Warning bells ring at Les Beaucamps

Friday 25 January 2019

Les Beaucamps High needs "extra support" and "more time to make necessary improvements", say inspectors brought over to the island to carry out a review of the school.

The inspectors found problems with the school's leadership team - in particular during a time three years ago when a number of changes started to be made at the High school.

That was when Sophie Roughsedge was Headteacher, which included a time when teaching staff were threatening to strike.

Ms Roughsedge left the school after four years as Head last summer though, after being seconded to a newly created role with the Education Services department, overseeing aspects of education across the island. Her Linked in page suggests she is now responsible for instigating change across areas including further and higher education.

Les Beaucamps High School now has Martin Haimes as Acting Headteacher and the inspectors say improvements have already been made.

However, the inspection report - which will be publicly available at gov.gg - makes it clear that further change is needed at Les Beaucamps High, and previous efforts to make those changes have not been managed or received well at the school. 

Pictured: That is what will happen next, but how did Les Beaucamps High get to this position?

The inspection report refers back three years to when changes started to be made at a leadership level. It says the school hasn't reached a stable position within its senior leadership team since then. Ms Roughsedge was the headteacher at the time - but she has not been available for interview today.

"All members of the school community would welcome a period of stability in order to maintain the current positive school ethos and relationships across staff and students," said the report.

Although the report was carried out in November, but only released today, it blames changes introduced as far back as 2017, when Ms Rughesdge was Headteacher, for the instability the school is now facing.

In July of that year changes were made to the school's vision, values and aims, along with its motto and key rules. 

Efforts are still being made to enforce those changes but the report said the Acting Headteacher, Mr Haimes, has overseen some improvements.

"Commendably, the Acting Headteacher has introduced a systematic programme of school assemblies which stress the school's values and reinforce its aims.

"Tutors are discussing with their tutor groups the school's values and the three rules which encapsulate the behaviour policy - Ready, Respectful, Safe," said the inspector's report.

The extent of the instability caused by the poorly administered changes to school life are laid bare in the report on Les Beaucamps High with a noted impact on the students themselves.

"Over the last three years, change has not been managed well. Too many initiatives have been introduced too quickly. Communication with staff has been weak. Relationships between management and staff have been strained and as a consequence, the morale and well being of staff has suffered. 

"The School has had high levels of staff absence and the retention of staff has been poor. 

"Parents, staff and students feel that this period of instability had impacted on young people's achievement," said the report.

Pictured: The summarised findings from the inspection of Les Beaucamps High was given to the States in December, but only released today so parents and the wider pubic can read it. 

The inspection was carried out by Terry Carr Consultancy, which has a one-year contract to inspect Bailiwick schools following the withdrawal last year of Education Scotland. OFSTED will be doing local schools inspections from September this year, but in the meantime ESC has said that Les Beaucamps is the first secondary school locally to be inspected "against an updated and more rigorous inspection framework (known as HGIOS4)."

Under that framework areas, the leadership of change at the school, was described as weak with higher than usual staff turnover highlighted. ESC said there has also been the recruitment of some "excellent teachers and middle leaders to join equally skilled longer-servingvcolleagues" at Les Beaucamps though.

In the three other categories in the report –learning, teaching and assessment; ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion; and raising attainment and achievement –inspectors judged performance to be 'satisfactory'.

Pictured top: Former Headteacher of Les Beaucamps, Sophie Roughsedge and Acting Headeacher Martin Haimes.