La Mare Sixth Form plans prompt talk of education rethink

Thursday 15 December 2022

Education’s plans to move the Sixth Form Centre to La Mare de Carteret have come under fire and prompted talk of rethinking their new secondary school model.

The committee faces rising costs and delays after it dropped RG Falla as the contractor to revamp Les Ozouets to become a Post-16 campus.

It has since announced that the sixth form will move from its current location at Les Varendes to La Mare for the 2025-26 academic year to help it to press ahead with its reorganisation of secondary education from four to three 11-16 schools as planned in September 2025.

Deputy Peter Roffey was a member of Education, Sport & Culture last term when it put forward the two-school model.He raised concerns with the latest moves during Question Time in the States on Wednesday and followed them up with a series of Tweets, highlighting the fact that two cohorts of Sixth Form students will have to move schools twice in two years during A-levels. 

1. I am genuinely concerned that two cohorts of our 6th form students will have to move schools twice in 2 years during A levels. Either secondary school to 6th form centre in 24 then 6th form centre to LM in 25. Or secondary school to LM in 25 and LM to 6th form centre in 26.

— Peter John "Rufus" Roffey (@PeterRoffey5) December 14, 2022

Some will be moving to the Sixth Form Centre from a secondary school in 2024 and then to the temporary location in 2025. Other to La Mare in 2025 and then to the new location in 2026. He also fears the use of La Mare may go on for longer than a year.

"After all, for a decade the received wisdom has been the building either needed to be rebuilt or closed down as it had passed its sell-by date," he said.

When he raised the effect on students during the States debate, Deputy Neil Inder accused him of political point scoring and suggested that the pupils were much more resilient than Deputy Roffey believed.

Pictured: Deputy Neil Inder.

Education President Andrea Dudley Owen agreed with Deputy Inder.

Addressing the ‘political point’ accusation, Deputy Roffey asked what did Deputy Inder expect from a politician speaking in parliament?

"I am genuinely worried for all of our island youngsters. Am I alone or making mountains out of molehills?"

Deputy Roffey said that if the new Sixth Form block has been deemed ‘non commercially viable’  then the fall back position should be investment at Les Varendes to allow it to take La Mare pupils and remain an 11-18 school."

He suggested it would cost less and avoid the “currently proposed nonsense”.

Pictured: Pupils aged 11-16 will study at St Sampson's, Les Beaucamps and Les Vardendes from 2025 under ESC's plans.

On Wednesday, Deputy Dudley Owen faced a series of questions from Deputy Gavin St Pier about cost savings expected from the new education model, revealing reorganising secondary education would release around £600,000 a year of recurring savings, some of which would be reinvested into initiatives “that improve educational outcomes”.

She conceded that the need to contract with a different construction company for the post-16 campus at Les Ozouets might impact both time and cost.

Deputy Dudley Owen said that temporarily housing the Sixth Form Centre at La Mare de Carteret will have “minimal impact on those students”.