A Three School Solution

The stated aim of the current ESC is to achieve equality across our secondary schools following the removal of selection. This in itself is a commendable idea provided it means an equality of opportunity whilst allowing each individual school to excel without fear of breaking away from the norm.
 
To achieve this aim of equality ESC objects to a proposed 3 school system involving Les Varrendes as it would maintain an 11-18 school whilst the others would still only be 11-16.
 
To explore this concern I propose a small experiment.
 
What if the 6th form building was already located (say) near the airport. Would this make a three school solution acceptable as it maintained equality over the three secondary school sites? It would make sense to keep using a purpose built 6th form facility which was entirely fit for use and would keep the costs of the project down, itself a good thing.
 
So now let’s move this theoretical location to the old St Peter Port school site. Still acceptable?
 
If so then what is the problem with leaving it where it is, making it independent of the school next door, and continue using it for the purpose originally intended?
 
There is an argument that somehow Les Varrendes would attract better teachers as they could teach up to A level standard. So why not staff the 6th form college on a part time basis from each of the 3 secondary schools with specialist teachers each spending one day a week at the college. No one school then has all of the “better” teachers.
 
Then there is the idea that teaching A levels automatically makes you a better teacher which is frankly laughable. All secondary teachers should be specialist trained for their subject and as such able to teach across the age range without affecting their ability to be effective.
 
Maybe not automatically having this opportunity will make recruiting more difficult. I don’t know if this is a real problem as such but if the overall package of being a teacher in Guernsey is attractive enough then it is a problem which can be easily overcome.
 
Another foreseen problem is that not all schools will be able to resource the same breadth of subjects offered at GCSE level due either to a lack of staff or pupils wanting to take that subject.
Staffing issues can be easily overcome by making the relevant teachers peripatetic (working across the three sites). It works for specialist music staff so why not for others?
 
Perhaps ESC also need to decide what subjects our schools should be offering in the light of uptake and university requirements for the more mainstream subjects. We are a small island with a small school system. We cannot offer everything but equally should not be too restrictive. I know that the current UK government want to drift away from Humanities and the Arts in favour of STEM subjects but this is short sighted, especially when the UK has one of the most economically productive arts sectors in the developed world.
 
Let every subject be considered on its merits and then let a decision be reached (in liaison with our teachers) on what we can afford to offer.
 
As to pupil uptake, there will always be an imbalance whatever system you choose. But is this not an opportunity to have some smaller class sizes? This introduces a degree of inequality across the schools but that is always going to be the case. No two schools will ever have exactly the same number of pupils in each class unless by chance. This is just a fact we must accept.
 
It would seem that all of the objections can be dealt with without spending vast amounts of money or embarking on huge disruptive building projects.
 
I know there is a desire by some to group all post 16 teaching into the one school but is this the way forward? We have always split between Academic and Vocational training and in itself this is not a problem. Where Guernsey (and the UK) have gone wrong is in not regarding both sectors of equal value. If we have an Academic 6th form college then we do need an equivalent for Vocational training.
Sadly their current facilities have been allowed to deteriorate to the point where they are barely fit for purpose.
 
As an aside and as a matter of urgency, ESC need to create a properly funded program of maintenance for all school premises. In fact, why doesn’t the States already have a department tasked with maintaining all States property? Education’s speciality should be education not property maintenance and development.
 
But back to vocational training.
 
Having made a case for a cost effective 3 school solution plus one college, all using existing sites, we now need to find a suitable home for vocational training.
 
Perhaps here we do need a new build and the old St Peter Port school site seems the best contender for location. It would mean moving the existing vocational students off site temporarily and this is a disruption but not nearly as big a one as the ESC’s current plans for secondary schools would entail.
 
By making minimal changes to the secondary system, resources are now released towards this new area of development. By moving to three schools, La Mare Secondary becomes available for vocational training. It is very far from ideal but it is temporary and would not happen until a new build had been agreed and contracted.
 
I’m sure they would love to use Les Varrendes or the existing 6th form centre as a base of operation but neither are for sale. The island’s education system needs both sites to continue to do what they have done for years.
 
I know there have been rumours of other parties keen to move premises to Les Varrendes site but isn’t it better to retain the buildings for the purpose for which they were designed? If the site is so tempting for outside organisations then perhaps ESC are currently undervaluing its advantages.
 
So, and in conclusion, sort out the 11-16 system by adopting a four school solution. Three 11-16 schools (Les Varrendes, St Sampson, and Beaucamp) and one 6th form centre. Minimal disruption and minimal cost.
 
Then move onto the next issue and plan a proper vocational system based on one site and with new facilities. If there was money available to push forward all of the building to make a 2 school solution fit then it can now be spent where it is actually needed.
 
If this is not a better way forward then what is?
 
Now is the time to bring all proposals to the fore and to have an open and informed discussion as to their merits or otherwise. Sadly the actions of the current ESC and their department has lost them the support of most of the teaching profession and (it seems) a lot of the general public. To bring back some form of trust ESC and the department now need to be open, transparent, and honest in all future dealings in this matter. Whether they can make such a sea change remains to be seem but they do need to recognise that what they’ve been doing to date isn’t working and to keep on doing the same thing whilst expecting a different result is madness. That’s Einstein’s viewpoint anyway.
 
My own closing thought is that if super schools really are the best way forward to attain ESC’s aspiration to provide a world class education system then why hasn’t the idea been adopted by Eton, Harrow, or Winchester? Don’t they want to maintain their world class reputation? Or is it that really large schools isn’t in fact the best way forward, merely the cheapest option.