Union: States has created 'a turmoil of uncertainty'
A 'TURMOIL of uncertainty' has fallen on parents, pupils and staff under the controversial vote to close a secondary school in Guernsey and move to a three-school model, the largest teachers' union, the NASUWT, has warned.
As schools and the wider community reflected and reacted to the States vote at the end of last week, the Guernsey Sports Commission was among others concerned that it all meant that fresh doubt now faced the £64.2m. La Mare rebuild, and as a consequence, the state-of-the-art sports facilities that were part of the plans.
Debate continues today on Education's secondary education proposals, where at least one amendment is expected from the Education Department itself, before its amended recommendations are debated and voted on. So far the States has approved proposals to remove the 11-plus and move to an all-abilities school system from September 2019. Late on Friday deputies voted 26-19 to move to a three-school secondary model, meaning one school would be closed.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, is among those who has condemned the decision by the Assembly to support the three-school amendment, brought by Treasury minister Gavin St Pier.
'It is deeply disappointing that the deputies have chosen to ignore the coherent plan put forward by the Education Department, in favour of the late-in-the-day proposals from Treasury and Resources, which have no educational rationale,' she said.
