Now deputies are convinced, it’s time to persuade public

Although at least with the schools debate, you would be hard pushed to find someone affected who hasn’t engaged in this circus in one way or another.

The Alternative Model supporters landed a resounding victory last week, with a much stronger vote than was predicted before entering the chamber, and with it ending the troubled reign of this Education, Sport & Culture board.

Clearly they won over a decent rump of the undecided through their arguments over the three days – it is this skill that they will now have to take out into the community.

It is one thing winning over political colleagues who are immersed in a topic through endless presentations, reports and research, quite another a public who will mostly start with a healthy dose of scepticism – there is comfort in the familiar and what is now on the table is far from that.

There will be a clamour to know which schools will be developed, which will close and when it will all happen – and only so long that you can bat that away with an answer that “we need to do more research”.

Unions, too, will up the ante, pushing to get their members the best possible deal out of the reforms.

Arguing for a major policy change is one skill, enacting it quite another.

The most likely candidate to secure the presidency of the committee in February is Deputy Matt Fallaize, pictured, well immersed in the mechanics of politics, but unproven when it comes to leading a major committee and implementing change.

Deputy Fallaize has also sat as a board member on Education, a testing time as it went through a very sticky patch over GCSE results.

He, alongside the other three members who drew up the two-school approach, have all said they will stand for the four vacated seats.

Only Deputy Mark Dorey has experience heading up a department – but this is a time when you need a strong figurehead with golden communication skills. His strengths lie elsewhere.

The inevitable fall of the current Education, Sport & Culture once they lost this debate has been a long time coming. This is a result that had its origins in the selection debate and then a growing sense of frustration and distrust among political colleagues ever since.

At least this time the members of the board that had worked up the plans didn’t decide to continue with the ‘we’ll do whatever the States wants us to, even if we don’t think it’s the right way’ line.

They should all be well placed to scrutinise what goes next, but need to be wary in some cases of becoming a destructive force simply trying to settle perceived scores.

Politically, Deputy Lester Queripel finds himself in an intriguing position.

Voted onto the board on Wednesday with the endorsement of the then president and vice-president, and a supporter of the three-school approach ESC was advocating, he has decided to cling on to his seat.

He sees the committee as being about much more than just this debate and wants to remain and focus on the sports and arts part of its mandate.

But you would be foolish not to expect the schools issue to absolutely dominate.

Remember, too, that whoever takes over is not being handed an entirely steady ship – ESC was £2m. over its budget last year.

Earlier this term Policy and Resources had to step in because of friction between the board and senior staff.

The committee has made such abject progress on savings highlighted by consultants that they have now been put in special measures in an attempt to get things moving.

That follows years of inertia over savings promised under the financial transformation programme.

How Education staff at the centre react to the States could make or break this change.

They have devoted much time, in the words of outgoing president Paul Le Pelley, doing a demolition job on the two-school approach, which they will now be tasked with driving through.

Loosening the grip of the centre over the schools’ management and empowering head teachers is one of the many tasks the two-school approach favours too.

In some ways we need to see the metaphoric turkey voting for Christmas scenario.

The States can be a perverse place at times – so do not think it is inevitable the four members who drove the two-school bus will be given the job full-time.

It would be a whole lot cleaner and more reassuring for the new president to be able to nominate and get States endorsement of his or her entire board, though.

We need quick and coherent progress and that is achieved through a cohesive team and a balance of skills.

The four are already split between those who voted for and against retaining selection and have proven that is not a barrier to them working successfully together.

There is an expectation, from two schools supporters and opponents, that those who led the charge should take responsibility for implementing it.

Times they are a changin’

Frontrunner in the race to be the new Education president, Deputy Matt Fallaize, in August 2009:

‘When I hear about some of the quite apolitical business ministers become involved in, it doesn’t interest me much.

‘I would hate my time and energy to be diverted away from the real challenges of politics – for example policies, services, social welfare.’