The Les Varendes High School's New School Design Team has now met for the first time to start considering the key elements in the creation of the new school.
The New School Design Team will assist senior education leaders in making decisions on the creation of Les Varendes High School.
La Mare de Carteret High School and the Guernsey Grammar School are coming together to form Les Varendes High School. The two schools will fully merge in September 2025, moving on to the site of the current Grammar School, however integration has already begun, and the two schools will be taking a phased approach to their transition from two schools to one.
Consisting of 10 students from each school and some staff representatives, the team will help on matters such as the design of the new uniform, the identity of the new school, and be asked for thoughts on key decisions such as how the name will be implemented across the two organisations.
The first session took place at the Grammar School, and the group agreed a terms of reference, and then discussed initial ideas for the school's colours, uniform, and new branding.
Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:
"Students are our most essential stakeholder in education, and so it is crucial that their voices are front and centre in the creation of a new school. Bringing La Mare de Carteret and the Guernsey Grammar School together presents a fantastic opportunity to build on all of the positives of both organisations to create something new, exciting, and inspiring. I am really pleased to see the students rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck in, and I'd like to thank them on behalf of the Committee for volunteering their time."
Liz Coffey, Executive Principal of the Secondary School Partnership, said:
"Our schools are full of incredible young people full of creative energy and new ideas. We want to put that energy front and centre in the creation of Les Varendes High and ensure the student's voices are not only heard, but also listened to. In the first meeting we gathered their ideas for a uniform and crest, and these ideas are now being used to build the brief for a designer to bring them to life. The group will provide vital support to the existing senior teams in the two schools and the new Principal once appointed, in sharing their views and ideas for each part of the creation and transition to the new school.
"We were fortunate to have nearly 80 applications for students to join the team, and while we couldn't reasonably accommodate them all, we will be doing all we can to listen to the student voice as we progress forwards with this piece of work.
"The first meeting was filled with positive energy from students and staff alike, we are looking forward to working together more in the coming weeks and months."
Key elements for the transition to one school have already been set out by the SSP's Executive Leadership Team. The Les Varendes High School name will come in to use in September 2023, as the Guernsey Grammar School's last selective cohort leaves. September 2024 will see the new uniform introduced, and the schools will fully come together in September 2025.
