Schools plan now 'looks certain' to be approved

Proposals from Education, Sport & Culture took several steps closer to being endorsed yesterday after 11 amendments to its model were either defeated, withdrawn or rejected without debate.

As business closed at 5.30pm yesterday, general debate had almost concluded but members voted to adjourn and finish discussions on the proposals today with ESC president Andrea Dudley-Owen’s summing-up speech.

Even the most ardent opponents of ESC’s plans are resigned to them being approved. As yesterday’s debate drew to a close, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez was fighting back tears of frustration at the lack of answers she had received about how the school plans will be implemented.

Deputy Tina Bury asked how ESC intended to cope with the vehement opposition of teaching staff to its proposals.

‘What strategy is in place to heal the divisions that have been caused over the course of this debate and can she guarantee us that this sort of roughshod being ridden over them won’t lead to strike action by our teaching staff?’ she asked.

Planned closure of La Mare de Carteret High School took up much of the second day of the September meeting, with Deputy Marc Leadbeater leading attempts to save it. His seconder, Deputy David De Lisle, argued their alternative plan would avoid larger class sizes and prevent the cost of building a new sixth form centre.

However, a majority agreed with ESC’s assessment that rebuilding the school would be too expensive.

The amendment lost, which will mean that if the ESC policy letter is approved as expected, the closure of La Mare will be confirmed and students transferred to Les Varendes.

ESC has said the transition arrangements will be ‘relatively quick’ and will mean the new framework can be operational by September 2024.

In addition, The Guernsey Institute – formerly known as the College of Further Education – which has outgrown its various ageing premises, will finally be relocated to a new site. That will be shared with a sixth form centre but the two institutions will remain operationally separate.

Today’s expected vote will determine ESC’s model for the buildings through which education can be provided. Its strategy for what that education should be was to be published earlier this year but has been delayed and is now expected in the next few months.

This means secondary education in Guernsey looks increasingly likely to be delivered by three 11-16 schools at Les Varendes, Les Beaucamps and St Sampson’s – in addition to Le Murier, Les Voies and St Anne’s – with a new sixth form centre being built alongside a new Guernsey Institute at Les Ozouets.