 2023 as a parish primary school under the Government’s education reform plans.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Education told The Royal Gazette: “We can confirm that for the 2024-25 school year, Purvis Primary has an enrolment of five Year 8 students.
“While some parents have chosen to transfer their children to other schools for personal reasons, it is important to emphasise the broader enrolment trends.
“Notably, P1 enrolment at Purvis and Francis Patton, two key parish schools in their respective zones, was nearly double that of other schools in September 2024.
“Preliminary enrolment data for September 2025 also indicates strong interest in these schools.
“This reflects the continued trust parents place in these institutions as excellent educational environments for their children, despite the challenges faced in September 2023, which the schools have worked diligently to overcome.”
Both Purvis and Francis Patton experienced delays in construction work but the Government put in place a contingency plan for “uninterrupted learning” at the schools.
When both opened as parish schools, they welcomed the first Year 7 and Year 8 groups as part of a move to phase out middle schools — shifting from a three-tier to two-tier system.
Previously, primary schools enrolled up to P6 before students moved to middle schools.
The Ministry of Education has asserted that the plan to transition Year 8 and M2 and M3 students to senior schools had always been part of education reform plans after parents of Whitney Institute Middle School expressed concern over the move.
As reported in The Royal Gazette, the parents wrote to the Minister of Education urging a rethink of the decision to halt enrolment for M2 students next year.
It was announced last month that starting in September 2025, students who complete M2 and M3 by June 2025 will transition directly to senior schools.
The parent group questioned whether children would be ready for senior school, citing the age disparity, along with younger students not yet knowing their career choices.
They said there was a lack of a clear plan for students affected and requested “honest, open, transparent dialogue” with ministry representatives.
The ministry said this week: “The transition of Year 8 and M2 and M3 students to senior schools has been part of our plan since the first parish schools opened.
“M1 and Year 7 students have been introduced to various signature learning programmes to help them choose senior schools with SLPs that align with their interests before entering M2 or Year 8.
“This process included Sandys Secondary Middle School, Dellwood Middle School, Whitney, Purvis Primary School and Francis Patton Primary School. There will be no M3 year groups in our middle schools starting September 2025.“
The ministry recently reversed a decision to end P1 enrolment at St George’s Preparatory School after parents voiced concerns including the fact that construction would be taking place at East End Primary School, where they would have been transferred.
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