Les Ozouets post-16 campus a step closer
DEPUTIES have narrowly thrown out a bid to keep the sixth form centre at Les Varendes and by next weekend the States could have finally agreed a future plan for secondary and post-16 education.
Deputy Andy Cameron’s amendment for three 11-16 schools and a co-located sixth form centre at Les Varendes was defeated by 22 votes to 17 yesterday evening.
The debate was billed as Education, Sport & Culture’s model versus the Cameron model, and despite more amendments to be debated, the result means that ESC’s plans for three 11-16 schools and a post-16 campus at Les Ozouets now look very likely to be approved when debate resumes next week.
After the vote Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen was quietly confident about the prospects of her committee’s plans.
‘We want to get to that really exciting place for building our future in Guernsey and investing in our young people. I hope that we keep that consistency of support so that we can deliver.’
Deputy Cameron said: ‘I do feel disappointed but at the end of the day, I’ve represented the teachers, so I’ve done my best.’
A survey had revealed a majority of mainstream secondary teachers were against ESC’s plans.
‘I’m extremely disappointed on behalf of a majority of teachers,’ said Les Beaucamps English teacher Sarah Buck, speaking on behalf of its organisers.
‘The results, along with some of the comments made about teachers, incorrectly assume that we were looking after ourselves rather than our students, and are extremely disappointing and a misrepresentation of teaching staff in the island.’
Policy & Resources president Deputy Peter Ferbrache had earlier urged members to be aspirational, ‘always reach for the stars’ and to back the ESC proposals.
Meanwhile Deputy Peter Roffey was among those unconvinced by the policy letter. He warned members that this was not the end of a debate which goes back some 20 years.
‘I’ve been in politics long enough to know that it will not be the end of the story.’
