Guernsey teachers' 'overwhelming concern' over education reform

Concerns have been raised over the cost of plans to build a post-16 campus, rather than use the existing facility at Les Varendes

Politicians in Guernsey must recognise the "overwhelming concern" of teachers over secondary education reform proposals, a union has said.

Connie Armstrong from the National Education Union (NEU) said a "lack of investment" in three 11-16 schools was worrying.

The States of Guernsey is restarting debate on the plans on Wednesday.

The education committee said its plans were "based largely on teacher opinion" from previous surveys.

Under the reform proposals, Guernsey's secondary education system would move to three 11-16 schools with a separate sixth form centre at Les Ozuets.

This could see La Mar De Carteret High School closed.

The proposal has requested £54m of funding from the States, £43.5m is anticipated to be capital costs of building the centre and restoring the existing schools.

A survey of teaching staff in July found 87% of them opposed the current plans.

'Tried and tested'

Ms Armstrong said the NEU were hoping States members would "listen to the feedback staff have already given them" about the plans.

She said: "It's not an understatement to say there's overwhelming concern over the lack of investment that's going into our 11-16 schools."

Ms Armstrong raised concerns over the "huge amount of money, £30m plus" to be spent re-building the post-16 campus "just down the road" from the current sixth form centre at Les Varendes.

President of the Committee for Education Sport and Culture (ESC) Andrea Dudley-Owen said their proposals had been "tried and tested" against the "guiding principles" for reform put forward by the committee.

She argued these principles were "based largely on teacher opinion" from staff surveys commissioned by the previous education committee.

Deputy Dudley-Owen said: "We've really got to look forward in the plans that we are putting towards education."

ESC member Deputy Andy Cameron has rejected his own committee's plans and submitted amendments to them which the states will debate.

Other alternative proposals have been put forward by former Chief Minister Jonathan Le Tocq.

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