Two senior appointments made within Education

And the committee has also announced that a familiar face in local education circles is to rejoin the department.

Clare Sealy will become head of curriculum and standards from September, while Nick Hynes is joining ESC as head of inclusion and services for children and schools.

Ms Sealy is the head teacher of St Matthias Primary School in London and has also been a school improvement partner for Essex local authority. She sits on the Ofsted Maths Working party and the Department of Education Advisory Panel for Early Years.

Her areas of expertise include the application of cognitive science in the classroom, what it reveals about memory and how this influences long-term learning. She has been prominent in national debates about curriculum development and this led to the Times Education Supplement naming her as one of the 10 most influential people in the world of education in 2018.

She will lead on curriculum development across all phases of education from early years to lifelong learning; standards and assessments of students and schools; the schools’ inspection framework; and continuous professional development for head teachers and teachers. She will line-manage primary school head teachers and most education development officers and further develop the application locally of the latest educational research.

She will also represent the primary phase of education in the committee’s transforming education programme and in business as usual work.

Ms Sealy said she was thrilled at the appointment: ‘Education in Guernsey is currently going through an exciting period of transformation and I look forward to working on this with colleagues in the Education Office, including contributing to the Bailiwick curriculum as it continues to evolve.’

ESC president Matt Fallaize described her appointment as ‘a real coup for education in Guernsey’.

Mr Hynes has been on secondment to Health & Social Care, leading the development and implementation of the Children and Young People’s Plan.

He was previously director of learning, performance and intervention for Guernsey Education Services.

In his new role, he will lead on all elements of special educational needs and disability, safeguarding and intervention and inclusion support services, while continuing to lead the CYPP.

He will work with colleagues at HSC to further develop education, health and care services for children and young people. He will line-manage head teachers in special schools and numerous heads of service, including in the areas of educational psychology, early years and careers. Mr Hynes will also represent special educational needs in the committee’s transforming education programme and in business as usual work.

Deputy Fallaize said Mr Hynes had extensive knowledge and experience within the local education sector: ‘In his new role Nick will be an invaluable source of leadership, advice and support to the committee as we continue the journey of reforming and enhancing education.’

Mr Hynes was looking forward to returning to ESC: ‘I am confident that the knowledge and skills I have gained over the past year working within HSC and my experience within the education sector will be extremely beneficial in this new role.’

Both Ms Sealy and Mr Hynes will report to the new director of education, Laurie Ann Baker, who takes up her post full-time in August.