Education – not enough space at Les Varendes for sixth form
The Education Committee has denied that there is enough teaching space to house the Sixth Form Centre and high school pupils in the future at Les Varendes.
In detailed response to written questions from Deputy Lindsay de Saumarez, the committee said that it was between 469sq. m and 1,236sq. m short at Les Varendes to accommodate seven years of students, and this did not include non-teaching spaces, such as breakout rooms, canteens, or the Youth Commission and Music Service, planned to be housed on the site.
However, a consultants’ report, commissioned and completed last year, has indicated that there could be enough total space on the site, if other education services were not based at Les Varendes. It said that both the 11-16 students and sixth form ‘would theoretically fit’ on the campus, provided they continued to share some specialist teaching areas.
‘The report recognised that there is a difference between what is theoretically possible and practically achievable,’ the committee said.
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The committee also asked consultants Peter Marsh Consulting for cost estimates of creating the required teaching capacity at Les Varendes. It said that direct building costs would be between £1.5m. and £5.4m., which could rise to £1.6m. and £5.7m. with inflation.
ESC said it had explored a number of options on how to create space at Les Varendes, and also noted that it would disrupt learning because students would need to be relocated during construction phases.
It ruled out accommodating ancillary school services at La Mare de Carteret instead of Les Varendes as the ‘least favourable of the options’.
Accommodating the Sixth Form Centre on the La Mare site will cost £157,000, with a chance of needing to spend £548,000 over four years.
The committee also said that the four High Schools currently had a combined budget of £21.78m., and an average cost of £8,200 per pupil.
The model with a separate Sixth Form Centre would start at £21.44m. in 2025/26 and reduce slightly in the years to follow, at an average cost of £8,100 per pupil.
