‘We need stable workforce to improve GCSE maths results’

States schools’ results saw those achieving a grade 4 pass or above in maths fall from 57.8% in 2023 to 51.4%. This was well down on the Bailiwick-wide results of 62.8% and England with 59.6%.

Although results in English saw some improvement year-on-year, and are generally much better, the States has admitted that only half of leavers at the States-maintained schools leave with at least grade 4 passes in maths, English language and English literature.

To go on to the Sixth Form Centre, students need five grade 4 passes, including English language, and if they have not achieved a pass in maths they must continue to study the subject.

Education said that it had a focus on making improvements in areas such as maths.

Speaking on BBC Guernsey yesterday, Education, Sport & Culture president Andrea Dudley-Owen said that her committee was already acting on maths.

‘We know that, we’ve identified that,’ she said. ‘In the same way that we’ve looked to put in support for English, we’re now doing that with maths. We’ve seen that those results over a period of time have improved internally. And on a 12 to 18-month trajectory, we will see an improvement in the output via the GCSE results.’

Deputy Dudley-Owen said that the States had overly relied on temporary maths teachers and was struggling to recruit in a global shortage. However all teaching positions in the subject would be filled for the start of next term.

‘We need to continue with efforts to make sure that we have a stable, settled workforce, because we know that continuity and consistency for our children, insofar as having the same staff member in front of them for their lessons, is really important.’

She described this year’s results as a ‘landmark moment for education in Guernsey’, coming from the first cohort that did not go through selection for secondary education, and said that more stability was being achieved in education.

‘I am excited for the future as the system further embeds as we move ahead.’

But the committee can expect the results to fall under greater political scrutiny in the coming weeks.

Deputy Gavin St Pier said that he welcomed recognition that more work needed to be done to improve maths results.

‘Like it or hate it, maths is a subject that is an essential life skill as well as being key requirement to enter the jobs market or move onto the next stage of education,’ he said.

He said he wanted to know what improvements were being made and in what time-frame.

Deputy St Pier has also asked for more information on the performance of higher-achieving students, including percentages for 7-9 grades to compare with England and Jersey.

Writing yesterday in the Jersey Evening Post, he said it was important to avoid complacency and the feeling that scrutiny was unwarranted.

‘It is entirely reasonable that policy-makers should be asking whether our education systems are producing both what they should, and what is needed.’

Chris Gnapp, managing director at Leapfrog Recruitment, said that maths and English were still the most important exams for employers but were perhaps not quite as important as they were five years ago.

‘Ask most HR managers what the first thing they look for is on a CV and it is still maths and English, but you are more than your grades and companies are more than ever focusing on personality and motivation. Personality is equal, if not now more important, than your grades on a piece of paper.’