The education minister highlighted that she has pupils’ best interests in mind as she continues to gather feedback that will shape the next steps of the schools transformation process.

Crystal Caesar said that she was still collating information from stakeholders on the best way forward.

The minister, speaking to The Royal Gazette on Friday, noted that she had committed to working with those most closely affected before making any concrete decisions or public announcements

Parents of some parish school pupils said last Thursday that they were informed during emergency meetings that a recommendation had been put forward to discontinue years 7 and 8 in those primaries and that affected students would instead be redirected to one of the island’s three middle schools.

Ms Caesar insisted in a statement a day earlier that the Government’s core education reforms of scrapping middle schools and developing signature learning programmes were continuing, progressing towards a two-tier public school system.

However, presentations to groups of parents suggested that the existing three-tier system would continue for the foreseeable future, sparking confusion.

One public education source said: “The middle schools will not be called middle schools any more, but will be pre-high schools, so they will be like a satellite of a high school, which now makes it a two-tier system.

“The dog is now called a cat.”

Ms Caesar said on Friday that she could not confirm that parish schools would revert to ending at P6.

Speaking to the Gazette during the Bermuda Education Network 2025 Teaching Awards ceremony, she emphasised that “no decisions have been made”.

The minister explained: “I have the best interest of students in mind.

“It has been my commitment to ensure that I collaborate with those who are most closely affected first before going public with any statement, pronouncements or decisions and that’s the mode that we’re in.

“That's where I am. I’m still speaking with stakeholders.”

Ms Caesar said that the ministry was in the “decision-making phase” and “gathering information so that we can determine the best way forward for education”.

She added: “We are taking feedback, we are gathering our stakeholders’ commentary, feedback [and] concern — and, based on that, that’s how I’ll move forward.”

The Bermuda Union of Teachers said on Thursday that significant unnecessary disruption across the public school system was caused by a “deeply troubling sequence of communications” from the Ministry of Education last week.

It said that “revelations … caused widespread confusion, anxiety and frustration among principals, teachers, parents and students”.

When asked about the perception of mixed messaging, Ms Caesar said on Friday that information was being gathered so that an informed decision could be made.

She added: “I have their children’s best interests at heart. My goal is to see high-quality teaching and learning in the Bermuda public school system.

“I do have a heart for the children. I recognise that there are internal stakeholders with whom I need to engage.

“Those who are on the ground are gathering that information, understanding what they would like to see and getting their advice as to the best way forward.”

Ms Caesar declined to comment when asked how the latest proposed system differed from a typical three-tier system.

When asked if the potential rollback was rooted in a lack of funding for infrastructure, the minister said: “That hasn’t been proffered by me. That’s not the case.”

She later added: “I’m not going to say it’s from a lack of funding. I don’t want to be drawn into that discussion at this point because I don’t think it would be fair to speak on those issues.

“I don’t think it’s fair to do that because I know that the narrative is that there’s a lack of funding, but I’m still gathering information, so I can’t speak to whether there’s been a lack or enough.”

The Government’s earlier education transformation plans would result in one primary school per parish — with the exceptions of Pembroke and St George’s — meaning closures of the facilities not selected to remain in operation.

Ms Caesar said in September that the timelines for closures was deferred.

She confirmed on Friday that there were no plans to close any schools at present but added that could be subject to change.

Ms Caesar said: “If you will go back to my statement in September, which talked about stabilisation, I rescinded any closure timelines that have been proffered previously and that is maintained.

“As of right this second, we are not closing schools, as it stands at this very moment.

“That is not to say that the landscape, based on information that comes to us, will not inform a different path, but I’m not going to commit one way or another at this point.”

Pupils from Francis Patton School took to the streets on Friday to protest against the latest recommendation, chanting “we are not experiments”.

The Gazette learnt earlier that the education ministry had informed Francis Patton staff that funding would not be available for extra buildings that were planned to accommodate the inclusion of the two additional primary school year levels.

Ms Caesar insisted on Friday that it was “not at all my intention” for students to feel like they were part of experiments.

When asked if Francis Patton had the capacity to house Years 7 and 8, she said: “I’m taking that on board. The proposals from the principals will inform whether we feel we can proceed in a particular fashion.”

She added: “They are guiding this. They are the professionals on the ground, they are the frontline workers, so I’m taking their advice based on their decisions and the input that they give to me.

“It’s not me making a decision, it’s getting input from those who are on the ground.

“The proposals that I’ve gotten are in response to some of the capacity challenges — or not — that they have identified.”

Ms Caesar said that it was her vision “to see stabilisation in Bermuda’s school system, high quality teaching and learning”.

She made a commitment to parish school parents — who last week called for a meeting with her — that “we will speak to them at the appropriate time”.

A town hall meeting organised by parents’ groups is scheduled to take place at Elliot Parish School from 6pm today.

Ms Caesar said earlier that a public announcement on agreed next steps in the education transformation process was expected to follow the sharing of information with “internal stakeholders” in mid-February.