Government and the trustees of Whitney Institute Middle School last night appeared to have reached an understanding which may avert the school's closure.

Whitney Educational Trust chairman Tom Davis said he was "hopeful" the situation could be resolved, while Education Minister Randolph Horton also indicated a possible end to the stand-off, pending a meeting tomorrow.

An initial meeting between the Minister and the board was held yesterday and appeared to have broken the stand-off, with Mr. Horton afterwards saying: "We have met with the board of trustees at the Whitney Institute. It was a productive meeting and I look forward to meeting with them again on Thursday."

Mr. Davis told The Royal Gazette: "We had a productive meeting with the Minister and his team. We are going to have a follow-up meeting and, assuming we are going to come to an agreement, we will issue a statement at that time. We are hopeful."

Neither would comment further ahead of the tomorrow's meeting.

As reported by this newspaper yesterday, the school indicated it would close its doors next month unless Government comes up with an emergency plan to renovate the termite-infested building. Staff have not only complained of termites but also rats, poor plumbing, slippery floors, lack of disabled access, a faulty fire alarm and falling light fixtures. Plans to renovate the public school were approved in October 2006 - at an estimated cost of $35 million, but major refurbishment projects have not yet taken place.

In a letter to the Ministry of Education, the trustees told Government they were no longer willing to risk the safety of pupils and staff. They said the school would close in June, leaving just three months ahead of the new school year for the 300 pupils and 40 teachers to be relocated.

According to Mr. Horton however, the trustees rejected a Government plan to ensure the school was in an adequate condition by September.

On Monday he said: "I was disappointed to receive the letter from the board of trustees after the Ministry of Education has worked with the Ministry of Works and Engineering on preparing a plan for addressing inadequate facilities at Whitney Institute".

Mr. Davis however, said the board of trustees was only willing to keep the school open if a "solid plan" to renovate the buildings was put in place. He told The Royal Gazette on Monday: "We need to make sure there's a safe and healthy environment for the students and teachers.

"When a plan hasn't been forthcoming that you feel comfortable with, the trustees felt that in the interests of the students and teachers we couldn't keep the school open."

He added: "The trustees feel strongly enough about the situation at the school that we are not prepared to reopen it without a solid plan before September."