Guernsey politicians move to change secondary education plan

The approved plan for secondary education includes building a post-16 campus at Les Ozouets but no contractor is currently agreed

A group of Guernsey politicians is looking to make changes to the current model for secondary education.

The group includes Deputies Lindsay de Sausmarez, Heidi Soulsby and Education, Sport and Culture (ESC) member Andy Cameron.

In 2021 States members voted to close La Mare De Carteret High School and build a new sixth form at Les Ozouets.

That meant there would be three 11-16 schools. The BBC understands the new plans include an 11-18 school.

Education, sport and culture member Andy Cameron is one of those behind the move to change the scheme as he believes the current route is "too expensive and inefficient".

"Teachers are going to spend more time driving between the post-16 campus and the 11-16 schools than they will teaching."

He has proposed the swimming pool, which is not in use at the Les Varendes site, should be converted into specialist post-16 classrooms.

"At the moment it is just vacant space that serves no purpose. Why don't we use it for something useful?"

La Mare De Carteret High School is set to close and from 2025 it is due to be used as a temporary base for sixth form students

Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez said her "preferred option is to keep SFC [Sixth Form Centre] at Les Varendes and at least avoid the craziness that is moving it to La Mare."

President of Guernsey's Education, Sport and Culture Committee Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen has urged deputies to stick with the current direction of travel.

"Please make no mistake, derailing this project risks derailing our education system - and I do not say that lightly."

Mrs Dudley-Owen said: "More than a decade of uncertainty about the model of secondary and post-16 education since the removal of selection has been extremely damaging and caused instability across our whole education system."

"To stop this roll-out now would have serious negative implications for significant numbers of staff, pose a serious risk to the stability of the education system, threaten student outcomes, risk deep reputational damage for Guernsey and financial loss to the public purse."

Parent Andy Cheetham said there was a lot of "uncertainty" over the issue

Andy Cheetham has an 11-year-old daughter at Amherst Primary School and he said he just wanted "certainty" when it came to secondary education.

"There is a lot of uncertainty over here, and that is the issue. If you actually look at what is now happening, if they just stick to the plan and get on with it they'll be all right," he said.

Uncertainty in the secondary sector has been seen as the main driver for a surge in the number of children being signed up to Guernsey's private colleges.

Daniele Harford-Fox, principal of The Ladies' College, said: "Our numbers for 2023 entry are strong."

'Certainty needed'

A spokesperson for Elizabeth College and Beechwood said: "Demand for a place at Elizabeth College, both at the Junior and Upper Schools, has been high for some years.

"Both schools are essentially full, although there is some limited capacity in some of the year groups.

"The college is now very close to capacity in all years, and also there has been an increase in forward registrations."

Some of the island's teaching unions have said while they were not in favour of the current model, any change now would not be good.

Wayne Bates, from the NASUWT, said "certainty was needed" when it came down to secondary education.

"We have problems when it comes to recruitment already, if we have even more uncertainty it will only cause more problems."

ESC's Transforming Education Programme did hit issues last year, when it pulled out of the contract with RG Falla to build the new post-16 campus at Les Ozouets.

A new contractor still has not been found to complete the work.

Policy and Resources has recommended that work is prioritised though, before the end of this term, with a vote set for the States in September on the issue.

In December 2022 ESC announced La Mare De Carteret High School would be used as a temporary base for sixth form students from September 2025.

Follow BBC Guernsey on Twitter and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].