A Bermudian mother has moved her four children across the Atlantic to England because of what she claims are “huge flaws” in the Island’s public education system.

Karen Skiffington, who now lives in Gloucestershire, felt forced to take her daughter and three sons thousands of miles away from their father, from whom she is separated, and friends in order to ensure they excelled at school.

“I was absolutely appalled at what I had to do,” she told The Royal Gazette. “Sure, it’s turned out to be nice. But we have all made a lot of sacrifices.”

Ms Skiffington, a law librarian, has taken a large drop in salary by moving abroad and it has taken her partner, Mark Soper, months to find a new job.

But she said the relocation was worth it because her children, William, Cooper, Stuart and Alexandra Simpson, are now all performing far better academically at state schools in England than when they lived in Bermuda.

Her most serious worries while living in Somerset Bridge were for 15-year-old Stuart, who fell behind at Southampton Glebe Primary School.

Ms Skiffington, 48, claimed that he and other pupils suffered when the school started to accept children with special needs. “There was very little focus on the normal and excelling kids,” she said. “My son never learnt to write until he was in the third grade because the teachers never had the time to spend with him. Maybe the school felt he was doing just fine but he wasn’t.”

She alleged that some days students would spend their time watching non-educational films, such as ‘Lassie Come Home’.

Stuart got so far behind, she said, that he could not catch up when he moved up to Sandys Secondary Middle School.

Stuart now attends the Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School in Wotton-under-Edge with his two brothers. “He’s better but he’s still not 100 percent. He’s really good at certain things and he’s certainly doing a lot better in school because at least they are serious about education there.”

Ms Skiffington, who could not afford private school fees, also had concerns about her eldest son William and the qualifications he could get at the Berkeley Institute. The 18-year-old plans to study history at university but Ms Skiffington felt the narrow choice in GCSEs at the school at the time and the quality of the Bermuda School Certificate (BSC) would hinder his chances.

“He would have graduated with one GCSE in food and nutrition,” she said. “I thought that was a total waste of time. And the BSC is not recognised internationally. I didn’t think the BSC was worth its weight in anything.”

William now has an offer to attend a UK university and is performing well at his new school. His sister Alexandra, ten, is also excelling at the Blue Coat Church of England School in Wotton-under-Edge.

Ms Skiffington said her daughter suffered in Bermuda because she was too bright. The principal of Southampton Glebe recognised this and moved her up a year, against the Ministry of Education’s wishes, according to her mother.

But Ms Skiffington said Ministry regulations meant Alexandra could not be sent to Sandys Secondary Middle until she was old enough — leaving her bored and unchallenged in class. “Bermuda doesn’t have a programme for gifted and talented kids,” she said.

Ms Skiffington was full of praise for the three principals at Southampton, Sandys and Berkeley whom she said had the “best interests of the students in their hearts and minds”.

“Nonetheless, the educational system has huge flaws,” she added. “The Ministry of Education must accept the responsibility for putting a system in place that lets the parents and students of our Island down.”

She said the move abroad meant a huge upheaval for her family and real sadness at leaving behind their homeland. “But I’m confident the kids are going to go on and achieve and do well at university and get some good careers,” she said. “They do hope to come back to Bermuda.”

Ms Skiffington said last year’s 48 percent pass rate for public school pupils — revealed last month — was depressing. “I cannot offer suggestions for improvement as I do not have the qualifications necessary to make such suggestions. I only know that I was terribly disappointed and my children were deprived of the education which should have been a right in their own country.”

Education Minister Randy Horton said steps were being taken to identify “systemic challenges and solutions” in public education and that a comprehensive independent review of the system was planned.

He added: “I cannot comment on the specifics of the situation outlined here, but I can say that as Minister, I am particularly interested in the views and experiences of those who feel that they or their children may have been marginalised by our public education system, and would encourage parents with such experiences to contact us at the Ministry.

“If anything, our current efforts should result in ensuring that we amplify the voices of the marginalised, so that no family should ever feel they have to resort to such measures.”