Supporters of delaying school reforms ‘don’t have solutions’
SUPPORTERS of a move to delay education reforms have been accused of being desperate to avoid talking about what their solution would be.
Education, Sport & Culture president Matt Fallaize was responding after a requete was published to stop any contracts being entered for the £80m. one school on two sites plan.
It also calls on ESC to prepare a report comparing its favoured model with other viable ones for non-selective education before a new committee presents propositions to the States before the end of the year following an island-wide election.
The vast majority of teachers have backed a delay, as have several douzaines, while more than 5,000 islanders have signed a petition.
‘The requete is based on a fantasy that a short pause in the current reforms could be resolved neatly by the next States a few weeks into their term,’ said Deputy Fallaize.
‘The requete is presented as if it is free of consequences. The deputies who have driven this requete – Deputies Dudley-Owen and Meerveld – should explain its very serious effects on students in all phases of education over the next few years. They are conveniently gathering the objections of everyone who would rather have any one of numerous other education models but they are desperate not to talk about which particular model they want instead. That is because they know they would then face lots of objections to their plan – as they did when their own proposals were rejected two years ago.’
He said the new States would essentially start with a blank sheet of paper.
‘Based on the experience of what happened between the last States and this one, everything would be back on the table from selection at 11 to non-selection with varying numbers of schools in various locations. In the meantime children who currently know where they will be at school in future years will suddenly find that there is no space for them there. They would also be stuck in the current system which almost everyone agrees cannot provide the same opportunities or similar quality of facilities to all children nor adequate breadth of curriculum despite being the most expensive model to run by several millions of pounds a year.’
The first cohort of non-selective students are already in secondary education.
Education vice-president Deputy Richard Graham said: ‘The practical impact of such a decision is that all current secondary students, and most likely several year groups of primary students, could be faced with completing their secondary education in a model that does them a complete disservice in terms of GCSE curriculum choice and sub-standard facilities for many say this as, even if the States relatively quickly agreed a new model after the election, it would take years to reach the same stage as we are now with our reforms. Additional years would then be required for implementation. This also assumes, of course, that the phantom new model is universally popular with staff and the community, which will never happen given the large number of permutations to the various ways in which you can structure education.’
A protest march will take place tomorrow ‘for anyone against the current proposals for just one school over two sites to have a voice’.
The event has been organised by People Power Guernsey and begins at North Beach at 2pm.
It will proceed along the front around the Prince Albert statue and finish in Market Square about 45 minutes later where speakers will present their case.
Individuals are encouraged to bring their own placards and make signs for the walk.
The group is supporting three messages: stop and reflect, pause and review, and thought through not rushed through.
It is also encouraging individuals to wear bright colours, high visibility jackets and display green ribbon where appropriate.
WE HAVE been asked to clarify that vice-principals and other senior Education staff roles are not due to be appointed next month as part of the secondary school reforms, as stated in an article published on 29 January 2019.
It has been confirmed that, further to early timescales shared last academic year, more detailed work has now taken place with unions to develop the staff structure for Lisia School.
This structure will be shared with staff via a planned consultation process as agreed with union representatives.
No appointments to the new structure will be made until this consultation is complete. In the meantime, standard recruitment continues.
