Education quizzed over increasing class sizes

Figures obtained by the Guernsey Press showed that the average Year 7 form had 28 pupils at the start of the current school year, compared to 23 five years ago and 22 five years before that.

In one States secondary school, the average Year 7 form this September was a fraction short of 30 pupils, and in another it was 29.

Five years ago, no States secondary school had a Year 7 form exceeding 23 pupils, and five years before that none exceeded 25 pupils.

Education, Sport & Culture provided the figures without comment.

But Lindsay de Sausmarez has now submitted a series of Rule 14 written questions to which ESC president Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen must reply by 9 November, a few days ahead of her committee appearing at a Scrutiny public hearing.

‘As a parent of four children spanning Year 1 to Year 11 in States schools who hears a lot from other parents, I have picked up increasing concerns over what seem to be very large class sizes in our secondary schools, and a significant difference in class sizes across schools in the primary sector as well.

‘I have asked ESC for the data to establish the facts on this issue,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.

Her questions request information about class sizes in all primary and secondary year groups and the allocation of teachers across each secondary school site.

She also asked for more details about exam grades achieved by students in States schools recently, together with comparisons with previous years.

That question is understood to have been prompted by figures recently released by the States which indicated declines in the proportion of Year 11 students obtaining GCSEs at grade 4 or above.

The States’ new facts and figures booklet showed that between 2019 and the final 11-plus year group in 2023, the proportion of students in States schools achieving at least a grade 4 fell from 79% to 67% in English language, from 59% to 53% in English and maths combined, and from 67% to 62% when all subjects were taken into account.

Provisional results for 2024 indicated a very slight improvement on the previous year in English language but a larger decline in maths and virtually no change in the figure for all subjects.

In addition, Deputy de Sausmarez has asked ESC to explain more about the cost-effectiveness of staffing arrangements in schools as the States moves from operating 11-16 education on four sites, one of which also has a sixth form centre, to a new model of three 11-16 schools and a standalone sixth form centre on a separate site.

‘I also asked a verbal question at last week’s States meeting about the apparent churn of teachers within our schools, which is something many parents have mentioned to me recently,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.

‘I know students who will have had four tutors in nine months, for example.

‘A local parent reported that his child has had nine French teachers in a little over two years, whilst another student he knows is on his 12th French teacher.

‘I have been promised some information on these things as well.’