Education "should be an election issue"

Saturday 21 December 2019

Some Deputies believe the future of local education is and should be an election issue in 2020, as they called for a halt to the one-school plans.

Education recently submitted planning applications to extend and develop the St Sampson's and Les Beaucamps sites in order to accommodate two larger colleges.

Those plans have proved controversial because of the initial consultation period, the impact on traffic management and the parking available on site. 

Former Education Vice-President Carl Meerveld felt the consultation window was a deliberate ploy to avoid negative feedback. 

"The Education debate is a prime example of just how bad this Assembly has become, involving deplorable, machiavellian machinations to avoid full public and teacher engagement and railroad the project through before the end of this term," he said. 

"The initial consultation was undertaken over the summer when both parents and teachers were enjoying their deserved downtime, ending in a debate on 5 September, the day schools returned and culminating in a decision to proceed with these ridiculous two school proposals. 

"The planning consultation on the decisions for the building is now undertaken over the Christmas holidays while parents and teachers are again distracted.

Pictured: Deputy Meerveld alleged that Education's actions "are part of a deliberate strategy to avoid proper engagement and railroad through these proposals."

"This is supported by the fact that the tendering process has been initiated at the same time as the plans have been submitted and without them being approved first, something which is unheard of with a rumoured starting date for construction of 1 June. 

"Education is trying to deliberately assign contracts and pour concrete prior to the election in an attempt to make it too difficult or expensive for the next assembly to reject this expensive folly and return to the cheaper and more practical and pragmatic three-school model."

Mother of the House Deputy Mary Lowe said her concerns went further than just the building designs or the Committee going out to tender without having plans already approved. 

She highlighted the lack of public presentations, the inaccessibility of the hefty planning documents and the startling findings from a NASUWT survey of teachers. 

Pictured: NASUWT Secretary Chris Keates has expressed concerns on behalf of local teachers. 

Over three quarters of teachers in Guernsey said they do not agree with the current plans for school transformation, with more than half concerned over potential overcrowding (64%), concerns around traffic and buses (63%), the lack of outside space (59%) and the lack of clarity around the transition process for staff (50%). 

“With all that put together there’s really not much left in Education’s plans,” said Deputy Lowe. 

Education acknowledged recently they needed to improve communication with staff and engage with the unions over their plans. 

“There is nothing that has been reported that suggests that has actually happened, that the concerns that the unions and teachers have are being listened to.”

On the planning applications for the two sites, Deputy Lowe said: “I have been in Frossard House this morning and you would have to sit there for a whole day to see and understand those plans. I have seen a lot of plans and helped people to understand plans but they are overwhelming - there are 29 sketch plans for just one of the schools alone – and even the end of January is too soon [as the end of public consultation].”

Pictured: Education's traffic plans for the new sites have proved controversial.

“Alongside that they have gone out to tender – it’s just rush, rush, rush.”

One particular aspect of the plans she objected to was the creation of just four extra car parking spaces at Les Beaucamps, which she feels send a bad message out to teachers, many of whom have other personal and family commitments which require them to have their own mode of transport. 

It’s an issue which she believes is symptomatic over a much wider issue with Education’s transformation project. 

“There are just so many elements where it hasn’t been thought through and the number of people who have contacted me since the release of the plans to ask if there is anything the States can do is well into double numbers.

"They are saying there needs to be more engagement and that this should be an election issue. This shouldn’t be rushed through, we have got to look at the difficulties with parents and teachers. 

“This is all being rushed through by Education as it’s all about having spades in the ground before the election.

“However, this is much bigger than that. 

“Education should be out there putting on public presentations at Les Beaucamps and St Sampson’s, at least half a dozen during January and February.” 

“This is about children’s education, and we have to think about the effect it will have on children and the teachers and parents who are saying this just isn’t right."

Pictured: Deputy Chris Green is encouraging people to engage with the consultation process and make sure their voices are heard. 

St Sampson's Deputy Jennifer Merrett supported Education's attempts to encourage greater independence in young people and creating safe ways to get to the new school sites without needing to use a car. 

"On an island our size, and in our close knit community, our secondary school children should be encouraged and be able to get to school without the taxi of mum and dad," she said. "Our infrastructure should be safe enough for them to navigate and our social policies should seek to ensure that the environment we live in is safe and secure.

"Of course there will be exceptions, those that need extra support be that physical or emotional, but in the main our children, especially by secondary school age, should be encouraged to seek independence and to be self-reliant whenever they can be."

However, Castel Deputy Chris Green expressed concerns about some of the traffic management plans and whether they will reduce the quality of life for parishioners.

Reacting to the plans, he said: "I was pleased to see that the consultation period was extended. It was highly inappropriate to close the consultation on the day after Boxing Day, which was originally the plan. December is usually a very busy time for families in Guernsey. It was also asking a lot for people to have to attend at Frossard House - in office hours only, of course - to view the full, complete plans that run to 500 pages or more and to make sense of a complex project.

"Now, people will have until the end of January 2020. Concerned neighbours and others with an interest should now have some time to study the plans and collect their thoughts on the plans. There is a significant level of public interest in these plans and people need to know what is being contemplated. Transparency requires that neighbours, staff and parents all fully understand what is being planned.

"As a parish deputy, I remain concerned about the implications of the planned extensions to Les Beaucamps School – particularly what it will mean for traffic management and quality of life issues in that area of the Castel – but I also have concerns about the amount of parking on the re-developed site and what the visual impact of the new buildings will be. I would advise all interested parties to have a look at the plans and raise any concerns with the planning authority."

Pictured top: Deputies Carl Meerveld and Mary Lowe.