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Three alternatives to the one school, two colleges model are being developed as like-for-like comparisons so that the States can decide whether to continue with the two colleges model or scrap it.
The Education, Sport & Culture Committee has responded to questions from Express about how the 'pause and review' has progressed since lockdown.
Despite the corona virus lockdown, ESC expects the review to be completed by the April 2021 deadline that was set pre-pandemic.
The Committee has also made a written affirmation that "absolutely all work" on the one school, two colleges model has stopped.
Pictured: ESC said the cost of the review is £650,000, which will be absorbed into the total 'Transforming Education' costs.
The States approved a requete at the beginning of March to 'pause and review' the move to Education's preferred 11-18 model. Shortly before lockdown, the States agreed to the majority of ESC's proposals for how the review would work in practice.
Since then, work has commenced on the comparison of three alternative education models against the ‘benchmark’ of the one school, two colleges option.
These are:
Three 11-18 colleges
Two 11-16 colleges and an 11-18 college
Three 11-16 colleges and a separate sixth form centre
The plan is to make these comparisons on two grounds - capital and revenue costs.
"The three models will be worked up so that they include all facilities/features that were part of the two colleges model in both capital terms (for example, CAS bases and swimming pools on each site) and revenue terms (for example, retaining the current class size policy).
"This will provide a base level comparison of models containing the same features but varying in cost in both revenue and capital terms.
Pictured: Les Ozouets will be re-developed as the purpose-built Guernsey Institute, which will amalgamate the island's higher education establishments. The plans are being developed separately from the Lisia School model as have the resounding support of both the States and the professionals.
"So far, the Terms of Reference for the review have been agreed with unions and the committee, a shortlist of models fitting into this framework has been developed, detailed modelling on capital and revenue costs have started, and teachers have been surveyed on what their priorities are in areas such as capital spending."
After completing those comparisons, the different models will be worked up to fit into different 'cost envelopes' - for example, what ESC could get if they had £70m to spend in capital costs on each of the four models under review.
"A major consideration for the committee when developing plans for secondary reforms is what the States are willing to spend on education," said the committee.
"After developing the base level comparison providing the same facilities and features in each of the models benchmarked against the two college model, the committee will then be able to tailor each model (by adding or removing facilities/features) in order to present what each would look like in set ‘cost envelopes’.
Pictured: Lisia School's Facebook page has not posted since 26 February.
"This will allow like-for-like comparisons at different levels of spending. It also allows for the possibility that different models could be recommended depending on the amount the States is prepared to spend."
ESC said there had been "strong engagement" with Union representatives throughout lockdown to keep the review moving forward.
And while the committee focussed the scope of the successful requete in March, which has helped to contain costs, it says that millions of pounds could still be lost.
ESC's estimates for the total financial impact of any delay to the two colleges model include:
The potential for the need to develop a new model (£2-3 million based on the cost of developing the two 11-18 college model)
Inflation (Approximately £1.4 million per annum of delay)
Deferred benefits (£2 million per annum if the two 11-18 college model is the final result, tbc if another model is chosen, some will make no savings, for example)
Written off investments if another model is chosen (£4 million)
Read More about the pause and review here:
States decide to 'pause and review'
"ESC ordered Lisia School uniforms an hour after vote"
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