Education bosses have responded to criticism from parents over their haste in moving troublesome teenagers out of the school system and into an alternative facility, instead.

A lengthy statement released by the Ministry last night said it was "regrettable" that some parents were informed very late, but said it had merely been responding to the "outpouring of concern" over the rising discipline problem on the Island.

"The Ministry has sought to address the very real concerns that have been communicated to us by the parents, teachers, PTSA members and the school administration about the placement of students from the two senior schools," said the statement.

"In the case of some students, the behaviour has led to them performing, in some cases, way below their year level.

"The placement in an alternative school should be seen as an opportunity for students to have an alternate route to graduation with the General Education Diploma (GED)."

The Royal Gazette reported yesterday how some parents were upset to be told only last week that their children would not be allowed to attend the public secondary schools from the start of term today, and would instead be transferred to one of two alternative facilities.

Those with the most severe behavioural problems are to be schooled at The Educational Centre (TEC), which has been expanded and moved to Devon Lane School on Roberts Avenue in Pembroke, headed up by Declan Harris.

A maximum of 40 students will be sent there.

However, up to 30 students will also be taken out of CedarBridge Academy and Berkeley Institute and transferred to The Care Learning Centre, which is operated by MP Neletha Butterfield.

They will all study towards the GED, but no mention has been made of whether or not children can move back to the mainstream schools once their behaviour improves.

Some mothers complained last week that they had already bought new school uniforms for their children, and were upset that senior staff at the school had left it so late to call them.

However, Berkeley principal Michelle Gabisi said while the school had experienced some difficulty in reaching some parents, she had no idea why the Ministry had left it so late to make the alternative arrangements.

But the Ministry said last night that parents who had already purchased uniforms for the mainstream system would be reimbursed, with the spare clothes being given to needy families at the schools.

The statement added: "Once the Ministry received the names and descriptions of the behaviourally challenged students from the two schools at the end of July, the Ministry sought to accommodate these students. There was an increase in the initial number provided to us a couple of weeks ago.

"Nevertheless, while the Ministry has a part to play in this process, it must be understood that the decision about which students should be referred was made by the administration at the two senior schools.

"The Ministry said while it accepted responsibility for providing facilities in which the programme can operate, it is the schools who liaised directly with the parents."

And the department said the schools would have been in contact with parents over a period of time where children were causing concern, so therefore it should not have come as a shock.

"The school administration has attempted to contact all parents of students involved," the statement went on.

"However, there are still some parents who may not have been informed about placement until extremely late in the week, as the schools were unable to contact every parent.

"This is clearly regrettable. However, the Ministry has a responsibility to ensure that these facilities are adequate for the students and that process took time."

The Ministry said where parents wished to have their children remain in the senior schools, each case would be looked at individually.

But yesterday, general secretary of the Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT) Michael Charles said he was disappointed the Ministry had not consulted more with the union over the issue of the alternative facilities.

He said: "An alternative school is something we have been asking for a very long time and it's unfortunate that we have come to this point and we know very little.

"We thought they had found a site on North Shore, but we didn't know anything else. They have since chosen a different site, but we only found that out through the grapevine.

"It's a real shame because this is something that was supposed to be a positive and it is now being looked upon as a negative."

He said, from the outside, it would seem that the Ministry had tried to act on parents' and teachers' wishes as soon as possible by providing an alternative education to children who did not fit into mainstream education.

And he said while the Ministry's intentions may have been honourable, parents should have had more notice that their children were to be removed.

Parent Carla Simmons, from Hamilton Parish, said she was unhappy at the short notice because she had already bought her son's uniform for CedarBridge.

She said: "I was told at the end of the summer term that my son was going to be placed in an alternative programme, but I never thought he would be going to a different school. I thought they meant a different programme within CedarBridge.

"I don't mind him doing the GED, provided he is able to get a job with that qualification at the end of it. But I think we should have had more notice."

Ms Simmons said she was also upset that children at the alternative school had to wear yellow shirts.

She said: "My child will be labelled because he has to wear a yellow shirt, so everyone will know which school he attends.

"What are they trying to do to these children?"