More data needed on all-ability education, say deputies

Tuesday 13 July 2021

Two Deputies are keen to delay any decision on the future of secondary education until more data has been collected on the current system, while also proposing the retention of La Mare de Carteret as part of a preferred three-school model.

Deputies Marc Leadbeater and David De Lisle have brought forward two amendments to Education, Sport and Culture’s policy letter on the reorganisation of post-16 education.

ESC is proposing three comprehensive 11-16 schools and a new sixth form centre at a cost of £43.5m. 

The proposals have been met with concern from the unions and Deputy Leadbeater said an interim move could be a better way forward than wholesale change. 

“It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that there is a hesitancy amongst teachers to have any radical change at this point,” he said. “The rationale behind that is we don’t have the data currently to analyse how our all-ability system is working.”

Pictured: “The consensus I feel at the moment is we need a review, but we don’t know exactly how we’re performing at the moment,” said Deputy Leadbeater.

Deputies Leadbeater and De Lisle are proposing two amendments.

The first amendment puts forward their preferred three-school model, with a rebuild of La Mare de Carteret and a sixth form centre at Les Varendes.

This is a repeat of an amendment Deputy Leadbeater put to the states during the debate over the two-school model three years ago. “I was elected on the strength of my manifesto, and in my manifesto I said I preferred the three-school model.

“This amendment we brought forward is our preferred three school model if we were going for a three-school model - it is exactly the same amendment that I brought back in January 2018,” he said.

Additionally, their second amendment seeks to keep the schools operating as they are for a further 3 years, allowing ESC to ‘review and assess’ how the all-ability schools are doing.

To do this would also require maintenance of La Mare De Carteret at a cost of £3-5million, if the States turns down the first amendment. 

Pictured: Deputy Leadbeater said he was brought round to the idea of a review after speaking with educationalists. This, he said, is the reason for Amendment 3.

The Grammar School is now recording educational data based on all-ability cohorts coming through, however it won’t be a comprehensive record until these cohorts have passed through the entire system.

“We won’t have the right data [to make a decision] until all the cohorts have moved through this system,” said Deputy Leadbeater.

“Once that has happened we should look at the options and see how we’re doing, we’ll have measurable statistics and then we can see if we need to make any changes and what those changes should be.

“This allows for a full and entire review,” he said.

Pictured: “If we go forward with a three-school model, then I think we’re closing the wrong school,” said Deputy Leadbeater on ESC’s proposal to close LMDC.

Deputy Leadbeater said his thinking has changed, after numerous discussions with educational staff, and said a ‘pause and review’ would be the best way forward.

“Let’s gather the data then complete a review and then make a decision,” he said. The States Assembly will be debating ESC’s proposals this week.