A Jersey school for secondary-aged children with special education needs has been rebranded.
La Passerelle has become 'The Lighthouse'.
The Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills says the school, on the former D'Hautree site, has been transformed over the past eight months to create what it calls a 'bright, modern and inclusive space designed around the needs of learners'.
New facilities include a specialist classrooms, a sensory room, cooking facilities designed to promote independence and better support areas.
A transition programme is working with families to move students to the new setting.
A formal opening is planned for September.
Education says the Lighthouse rebrand 'reflects the school’s renewed identity, ethos and future direction'.
It adds that it is built around three key values: connection, curiosity and courage.
" These underpin a strong focus on helping pupils feel safe, included and confident in their learning, while preparing them for their next steps."
The provision remains La Sente in legal terms.
Timeline
In 2019, the government announced the creation of La Sente for young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, merging D’Hautrée House School and The Alternative Curriculum.
Within a couple of years it had drawn heavy criticism, including from parents, for resembling 'a containment facility' and a 'dumping ground'.
The Children's Commissioner said the school's exclusion rates were too high and La Sente did not meet the needs of all pupils.
In 2022, La Sente merged with La Passerelle, described by the government as a 'short-stay nurturing support team for secondary school age children who feel unable to attend school because of a range of issues such as high anxiety'.
A 2024 inspection commended its 'caring, therapeutic approach'.
Positive report for La Passerelle school
A Jersey-wide inspection report, published in October 2025, found a raft of failings in the island's SEND provision. A follow-up review in April 2026 noted some progress but warned years of 'structural and systemic issues' would review 'sustained, phased implementation to resolve'.
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