Les Varendes High and Sixth Form to separate in September
The leadership of Les Varendes High School and the Sixth Form Centre will separate in September, as the school takes the next major step toward becoming an 11-16 school and a separate, standalone sixth form college.
This split is in preparation for the Sixth Form Centre’s move from the Les Varendes site in September 2025, when it will move to its temporary location at La Mare de Carteret.
Verona Tomlin, the current principal of Les Varendes High School and the Sixth Form Centre, will become the principal of the High School, while Kieran James will assume his designated position as principal of the Sixth Form Centre.
‘Since Les Varendes High School officially opened nearly 12 months ago, a great deal of work has been taking place with La Mare de Carteret High School, whom we will fully integrate with in September 2025,’ said Mrs Tomlin.
‘The plan has always been that when this integration happens, the Sixth Form Centre will relocate from the Les Varendes site to its new temporary home at La Mare de Carteret. This is another step toward that goal, and will allow us to move forward with developing Les Varendes High and the Sixth Form Centre as separate organisations.’
Mr James said that work had been progressing for more than a year to prepare the Sixth Form for this separation.
‘We have been engaging with students’ input on the centre’s policies and procedures through our student design board, creating an individual brand, and preparing upgrades to the LMDC site to make it suitable for post-16 studies,’ he said.
‘While there is still a year to go until we move, establishing separate leadership now will allow us to begin the transition in a phased way, enabling a smooth and coordinated process when we do move. As educationalists we are all committed to putting our students first, and we are seeking to make these changes in a way that has minimal impact on them. I am confident now that when we do separate, the Sixth Form Centre will remain the centre of excellence that it always has been.’
The two organisations will also have their own interim governance boards, with the Sixth Form’s to be established at the start of the next academic year, and Les Varendes’ board to focus entirely on the high school.
The change will mark another step towards Education Sport & Culture’s intended final model of three 11-16 schools and a separate Sixth Form Centre.
Plans remain in place to build a dedicated Sixth Form Centre at Les Ozouets, but this is only planned to happen when funding is made available.
However, the £1m. foundations of the Sixth Form Centre building should soon be under construction as part of the development of the Guernsey Institute which is due to open on the Les Ozouets site in 2027.
