ESC members stay put to carry out education review
EDUCATION’S politicians are staying in post in a bid to direct any future changes. But they are asking the States to show that the Assembly has confidence in them.
The comment follows last week’s successful requete, under which they were instructed to stop their current plans to create two 11-18 colleges as part of the new Lisia School and review the system of secondary education.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: ‘The committee is proposing to remain in office because it considers that it is best placed to commence the review, but recognises that following the recent States debate it can remain in office only with the renewed authority of the States.
‘The committee’s proposals will include one to allow the States to express whether it has confidence in the committee remaining in office for the last few weeks of the States’ term.’
The committee is set to meet union leaders today and they will be writing to parents to give information to cover issues such as admission arrangements to secondary schools.
Education is now proposing to submit a policy letter to the States for debate at the March meeting which will look to rule out any education options that conflict with the new Guernsey Institute and give greater clarity to the review.
ESC president Matt Fallaize said: ‘After the events of last week, the committee has spent a few days considering the review of secondary education models which now needs to take place. Whether it is our committee or another, we believe there is a clear need for the States to provide clarity on the models that should be reviewed.’
Requete signatories said they had hoped that work on the Guernsey Institute – which integrated the College of Further Education, the Institute of Health and Social Care Studies and the GTA University Centre – would continue.
But Education was concerned that some models of education could affect it. To safeguard it, the committee is suggesting ruling out of the review any model with post-16 arrangements incompatible with the concept of the Guernsey Institute in its present form.
‘Under the terms of the requete approved by the States, the review would also need to include education models which the committee believes the States have no serious intention of taking forward, but which were previously considered, such as creating middle schools for children between the ages of 11 and 14,’ the spokesperson said.
‘The review as directed also does not currently require assessment of three 11-18 colleges, which is seen by some people as a reasonable compromise incorporating 11-18 providers for all secondary students, but on three sites rather than two. Therefore, the committee will propose narrowing the review to a smaller number of models for which reasonable levels of enthusiasm have been expressed previously.
‘Other issues left unresolved, which the committee’s policy letter will seek to address, include the concept of one school in the secondary phase, which is already in development, and the level of detail required in the assessment of various education models.
‘The policy letter will lay out a realistic timeline and a budget for the review.’
If the States backs the Education letter, it is hoped that it will give the current and future committees greater direction.
‘This will keep costs down, allow the review to proceed more swiftly than it would otherwise and allow the committee to work with the profession on the realistic options in a focused way,’ the spokesperson said.
