The decision was made to cancel – or postpone – any trips, as off-island travel is unlikely to resume before phase 6 of the lockdown exit strategy.
Local overnight residential school trips for the remainder of this academic year will also be postponed or cancelled – and that will be reviewed ahead of the new term starting in September based on the public health advice at the time.
If the trips are postponed it is likely to be easier to get some of the money which has already been paid out back. However, in some cases ESC said it is more appropriate to cancel the trips to minimise losses.
Pictured: Off island travel is likely to be curbed for most of the year anyway, but all school trips have now been cancelled or postponed.
Deputy Richard Graham, Vice-President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said it will be a disappointing time for many.
“While we know many students, parents and carers alike will be disappointed that the pandemic has led to trips they were no doubt looking forward to being cancelled, in light of how the pandemic is unfolding and the island’s lockdown exitstrategy, we hope they can understand our decision was made in the best interests of students and parents/carers. Guernsey can be proud of how well it has tackled coronavirus, but other parts of the world are in more precarious positions, and we must ensure that, in addition to protecting the health of those who might have gone on these visits, we also minimise the potential financial exposure of parents, carers and others who fund these visits.”
Pictured: Deputy Richard Graham has been attending ESC and States meetings remotely during the lockdown.
ESC said it is aware of the money parents and carers have invested in these trips and staff are already working hard to try and recover monies where they can.
Deputy Graham said:
“We are very aware of the monies parents and carers may have tied up in these trips, and will want to know as soon as possible how much they can recover. Staff are pursuing various routes to try and secure refunds. Since no financial recoveries are a certainty, the Committee has decided to wait until it has all of the information before making any further decisions.”
