Some students at Albert I High School have begun returning to in-person classes this week, as the Principality moves into a phased plan to reduce reliance on remote learning following disruption caused by ongoing works at the Annonciade site…

Thanks to coordination between the government, school leadership and neighbouring institutions, several groups are now back in classrooms. Students in the technological streams, resumed face-to-face lessons at Lycée Rainier III, where teaching teams have reorganised schedules and facilities to accommodate the additional pupils. Physical education classes have also fully returned to in-person teaching, allowing students to maintain regular sports activities.

Part of the former ISM site on Quai Antoine Ier has been refurbished in just ten days to provide temporary classrooms for students affected by ongoing works at Albert I High School, allowing a gradual return to in-person learning after the term began remotely on January 5. Vacant for over a year, the 800-square-metre building has been fully upgraded with new electrical and fire-safety systems, heating and ventilation, repainted interiors and new furniture, at an estimated cost of €100,000. The site now includes 15 classrooms, a library, medical and guidance facilities, and is already hosting BTS and DCG students from Lycée Rainier III, with Albert I students set to follow as the phased reopening continues.

For now, many general-stream students in Years 11 to 13 continue to follow lessons remotely. However, measures have been put in place to preserve a structured school environment. Dedicated “buffer zones” have been created where students can attend online classes while remaining on school premises, and Charles III College is hosting supervised in-person assessments at the request of teachers.

Post-secondary students are also affected by the reorganisation. BTS and DCG students are using temporary facilities at the former ISM premises, freeing up space at Rainier III for secondary classes.

School leaders stress that this situation differs from pandemic-era distance learning. Students continue with continuous assessment, maintain regular contact with teachers, and will attend in-person sessions for national digital skills tests and guidance meetings linked to post-secondary applications.

The objective remains a full return to on-site teaching by around 26 January, once remaining safety and logistical adjustments are completed. In the meantime, education officials say the priority is to ensure continuity, emotional stability and academic support for the school’s 840 students during what has been an unusually complex start to the term.