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The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture is confident that its plans remain on track to reorganise secondary and further education as agreed by the States last year.
"There have been no material changes to the costs agreed by the States or the timeline we have previously announced publicly," said the Committee's President, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen.
The States have delegated authority to the Policy & Resources Committee to sign off up to £105million of capital costs for the Committee's reorganisation. It involves moving sixth form studies from Les Varendes and co-locating them with The Guernsey Institute in brand new buildings at Les Ozouets and closing La Mare de Carteret High School to leave the island with three 11-16 secondary schools.
The States approved the plans in September 2021. In February this year, the Committee announced that it was delaying the completion date of its new model by one year - from September 2024 to September 2025.
But Deputy Dudley-Owen has rebuffed concerns recently expressed by some politicians privately that the timeline may have slipped further or that costs may have escalated.
"The implementation of the re-organisation of secondary and post-16 education, agreed by the States in September 2021, is continuing as planned and we look forward to sharing details of positive developments and milestones in the months ahead," said Deputy Dudley-Owen.
Pictured: The Committee's plans, agreed by the States 14 months ago, include closing the States' Sixth Form Centre at Les Varendes, where it currently operates with the Grammar School, and relocating it to Les Ozouets, where it will operate with The Guernsey Institute.
Express asked the Committee a list of questions about the budget and timeline of its reorganisation. The Committee did not provide all of the details requested, but Deputy Dudley-Owen said: "Should any material changes occur, we will inform the Assembly in the first instance, as we previously committed to and is appropriate".
The Committee will find out this morning whether it needs to look for a new member. Its Vice-President, Deputy Bob Murray, is standing in the election for a new member of the Policy & Resources Committee, and if he is elected by the States he will be required to leave the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture.
"He [Deputy Murray] was instrumental in convincing the majority of the Committee that it was the right model for Guernsey. He has been heavily involved in its development. There is no one in the Committee with the knowledge of or insight into the programme that he has," said Deputy Cameron.
But Deputy Dudley-Owen said she did not agree with Deputy Cameron's claim. She said that she would be sad to lose a valued colleague from her Committee, but that Deputy Murray's departure would have "no material impact on the delivery of all elements of our wide-ranging mandate, including the reorganisation of secondary and post-16 education".
Pictured: Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen (left) and another member of her Committee, Deputy Andy Cameron, have disagreed on the potential effect of the Committee losing its Vice-President, Deputy Bob Murray (right).
States' members agreed during the term of the previous Assembly to invest up to £51.1m to organise further and higher education in purpose-built facilities on a single site. The Guernsey Institute includes the College of Further Education, Institute of Health & Social Care Studies and GTA University Centre.
In addition, the budget to reorganise secondary education agreed by the present States in September 2021 comprises the following:
Pictured (top): Plans for The Guernsey Institute at Les Ozouets and (inset) the States' four existing secondary schools.
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