About 50 students from the public education system are likely to be moved to alternative schools this September in the second wave of transfers due to poor behaviour.

Minister for Education and Development Paula Cox said the Ministry had asked schools to put forward those students they believed would benefit from a transfer to The Educational Centre (TEC) or another smaller facility, which is yet to be named.

About 27 names were put forward by the two secondary schools, CedarBridge Academy and Berkeley Institute, and a further 23 from the middle schools.

And Ms Cox said she believed parents had already been informed of the suggestion to remove their children, giving them enough time to meet with the schools and Ministry to discuss it further, if necessary.

The Minister said: "There are 23 students at the middle level who are possibly needing alternative placements, and 27 from the senior schools."

Last September, the Ministry and secondary schools ran into severe criticism after many parents were only told of the intention to transfer their children a couple of days before the new term began.

Some parents complained they had already bought new uniforms for CedarBridge and Berkeley, and some said they wanted time to negotiate with the Ministry over the move.

They said they had been told at the last minute without any room for discussion.

The Ministry said last year that it "regretted" parents being told so late, but said it had sought to address the very real concerns of the community regarding disruptive students in mainstream schools.

In the past, poor behaviour by some students had led to very low academic results, as well as disruption for classmates.

The problem came to a head when the entire teaching staff at CedarBridge held a sit-in in protest of the rising behaviour woes in December, 2001, and asked that the Ministry break its ban on expulsions.

Ms Cox responded that year with plans to expand The Educational Centre. Last year, some students also went to CARE Learning Centre, but this year, because the Ministry has more time, other alternative facilities have also bid to take students and Ms Cox said she was unable at this time to say which other facility had been selected.

The Minister said last week: "Parents should have already been told. There is no need for last year's situation to arise again."