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The Director of Education has this week written to all parents and carers to outline the current situation facing the plans to transform the States education system.
The letter is reproduced in full below:
Dear Parents and Carers,
Transforming Education Programme Update
I hope that the start of this half-term has gone well for your children.
You will be aware that the Transforming Education Programme has been working to deliver the States approved model of Secondary and Post-16 Education since it was agreed in 2021. Alongside the creation of three 11-16 schools and a separate Sixth Form Centre co-located with The Guernsey Institute (TGI) (including the College of Further Education) on a Post-16 Campus. The Programme also includes a number of other projects, for example the much- needed updates to digital infrastructure in all our schools and in TGI.
Just before half term, the States met to consider the Funding & Investment Plan which focussed on what projects to prioritise given current financial challenges in the Bailiwick. I thought it would be helpful to write to you all to explain more fully what the outcome means for those of us with children and young people currently in the States education system and to make you aware of the immediate next steps. I hope that my letter will support everyone’s understanding of where we are now.
Debate Outcome
The outcome of the Funding & Investment Plan debate has meant that, although the States voted again in support of the plans for the reorganisation of Secondary and Post-16 Education, they did not agree how this would be funded.
This means that there is currently no funding for:
The new Post-16 Campus for TGI and the Sixth Form Centre.
The creation of modern and shared digital infrastructure for TGI.
A new base at Les Beaucamps High School, for learners who are supported by the Communication, Interaction and Autism Service.
New permanent homes for services such as the Music Service and Youth Commission.
As a result, all planned works on the buildings are currently unable to progress.
As you can imagine this has been very disappointing news for everyone, but particularly for our staff working with children and young people who have been looking ahead to the transformation of education and essential investment in the education estate. Unfortunately, because of the wider financial context of the States of Guernsey, any such investment is not possible without funding. I am genuinely sorry and frustrated that we are in this position.
Impact on Learners
We cannot ignore that without agreement on funding there will be an impact upon our learners in the following ways.
Without the funding our learners will now inevitably have to remain in poor quality accommodation for longer. TGI learners will continue to be educated in what I believe to be substandard education accommodation which external experts stated back in 2019 was amongst some of the poorest quality they had seen.
The Coutanchez Campus has been due to be developed since the 1980s. It has been patched up rather than having significant long-term investment because for such a long time there has been a plan to rehome the College of Further Education, however the poor condition of the building is now really showing.
Learners at Les Varendes (the former Grammar School site) will not benefit from an improved physical learning environment which is long overdue.
Despite a strong recruitment drive, the negative impact on the education workforce is leading to instability of staffing and higher turnover within the Secondary and Post-16 sectors which, in my opinion, could directly impact on the quality of education our young people receive.
Parents with learners currently in primary schools know now which secondary school their children will go to, and transition activity for the September 2024 high school intake is already underway.
While the outcome of the States debate is clearly disappointing, I want to take the opportunity to reassure you that our staff continue to work as hard as ever to support your children. Their wellbeing and success is our collective priority and despite the challenging circumstances, we are determined in our ambition for the islands’ learners, and we continue to work towards ensuring excellent outcomes for all our children and young people as set out in our Education Strategy. This will in turn lead to overall benefits for the whole island.
Parents and carers of children and young people at La Mare de Carteret and Les Varendes High Schools can be confident that work to merge the two schools will continue as planned. For those of you with children and young people who will be imminently considering options for Post-16 education, we know that you may have questions about the Sixth Form Centre and we are working hard to ensure that the move into Post-16 is as smooth as possible, despite the circumstances. The timeline for the implementation of the new Secondary and Post-16 model is September 2025 and so for those young people entering the Post-16 phase in September 2024, they will move to either the current Sixth Form at Les Varendes or Post-16 provision at the Coutanchez or Delancey campuses of TGI.
Impact on the Future Location of the Sixth Form Centre
You may be aware that there are some different views about what is possible or feasible in respect of the location of the separate Sixth Form Centre, including the potential of converting other parts of the Les Varendes building such as the swimming pool area. No option is without expense and disruption.
Some people would rather keep the provision at Les Varendes, however, this would require building work because of the increased number of students who will be at the school once La Mare de Carteret High School is closed. If the Sixth Form was to stay at Les Varendes , it would mean that student numbers on site would reach over 1,250 by September 2025, this is compared with 988 in the current 2023/24 academic year. The highest number of learners recorded on this site in the last 18 years is 1,067 in 2005 when there was a selective intake in the 11-16 part of the school.
Keeping the Sixth Form at Les Varendes would also involve disruption for any learners remaining on site during the works. For example, changes to outdoor areas to provide site access, noise disturbance and changes to room timetabling, all of which impact substantially on teaching, learning and wellbeing. Depending on decisions about the extent of works at the site, there could also be an impact on the external spaces available for students.
It is for all these reasons that The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture previously made the decision to temporarily relocate the Sixth Form Centre at La Mare de Carteret for an interim period whilst the permanent new provision at Les Ozouets Campus was completed. The estimated cost of relocating is £141k as changes required are minimal.
Next steps
In light of the outcome of the States debate, the President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture has lodged an amendment to the 2024 budget which is being debated by the States this week. The amendment asks the States again to consider finding alternative means of funding the Transforming Education Programme. You can view the full amendment here. We won’t know the outcome of this until the conclusion of the Budget debate.
We are in a critical position where doing nothing is not an option. We must move forward, and this includes investment in the buildings for both TGI and the Sixth Form Centre, therefore, we are really hoping that an alternative source of funding can be secured.
Please be reassured that I will continue to keep you updated. I have included some FAQs and the link here which may be useful but please also feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions or queries.
Yours faithfully,
Nick Hynes
Director of Education
States of Guernsey
