Monday 22 May 2023
New governance boards to oversee all States-maintained schools and The Guernsey Institute will be grouped into seven 'clusters', under plans by the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture as part of its proposals for the new Education Law.
The seven clusters will cover all 20 education settings in Guernsey and Alderney, with each cluster having one Chairperson so that partnership and collaboration across the education system is encouraged. The Chairperson will provide oversight and leadership for each Governance Board within that cluster. A number of the other Governors will also be shared across all schools within a cluster, where those individuals have specific skills and experience that can be of benefit to multiple Governance Boards. Examples might include individuals who have a finance background who can act as a critical partner for Headteachers and Principals on strategic financial plans.
In order to make sure there is local representation for each school community, some Governors will only serve on one Governance Board, and will not be involved in the wider cluster. For example, each Governance Board will have a parent or carer who will act as a representative voice for the parent community for that individual school.
These new boards will oversee all States-maintained schools and The Guernsey Institute - 20 education settings serving about 7,000 students. The Primary school clusters will be grouped together according to their partner Secondary school so all Primary schools for each of the secondary schools will be together in a cluster.
This means for example that Hautes Capelles, Vale and La Mare De Carteret Primary Schools will be in the same cluster and benefit from the same Chairperson. The Secondary School Partnership will be clustered together to ensure the appropriate levels of shared scrutiny and oversight across the 11-18 learning partnership. Schools supporting students with additional learning needs will also be clustered together, but The Guernsey Institute and St Anne's will have their own Governance Boards given the very specific context of those organisations.
Governance Boards will have duties that that will be provided for through the legislation, for example to work with Headteachers and Principals on the vision and ethos of the school, to hold them to account for student outcomes, and to ensure that the community is aware of the good things happening in that setting. The legislation will also provide for Headteachers and Principals to have some increased freedoms and flexibility so that they are able to act swiftly and in the best interests of learners.
Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:
'As part of its proposals for the new Education Law, our Committee is proposing that Governance Boards are established locally. Education governors are responsible for supporting and challenging school and college leaders on behalf of their local communities, and crucially for the benefit of the learners who attend.
'If the States agrees our proposals, we will need members of the community who are passionate about making a difference, who are curious and who want to play a part in making education the very best that it can be to represent their community on these boards, and to act as critical partners for education leaders. It's really encouraging that we have already had interest from across the community, including existing School Committee members and parents about the opportunity to be a member of a Governance Board and following the States meeting we will start our recruitment activity in earnest.
'Once the proposals have been debated and agreed by the States, we will develop a Governor Handbook that will set out all the detail potential Governors will need and importantly, comprehensive training will also be available. We will provide any relevant training for the role but you don't need any special qualifications to be a Governor, we're looking for people who are passionate about education, and who want to make a difference in their local community.
'Great governance leads to great leadership and great learning environments for our students. Our proposals will enable people's voice to be heard in their school or TGI community and ensure that the interests of our children and young people are at the heart of everything we do.'
An animation explaining the Committee's proposals on governance can be viewed at www.gov.gg/educationlaw
