Education pressed to consider three sites
EDUCATION will look at the value of a one-school, three-site model if an amendment proposed by the island’s senior committee is approved.
The move by Policy & Resources president Deputy Gavin St Pier, seconded by vice-president Deputy Lyndon Trott, seeks to provide leadership and alter the requete laid by Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, which has been dubbed the ‘stop and think’ requete.
The amendment instructs Education to compare how policy and funding objectives can be achieved on three sites, not including La Mare de Carteret High School. At least one of the models looked at should include a co-located sixth-form centre.
This offers the possibility of 11-16 schools at Baubigny, Les Beaucamps and Les Varendes with a sixth-form centre at the former Grammar School site.
Both Deputy St Pier and Deputy Trott attended the recent protest march against the plans and say the amendment comes in light of concerns from teachers and the public.
‘This is an amendment designed to offer the States choice on this crucially important issue,’ said Deputy Trott. ‘In my many years in politics I have never encountered such strong views from a large section of our community on a policy decision of the States that is so far down the road to delivery. And those views cannot, and must not, be ignored.’
P&R acknowledged that both the community and education professionals had concerns in light of the developing picture of the scale, density, facilities and traffic management plans that arose with redevelopment proposals for the two colleges of Lisia School at Les Beaucamps and Baubigny.
They said the requete as it stands risked re-opening discussion on secondary and tertiary education provision in general.
Senior members of P&R say they laid the amendment so that the States may – or may not – re-affirm support for the previous policy principles twice agreed by the States. A maximum expenditure of £77.9m. would be maintained.
‘Unlike the requete, this amendment seeks to keep current work streams on track while considering the concerns of the community within the current full business case, and should build on information already held by the [Education committee] in determining its proposals for which two sites should be brought forward.’
The risk of delay could be further explored by P&R when it has received the formal consultation response to the requete from Education for the States to debate.
They said it was important that work continues to develop the Guernsey Institute as the approved tertiary model for vocational, professional and technical education for full-time and part-time students, including apprentices.
The debate opens next Wednesday.
The St Pier-Trott amendment was just one of five amendments to the requete which have now been laid.
Another, proposed by Deputy Emilie McSwiggan and seconded by Deputy Jennifer Merrett, sought to ensure that the redevelopment of La Mare de Carteret Primary School and the Guernsey Institute be addressed alongside the work on secondary education.
The third was proposed by Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez and seconded by Deputy Sarah Hansmann-Rouxel, seeking to address transport and infrastructure concerns over secondary education sites.
Another was proposed by Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez and seconded by Deputy Jennifer Merrett and sought to make it explicit that only non-selective models of secondary education would be considered.
Finally, Education president Matt Fallaize’s amendment, seconded by his deputy Richard Graham, sought to set up a debate soon after June’s general election on whether further space should be added to the new schools at Baubigny and Les Beaucamps.
