Plans to potentially sell off The Buchan School site at Westhill in Castletown and move all teaching to the King Williams College (KWC) site have been revealed.
In a letter issued to parents of students at The Buchan, ‘transformational change’ is to secure the future of independent education on the Isle of Man.
Sources told Manx.News that the Buchan site is likely to then be sold.
The private schools merged a number of years ago, and as stated in the letter the plan is ‘to consolidate both schools onto the same site’.
The Buchan School
The proposed move will not happen overnight and is subject to ‘many factors including third part consent’.
If it gets the go ahead it would see The Buchan School, including the Nursery, relocating to the KWC site, specifically the area currently occupied but the Fourth Form (Stenning House) and boys’ boarding Colbourne House.
According to the letter, the Fourth Form Centre would relocate to a newly created area in the Bursary building, while maths classrooms and boys’ boarding house would be integrated into the main KWC building.
Private education
KWC is the Islands only independent school.
When it opened in 1833 it was a boys only school and became co-educational in the 1980’s.
The biggest reformation was when it merged with the girls only school, The Buchan in 1991.
The Buchan was originally a girls High School, but when it merged with KWC, it became the Island’s only independent Primary School.
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