A sensible decision?

So the deed is done.
 
The States have, after much debate, agreed Education’s proposals to close two local schools. It's probably just as well that this proposal was somewhat sprung on everyone only relatively shortly before the States debate as the arguments in favour were becoming thinner by the week.
 
On balance I suspect that a multi form entry school does provide better opportunities for their intake but it is also true that smaller class sizes are better than larger ones. You might hope that Education will now seize the chance to do both but I fear we will just end up with larger class sizes in bigger schools.
 
I also suspect that we will now begin to see a little more of the iceberg which is the ongoing development of the primary sector. As always, the focus will be on buildings and structure instead of the improvement of the education of Guernsey’s children because this is a department which seems determined to keep it’s ex-director in a job rather than address the real issues.
 
Without putting ideas into the heads of those shamen who have the vision for the future of education on this small island, I’d suggest that a really good teacher could inspire sitting under a tree and with just a blackboard.
 
It’s a bit like cooking. Start with the best ingredients and you can’t go far wrong. Throw in a few extras, technical gadgets and skills, and the results might become extraordinary but the foundation remains those good ingredients. So instead of building new schools, make a concerted and long term effort to spend money on the improvement of teaching skills. There are already some excellent teachers out there and you should know who they are. Now bring the rest up to this standard or make some hard decisions and replace a few of the less able.
 
Of course the other main ingredient in this educational recipe are the kids themselves. In some schools quality seems in short supply and in most there are an increasing number of children who need additional support. Indeed, there are a lot of kids who are turning up on the first day just not prepared for school. Sadly parental skills are not what they used to be in a lot of families and it is the kids who are paying the price.
 
But back to the things that our Education department might have some control over.
 
How about talking to teachers? How about trusting them to do their job? How about asking them where savings might be made and how best to spend the money we have got?
 
As an aside and ironically I read that another branch of our so called joined up government is currently looking to spend £900k to promote our finance industry into new markets.
 
That’s £100k more than Education hope to gain by closing these two schools.
 
When I last looked, the Finance industry was made up of commercial businesses, all making substantial profits and paying not too much tax. All are quite capable of supporting themselves and to my mind none deserve a handout from the States (i.e. The taxpayers pocket!)
 
As has been proved on many an occasion, the Finance industry holds absolutely no loyalty to this Island. The moment an office becomes non-profitable to it’s parent organisation it will close or relocate. It’s as simple as that and no amount of spending or wishful thinking will change matters.
 
Does such an industry deserve a spend of £900k?
 
Let’s hope our newly emboldened States decide otherwise.
 
And talking of savings, when are we going to see a report on the central citadel of our Education department? Surely it’s time to lift that particular rock and have a good hard look.
 
Let’s wait and see shall we?
 
Just like we’ll wait and see if all the promises of a smooth transition will be kept and that the receiving schools will not be adversely affected by these changes.
 
No doubt we’ll also have to wait and see if this exercise does actually save any money. Unless it gets kicked into the log grass I expect we will see any savings trumpeted into the headlines whilst all of those above the line costs will be shifted elsewhere and out of the limelight.
 
After all, that’s now it works here isn’t it?