Committee for Education, Sport & Culture - P.2020/51
Letter of Comment - Policy & Resources Committee [63kb] Sursis Motive - Deputy Meerveld & Deputy Gollop [636kb]
Propositions in pursuance of Rule 18 submitted by
the President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture
The States are asked to decide:-
Whether, after consideration of the Policy Letter entitled 'Review of the Future Structure of Secondary & Further Education: Next Steps', dated 11th March 2020, they are of the opinion:-
1. To agree to the continuation of the development, which is already well under way, of a single States' secondary school operating across a number of sites (initially four sites).
2. To agree that the Policy Letter to be laid before the States by the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture which will allow the States to determine the future model of secondary education must also include any revisions necessary to the timeline and authorised budget for the capital project associated with the development of The Guernsey Institute at Les Ozouets.
3. To agree that the Policy Letter to be laid before the States by the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture which will allow the States to determine the future model of secondary education must also include any revisions necessary to the timeline and authorised budget for the capital project associated with the redevelopment of La Mare de Carteret Primary School.
4. To agree that the authority delegated to the Policy & Resources Committee by the States on the 6th of September 2019 to approve expenditure on various aspects of the Transforming Education Programme shall be varied by increasing the authority delegated in relation to digital infrastructure and services in schools and colleges by £600,000 and reducing the authority delegated in relation to the secondary school by the same amount.
5. To agree that the review of models of secondary education against the 'benchmark' model of two 11-18 colleges, which was directed by the States on the 3rd of March 2020, shall be restricted to models organising secondary education in one school in the following configuration of colleges or campuses:
a) Three 11-18 colleges;
b) Two 11-16 colleges and one 11-18 college; and
c) Three 11-16 colleges and a separate sixth form college on a different site.
6. To agree that the review of models of secondary education against the 'benchmark' model of two 11-18 colleges, which was directed by the States on the 3rd of March 2020, and for which the baseline assumptions shall be those used in the model of two 11-18 colleges in order to provide a genuine like-for-like comparison, shall include assessment of the following indicative considerations but that the Committee shall be free to include other considerations should it see fit:
Quality of education -
o Promoting the highest possible standards and outcomes;
o Range and equality of opportunities, including curriculum and facilities;
o Curriculum breadth and opportunities to group students flexibly;
o Standard of and access to facilities indoors and outdoors;
o Recruitment, retention, flexibility and resilience of staff teams;
o Pastoral support and wellbeing of students and staff;
o Support for students with special educational needs or disabilities;
o Pupil teacher ratios and average class sizes;
o Extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities; and
o Ease of transition between different phases of education.
Value for money -
o Capital expenditure;
o Revenue expenditure: making the best use of the funds the States are prepared to spend on
secondary education annually; and
o Transition costs to move from the status quo to the new model.
Infrastructure & organisation -
o Infrastructure at the school sites;
o Infrastructure around the school sites;
o Capacity and capability of the States to implement the model;
o Consistency with States' strategic objectives; and
o School operational issues which are specific to any particular model (excluding those which are
general to all models).
7. To note that many of the representations received from teachers and others in advance of the States' debate on education which led to the Resolutions made on the 3rd of March 2020 concerned issues which were only partially related or in some cases unrelated to secondary education models - in particular, these issues were the internal space planned and the external space available at the school sites and the configuration of that space and the day-to-day operation of the school and its constituent colleges - and therefore to agree that the review of secondary education models shall allow opportunities for discussions about space standards, the configuration of space and the day-to-day operation of the school and its constituent colleges, in particular with unions representing teachers and support staff, and to direct the Committee to take into account these discussions when recommending to the States the optimum future model of secondary education following the review of secondary education models.
8. To agree that the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture as presently constituted shall remain in office until the normal end of committees' terms of office on the 30th of June 2020.
9. To direct the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, following the review of secondary education models, to submit its Policy Letter to the States in time for the matter to be included on the 'Schedule for Future Business' not later than at the Meeting of the States which will start on the 28th of April 2021; and further to note that there would be nothing to preclude the Committee from submitting the Policy Letter sooner if it felt able to do so; and to direct the Committee to attach Propositions to the Policy Letter to allow the States to determine the future model of secondary education and to introduce the future model as soon as practicable.
10. To direct the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, as expeditiously as possible, to draw up a plan for stakeholder engagement to inform the review of secondary education models and this plan shall pay particular regard to the need for improved engagement with unions representing teachers and support staff in secondary schools.
11. To note that the costs of pausing the development of the two 11-18 colleges previously agreed by the States and carrying out a review of other secondary education models against the model of two 11-18 colleges are estimated to be up to £2.5million; and to direct the Policy & Resources Committee to make appropriate budget arrangements to fund these costs.
12. To note that pausing the development of the two 11-18 colleges previously agreed by the States and the consequential effects of doing so will result at least in the deferral of revenue savings on secondary and possibly further education; and to direct the Policy & Resources Committee to take this into account when recommending the annual cash limit of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture in future years and when assessing the success or otherwise of the Committee's extant revenue savings plan.
The above Propositions have been submitted to Her Majesty's Procureur for advice on any legal or constitutional implications in accordance with Rule 4(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the States of Deliberation and their Committees.
