Guernsey Press

Education reps at new school model drop-in

CONCERNED islanders yesterday had an opportunity to question Education representatives about the new school model.

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Steve Foote, Programme Director for Transforming Education. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 24606928)

The committee held a drop-in session in the concourse area of Beau Sejour from 3pm to 8pm and will be doing the same again today.

‘We are hoping these drop-in sessions will give people some answers to the questions they have,’ said programme director for transforming education Steve Foote.

‘We want to hear their concerns so we can tailor the communication we put out to what people want to know. People want to know what [the new system] will mean for them, but we had to work out the transition as a whole before we could host this to answer islanders more specifically,’ he said, adding that the committee was not avoiding questions or hiding information for other reasons.

Mr Foote said it was normal for people to have concerns when making big changes but there was total confidence in the new model. Most questions were not so much to do with when changes would come into place, but how schools and teachers would fashion a smooth transition for pupils.

Ex-director of education Andrew Warren said at the drop-in that a bit of change was often a good thing.

‘It invites opportunity for fresh ideas and more co-operation between education, schools, students and parents.’

Uncertainty around teachers’ positions was another concern.

Mr Warren said: ‘Teachers do not yet know what the staffing structure will be, and we cannot see yet what their role will look like.

‘We have said that by the end of this term we will tell them more about that.’

What the sporting structure will look like will be more up to PE staff than in the past.

There could be more in-school competition between houses as well as maintaining some inter-school matches.

When it comes to students moving between the sites, this is hoped to be kept to a minimum.

‘Students will have their one site which they attend for all classes,’ said Les Beaucamps ex-headteacher Sophie Roughsedge, who has taken up a year’s secondment in the Education Office.

‘The only exception might be if there is not enough uptake of a particular A-level subject at your school, you might have to take that class at the other site – but we don’t really anticipate that.’