General Update from the Committee
The Committee, which was elected 10 weeks ago today, inherited a vacancy in the key role of Director of Education. This role has been reviewed and revised and the recruitment process will begin next week with a view to making an appointment in the next few weeks. At the same time the Committee will recruit to the new role of Executive Head Teacher of secondary schools, who will lead first the transition from four schools to one school operating in two colleges and ultimately the school itself. These two appointments are of critical importance to the Committee's extensive agenda of reform.
Work is progressing well to identify the two optimum sites for the 11-18 colleges. It is possible that the Committee will be able to determine those sites relatively quickly and if so a single, full transition model for pupils could be developed sooner than anticipated. Clearly this would be desirable because it would provide maximum certainty. If not, and in line with what was reported to the States during the January debate, at the very least the Committee will ensure that pupils do not leave Year 5 without parents knowing their catchment secondary school 13 or 14 months in advance.
As soon as the Executive Head Teacher is appointed work will accelerate on planning the future provision, including curriculum, at the two 11-18 colleges and during the transition years before they open - as well as determining the staff structure and making designate appointments. The Committee is working closely with secondary head teachers to ensure that the closure of the existing four schools and the opening of one school in two colleges is a collaborative process and that high priority is afforded to the education and welfare of students who are, or will be, at secondary schools during the transition phase. The Committee is committed to engaging with students about their needs in the new structure - from next week we will be visiting secondary schools specifically to hear from students.
The Committee has submitted a proposal to the Policy & Resources Committee to invest in essential and urgent works at la Mare de Carteret Schools. It may or may not be one of the sites of the two new 11-18 colleges, but either way students and teachers will continue to work in the current schools for a while longer and the Committee wants to provide them with a visibly improved learning and working environment before the start of the next academic year in September. If the works are approved by P&R next week I will immediately write to the School Committee and then announce more detail.
Soon after its election the Committee directed officers to carry out a full review of provision in primary education. What I mean by that is essentially how much capacity is needed for the foreseeable future and where it should be located. This was necessary not only because of extant States' Resolutions in relation to primary schools but also to allow the Committee to provide greater certainty in relation to the future of la Mare de Carteret Primary School. I hope this review will be completed soon to allow the Committee to make the policy decisions necessary to provide greater certainty.
The arrangement with Education Scotland to inspect schools will be terminated at the end of the current academic year. The Committee is in discussion with potential replacement inspectors, including the Welsh inspectorate, the Independent Schools Inspectorate and Ofsted. Last week it canvassed the views of head teachers in the secondary sector and tomorrow (if we can get out of this place in time) will do the same with head teachers in the primary sector. The Committee's objective is to appoint an inspectorate which is credible, rigorous and which commands the confidence of the community and professionals.
Next week some members of the Committee will meet with the three providers who it is hoped will in time merge to become University College Guernsey - that is to say, the CFE, IHSCS and GTA UC. This is best done as a collaborative process and the Committee will invite the providers in the first instance to work together themselves to advise on how best to integrate to deliver the efficiencies and improvements possible while protecting all that is good about each of the providers at present.
In approving what was then known as the Alternative Model and then electing the new Committee the States made it clear that they expected significant transformation not only in the secondary sector but also of the administration of education in Guernsey. The Committee and the Chief Secretary are united in their determination to restructure and reform the Education Office. Indeed this work is already well under way. For example, some roles which have been, or soon will be, vacated will not be replaced; communications have been brought in line with practices across the rest of the States and are now being led by the States' corporate communications team, and the Chief Secretary and I will shortly submit further proposals to improve the support provided to the Committee so it can deliver the ambitious policy agenda agreed by the States. Officers are working hard during a time of significant change and I wish to thank them for their considerable commitment.
The Committee is working with Policy & Resources and the grant-aided colleges on a new funding arrangement for the colleges. In recent weeks substantial progress has been made; the Committee has agreed an outline funding model and is optimistic that in the near future an agreement will be concluded which is acceptable to all parties and which of course does not permit selection by ability from 2019.
The Committee will shortly commence a programme of half-day visits to all schools. They will become much more frequent - the aim is to visit each school annually - and be more focused on discussing facilities development and most of all standards and performance, and also allow more time for discussion with school leaders.
On Monday the Committee will visit Sark and discuss with the new Education Committee ways in which Guernsey can support Sark, particularly in the secondary sector, as it seeks to respond to a challenging review carried out by the Reach2 Academy Trust.
On Wednesday the Committee will visit Alderney. To its great credit the previous Committee directed considerable support to St. Anne's School. The new Committee has assured the Head Teacher and the Alderney Representatives of its commitment to maintain and where possible enhance support of education in Alderney.
Work is progressing well on preparations to host the 2021 Island Games - and there is very good news to come on this subject later today. The Committee has established a good working relationship with the recently-appointed Chairman of the Sports Commission and is working with the Commission to develop new sources of funding. Development of a 'plan for sport' - a sports strategy - has been expedited. A consultation document will be issued at the end of May - subsequent work will be foreshortened - and officers have been asked to prepare a policy letter for submission by the end of the year. The Committee is on target to replace the athletics track and floodlights at Foote's Lane next year.
Good progress is being made on plans to invest around £2.6million over the next five years in Castle Cornet. Many of the Island's other heritage sites are beginning to suffer from a period of under-investment, but the Committee acknowledges that the States cannot afford to make piecemeal investment and therefore has directed officers to revive work on a heritage strategy. The Committee has commissioned a team of dedicated volunteers, including but not limited to the Arts Commission, to expedite the development of an arts strategy. This summer there will be an exhibition of Victor Hugo's art at Candie which will include works not seen outside of France for many decades. Last week of course Beau Sejour did a splendid job of hosting the local premiere of the Guernsey film - the Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society - and I congratulate and thank all the many people, both inside and outside the States, who made this possible.
At the last States' meeting I made a Statement about the Committee's budget position. All I will say today is to repeat that there will be no quick fixes. Every effort is being made to contain expenditure where doing so is not detrimental to services, but the Committee inherited an anticipated overspend of £3.8million this year and the only solution to prevent this becoming a permanent problem is the wholesale transformation of education which is now well under way but will take a number of years to complete.
