Guernsey Press

Teachers need support at testing time

THERE is now little over a month to go before the island knows which two sites are to form the basis of the new all-ability secondary system – and which two schools are to close.

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Education, Sport & Culture has promised that parents, teachers and pupils will know by the coming half-term (Monday 29 October) and, unlike its predecessors, this committee likes to stay on schedule.

For teachers in particular, this is a nervous time, the moment when their future seems most uncertain.

For this is the moment that the high-minded struggle between two philosophies – all-ability and selection – fades away and it all becomes personal.

‘What will it mean for me?’ is a natural response for staff who do not yet know how they will fit in.

‘Will my school be closed? Will I have to move? Who will be my new colleagues? Will I get a promotion, or a demotion?’

As anybody who has gone through significant change at work knows, such periods can be deeply uncomfortable.

As is human nature, some teachers will be excited and confident, others wary and worried.

And all the while they have to continue providing the best education they can for their charges.

As the president of the National Union of Teachers says, at such times communication is key. Teachers and parents need to believe that their concerns are being listened to. It cannot feel like a decision imposed from on high.

So it was good to hear that union leader Kiri Tunks was welcomed and engaged with by both the new director of education and his political bosses. She will have been able to give honest feedback from the shop floor that should be invaluable.

Her mark was not an A* (or a 9) – ‘At times communication has not always been as clear as it could be’ – but it was positive.

A good relationship between staff and leaders will be vital in the coming weeks and months. Transition (as the UK and EU is finding out) can be painful.

Teachers will also need the support and understanding of islanders.

The alternative is too costly to contemplate as pupils and parents find a demotivated workforce with many of its brightest stars questioning their future.