Deputy hits back at ESC’s ‘misleading’ claims

Tina Bury is leading the drive for the pause and review campaign to be honoured by Education, Sport & Culture.

She wants the review of different models to be completed and published so that States members can make an evidence-based and properly informed decision with all the facts in front of them.

Deputy Bury was surprised when ESC interpreted her amendment to this week’s Government Work Plan as an attempt to, in their words, ‘re-insert the much-maligned two-school model front and centre to the debate’.

The strongly-worded statement from ESC also said the amendment ‘seeks to drag its work backwards’ and that the ‘two-school model should be consigned to history’.

Deputy Bury said she wanted to correct inaccurate assumptions in ESC’s opposition to her amendment.

‘Education, Sport & Culture has taken the unusual step of issuing a press release in response to my amendment, and as the committee has characterised that amendment in a way that I believe is misleading, I feel it is necessary to issue a release in response in order to correct any inaccurate impressions it may have created.

‘Using language that I found surprising in an official States of Guernsey media release, Education, Sport & Culture suggests that my amendment seeks to “re-insert” the two-school model “front and centre” into the debate on secondary education.

‘My amendment does nothing of the kind: it just asks that the review that the Dudley-Owen pause and review requete called for is published as originally intended, in the interests of transparency and good governance.’

Education, Sport & Culture wants to progress its preferred model, which is for three 11-16 schools and a Sixth Form Centre at Les Ozouets alongside the Guernsey Institute. It says it will deliver a comprehensive piece of work, including all relevant evidence and background information, which led to that preferred model, including work carried out by the former committee.