Education admits "we have some way to go"

Tuesday 24 January 2023

The first annual report on Guernsey's Education Strategy shows that "we have some way to go on a journey of continual improvement" according to the ESC President.

Deputy Andrea Dudley Owen said the review also shows that "we know how to get there" in her own appraisal of the annual report.

The President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said that the strategy is "a route map" for the island to use to align all activity across each of the local educational settings.

She says if any part of the strategy does not align then it must ever be realigned or be stopped altogether.

Pictured: The first annual review of the Education Strategy can be read in full HERE.

"After so many years of uncertainty in education the Committee made one of its first actions to set a much-needed route map, so that across the system everyone would understand where we are collectively headed," she said. "That route map – our Education Strategy – has enabled proper alignment of action and now informs everything that happens across the whole education system. Our policymaking and the operational decisions of our teams must align with the Strategy; and if we have been doing things that don’t align with the Strategy, we must realign them or stop doing them altogether." 

The annual report is mainly positive with some signs of positive progress made in key priority areas. However the report also shows more improvement is needed in other areas.

Deputy Dudley Owen said this shows that "it will take us time to get the education system to where we need it to be, but we are striving together towards that goal".

She said: "At its highest level the Education Strategy is simple: we aspire to excellence right across our education system, for every learner and for everyone working to support them. This Report is the first of its kind and clearly shows that we have some way to go on a journey of continual improvement, but we know how to get there. By stating our strategic Priorities and Commitments and striving to realise them, we will deliver the excellent education system that all of our children, young people and adult learners deserve, that our workforce can be proud to be part of and that our community can have confidence in. I need to openly say that it will take us time to get the education system to where we need it to be, but we are striving together towards that goal.

"As well as setting the strategic direction, one of the Committee’s most important functions is to govern our education system. In part, we achieve this by holding our Senior Leadership Team to account for progress against our Strategy, and we have robustly challenged the evaluations within this Report to ensure it is an honest and objective summary of where we are today. It is the baseline against which our future progress can be assessed."

The Director of Education, Nick Hynes, said that "the success of any organisation is underpinned by a clear plan which sets out how that organisation is going to move forward and develop, and I strongly believe that the vehicle to enable us to achieve this is our Education Strategy."

Pictured: Nick Hynes, Guernsey's Director of Education.

He reiterated that "the Education Strategy is quite simply the glue that binds everything together and ensures that everyone working across our organisation is working toward the same vision, with the same shared values and aims".

Mr Hynes also acknowledged the ongoing challenges within education but said the first annual report on the education strategy offers clear guidance.

"We know that there are great and exciting things happening across many areas of education at the moment and there is much to be proud of, but there are also existing challenges and things we know we need to do better. We know we are not quite where we would like to be just yet and this Report is a transparent and honest appraisal of the progress we believe we have made against the priorities and commitments within our Strategy so far. In this Report we set out where we are now and what we are going to do to improve things moving forward; recognising that this will take time. 

"Everything we do must focus on getting the very best outcomes for all our children, young people and adult learners. This means listening to all stakeholders, building on the stability we now have, working together as a team, building trust, and having confidence in our leaders to make the right decisions. We won’t always get this right first time but we will listen and learn because working together not only with all staff but also with the community we serve is key. If we can do this then I am confident that together we will deliver an aspirational and excellent education system for Guernsey and Alderney."

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