Monday 02 September 2019
The new model for education is based upon the principle of equality of opportunity for every child in the school system in Guernsey.
However, education is not simply about acquiring knowledge and passing exams. The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture firmly believes that our education system should support the development of the whole child and that each child should have the opportunity to explore their interests beyond the classroom and to develop a broader range of skills. The new model for education provides substantial opportunities for the development of the whole child in partnership and collaboration with the wider community, third sector and voluntary organisations.
School leaders have already begun to explore potential partnerships with other organisations such as the Youth Commission and the Sports Commission to support the electives programme in order to invest in young people and to bring the community together.
Steve Sharman, representing the Guernsey Sports Commission said,
'For anyone who is involved in sport, physical activity or physical literacy the future model of education allows the opportunity to substantially broaden the current curriculum and elective offer for pupils. The model is reliant on key partnerships with the member sports of the Guernsey Sports Commission who in the past have found it difficult to link with the Secondary Schools but are now being offered tailor made solutions that are completely focused on benefiting our young community. The environment of Guernsey offers so many sporting and physical activities and we all should be committed to finding the best experience for every child so that they have a lifelong association with a healthy lifestyle.
Any Physical Education specialist who arrived on the Island in the next two years and was presented with the facility portfolio planned as well as a tailor made strategic solution designed to broaden the curriculum and elective offer by linking member sports to the Schools would be able to create a world leading approach to Physical Education and Sport for our young people'.
Charlie Cox, Chief Executive of the Youth Commission said:
'The Youth Commission has welcomed being part of the discussions to develop opportunities with the new 11-18 school. Part of the Youth Commission's mission is to deliver high quality, universal and targeted services for children and young people in order to support the development of their social, physical and emotional wellbeing. The new school's proposed electives programme provides us with an opportunity to develop new ways of delivering our services to fulfil our mission and to support young people in Guernsey.'
Tim Wright, Head of the Guernsey Music Service, said:
'The proposed future developments of secondary and tertiary education will allow the Guernsey Music Service to continue its long established work of offering totally inclusive access to musical activities across all key stages. All students have the opportunity to engage with many genres of music, nurturing their creativity and developing important life skills such as teamwork, self-discipline and self-confidence. The proposed transformation will enable us to reach even more students through enrichment activities, whilst continuing to build on the excellence of our ensembles at Music Centre. Guernsey Music Service is respected both nationally and internationally and like the other services under the ESC umbrella, it is important for Guernsey that they are supported and included in the future development of education to provide excellence and opportunity for all our young people'.
