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The recently appointed Director of Education has withdrawn from her post before she even started work full time, because of personal reasons.
It's been announced by the Policy & Resources Committee that Laurie Baker - who was due to move to the island within weeks "has taken the decision to withdraw from her post due to a change in family circumstances".
Mrs Baker has been working part-time for the Bailiwick's Committee for Education, Sport and Culture for some months already after being appointed in April, but she was only due to take up her new post full-time from mid-August this year, ahead of the new school term.
A spokesperson from the P&R Committee, which is responsible for the appointment of the Director of Education, said "emerging family circumstances" were to blame for her decision to withdraw.
Mrs Baker also echoed that in her own statement, in which she tried to separate her own decision from the recent furore over the appointment of another woman into a separate role within education locally.
Pictured: Mrs Baker had been appointed as the Director of Education at a time of huge changes within education locally. She was to oversee the transformation of secondary education and the introduction of the newly formed Guernsey Institute among her many other responsibilities.
Mrs Baker was appointed in April, to replace the former acting-Director of Education, retired headteacher Andrew Warren, who had filled the role for less than a year to help out while a permanent post-holder could be recruited.
At the time of her appointment, ESC said Mrs Baker "has a thorough understanding of education practice; school leadership; local authority education policy delivery; the Ofsted inspection framework; and area-wide oversight of standards of education from nursery to post-16, special schools and alternative provision."
She was based in London before her planned relocation to Guernsey, where she had been the Director of Education Quality & Strategy at Hillingdon Borough Council since April 2015.
Pictured: Deputy Matt Fallaize is the President of ESC but he hasn't commented on Mrs Baker's decision to withdraw from the post of Director of Education, with P&R commenting instead.
At the time of Mrs Baker's appointment, the ESC President, Deputy Matt Fallaize was quoted praising her "very broad experience of education in senior roles, including in local government. In an excellent field of candidates, she made an outstanding impression at interview and at stakeholder events which we held as part of a rigorous selection process for the role of Director of Education. We are delighted that Laurie has accepted the role and look forward to her starting in post before the start of the next academic year. She will play a significant role in the future of education in the Bailiwick, including as the Committee’s most senior education advisor.”
However, as the appointment of Director of Education comes under P&R's remit that committee has issued a public statement on Mrs Baker's decision to stand down before moving to the island to start work full-time.
P&R said:
"The Director of Education is a statutory appointment made under the Education Law by P&R. Mrs Baker has had to make the difficult personal decision to stand down from this post due to emerging family circumstances, making the relocation to Guernsey untenable. It is a great shame that she is unable to take up the role full time at the end of August as she had intended but it is completely understandable that her family should come first. We wish her and her family all the very best for the future."
Mrs Baker has also said her decision to withdraw is nothing to do with the recent publication of information relating to the appointment of Clare Sealy into the newly created role of Head of Curriculum and Standards. Ms Sealy had applied for the Director of Education role and impressed the interview panel so much that a new post was created for her, but a different, locally resident, candidate was given that role following their own interview, until ESC President Deputy Fallaize stepped in to overrule the decision.
Mrs Baker said; "It’s my view that the direction of travel for educational change across the Bailiwick is positive, exciting and will make a real difference to the opportunities for the children, young people and families who are fortunate enough to live here. Whilst I am no longer able to fulfil this post, I will be following Guernsey’s transformation journey with interest.
"My decision has not been made in haste nor in light of the very recent and public issues relating to ESC recruitment. It is has been a very difficult decision for me but it is in the best interests of my family."
Pictured: The Director of Education oversees all aspects of education in Guernsey and Alderney, but for most people the priority is the ongoing transformation of secondary education which is due to culminate in a debate over funding the so-called 'two-school model' next month.
P&R said the search for a new Director of Education will start shortly.
The current Education Services senior leadership team will arrange cover for aspects of the Director of Education role over the coming months, and it is hoped Mrs Baker 'will continue to be able provide strategic educational advice throughout the autumn term on a part time consultancy basis'.
P&R said the official search for her replacement will not begin actively 'until the new roles of Committee Secretary and Director of Operations embed into the organisation. This will allow time for the Committee to develop an appropriate process for filling the role'.
Pictured top: Laurie Baker.
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