Work should get underway on a replacement for Castle Rushen High School by Spring 2026, the Treasury Minister has said.
Funding for a new school was included in the 2018 Budget but has never got off the ground.
Asked for an update in Keys by former teacher Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew), Treasury Minister Dr Alex Allinson said that the options for a new school were “analysed” in July.
He said this included “the optimal procurement route for the new school and surrounding sports complex”.
Contractors
Dr Allinson said: “There are various frameworks which are employed both in the UK and the Channel Islands, and contractors have have successfully delivered schools within these and have been identified by us.
“Currently, the project is still in its initial phase, with primary efforts directed towards completing the formation of the project board, establishing project governance structures, developing the project execution plan, fully exploring delivery method options and appointing a project legal counsel, a senior member of the school staff is on the project board.”
Pushed for more detail on dates by Mr Moorhouse, who was a teacher at the school, Dr Allinson said Tynwald funding will be sought in February 2026, with work on site then beginning in the March.
Budget
Given the government’s record on delivery large-scale projects as expected, Dr Allinson also used his supplementary answer to outline what will happen before February 2026.
He said: “What the department, in combination with the DoI, is doing at the moment, is looking at a design and build model whereby a lot of initial work is done to finalise that so that when Treasury comes to Tynwald with a cost for this, this can be absolutely guaranteed.
“But also we can make sure that the delivery is done on time and on budget.”
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