Catholic schools plans defeated by landslide

Employment & Social Security had proposed that nine senior roles across Blanchelande College, St Mary & St Michael and Notre Dame du Rosaire primary schools should be open to candidates of any or no faith, as part of new anti-discrimination laws.

Deputy Bob Murray’s amendment to protect the status quo was successful by 27 votes to 3, with five abstentions, while four deputies were absent.

Deputy Murray said the ESS plan threatened the future of the three schools.

‘It risks contravention of human rights legislation, it risks the closure of the three schools involved, it risks unknown but not insignificant costs to the States both in having to provide alternative arrangements and in terms of reputational damage to Guernsey, and could even put us at odds with established UK legislation.’

Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, the president of Education, Sport & Culture, said the characteristics and qualities of a head teacher were important to the whole community and not just the school.

‘A leader who is knowledgeable and experienced, not just a professional educator but also a practitioner of their faith, someone who is able to lead religious worship and ensure that the religious values are upheld through the daily discipline, actions and relationships with their school community, that is fundamental to the success of our voluntary schools and, in fact, any faith school.’

Deputies Peter Roffey, Lindsay de Sausmarez and Tina Bury were the sole voices who voted against the amendment.

Deputy Roffey saw the writing on the wall early on, but said he needed to be able to look himself in the mirror, because it was unfair to bar non-Catholics from the senior roles.

‘They are able to teach there for five, 10, 15, 20 years, become a head of department, become a real mainstay of the school and its leadership team, really contribute to creating the special atmosphere and ethos inside those schools, and no-one is currently suggesting that threatens the Catholic nature of that education.

‘But the moment that loyal employee, the States of Guernsey employee, applies to become a deputy head then we their employer, the government of Guernsey, will blatantly discriminate against them on the basis of their religion and even on the basis that they don’t attend church enough.’

In a debate where the word ‘ideology’ became a dirty word, Deputy John Gollop was happy to express an alternative view.

‘I am an ideologue, I do have a dogma on some of these issues, and I have an agenda as well.

‘One of those agendas is to get for Guernsey the long overdue equalities legislation and disability rights legislation that most other places have enjoyed since the 1960s and 1970s.’