Parents push for details at second education drop-in
EDUCATION has been urged to look at the details of what the two-school model will mean for parents and pupils at the second of the committee’s special drop-ins.
Saturday morning saw members of the Education, Sport & Culture committee and staff on hand at Les Beaucamps High to answer parents’ questions about the new secondary schools model.
It is proposed that St Sampson’s and Les Beaucamps be converted into 11-18 campuses, with about 1,000 pupils each. While there would be two sites, it would be run as one school.
The drop-in was busy.
Heidi Shearer popped down with her daughters, Darcie Ballard, seven, and Corine Ballard, 10.
The girls currently attend Vauvert and will be at secondary school during the transition phase.
Corine will spend three years at La Mare de Carteret, before transferring to the Les Beaucamps site. She said she was not worried about moving between the sites.
‘I’m just happy that I am going to the same school as my friends,’ she said.
Ms Shearer said she was interested to find out more about the scheme and was keen to speak to Liz Coffey, who will be the new head of the school. She also welcomed the scrapping of the 11-plus.
‘It is just important to know what is going on,’ she said.
‘They just want to know where they are going and who they are going with.’
Helen Taylor has a nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son at Notre Dame.
The family live in western St Peter Port, but her children will be going to the St Sampson’s High site.
Mrs Taylor said she was concerned, as it would take a lot longer for her children to get to the north of the island than to Les Beaucamps, but they were not being given a choice.
‘I think maybe we should choose which school to go to,’ she said.
‘How are they going to do buses? I am happy with the two-school model and supportive of the States, but they need to look at the details.’
Claudine Jackson went to the drop-in as she was interested about what the change would mean for her daughter Lucie, who is in Year 5 at St Martin’s. Lucie will be at Les Beaucamps as it transitions from the current model down to the one-school model.
‘I did have a huge number of concerns, because I think we live in a small community, and now there will be 10 classes in a year group,’ she said.
My daughter goes to one of the bigger primary schools and that has three classes in a year group. It may work well in the UK, but we are different.’
Former Grammar School head teacher Liz Coffey has been appointed as the executive headteacher of the new 11-18 secondary school, which will operate from two sites.
Mrs Jackson said Mrs Coffey seemed like the right person for the job.
‘I am very impressed by her,’ she said. ‘She is a lady on a mission. She has got passion and drive and that is what we need. She has really helped to reassure me.’
