Publication Of School Plans Delayed

Education, Sport and Culture is postponing the publication of its policy letter on the future of secondary education for further talks with staff

In February it gave a date 10 May 2021 for formally putting forward its proposal.

Earlier this month, ESC revealed it is focusing on two variations of three 11 - 16 schools and a sixth form centre located on a post-16 campus alongside The Guernsey Institute. 

The difference between the two is whether there a school at Les Varendes or La Mare de Carteret sites, with the current St Sampson’s and Les Beaucamps schools featuring in both options.

Today, the committee says it wants further consultation with staff following talks carried out in the last half of 2020 as a result of Pause & Review.  

It adds that it has 'considered time limitations and pressures of work on staff' before taking the decision to delay.

ESC says face-to-face talks were impossible under lockdown restrictions and debate in the States on the Government Work Plan upset plans to get together last week.

This week the schools and TGI will close for the Easter holidays. The committee has decided that a short delay to the publication of its policy letter – now planned for 28th May - is needed so that it can meet with staff groups.

The sessions will be led by independent facilitator Phil Eyre, who also ran workshops with staff last year. The second stage of the committee’s engagement with staff will take place in May.

A presentation, open to all Secondary and TGI staff, which will outline the contents of the policy letter and explain the committee's recommendations.

This presentation will also be delivered to other key stakeholder groups ahead of public presentations - at least one of which will be live-streamed on the States of Guernsey’s Facebook page.

‘From the start, we have been very clear on the importance of engaging with key stakeholders – in particular Secondary school and The Guernsey Institute staff. Extensive consultation was carried out last year as a result of Pause & Review, the feedback from which has significantly influenced the Committee’s direction of travel including the Guiding Principles for the future of Secondary and post-16 education that we published earlier this month." - Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture.