‘They’re scrambling to put together the case to close school’
Monday 20th October 2008, 2:29PM BST.
EDUCATION did not have enough information to decide to close St Sampson’s Infants, according to one of its chief critics.
Deputy Jane Stephens put a series of questions to the department’s minister, Carol Steere, on 27 September and she said it took more than two weeks to get some answers.
‘The time taken to respond and the lack of concrete detail in Deputy Steere’s response suggests that my fears are correct and that what the government website announces as a decision to close the school has been made with inadequate information to back it,’ said Deputy Stephens (pictured), a former head teacher.
‘Now there is a scramble to put a case together to bring to the States. This will seem to many a case of putting the cart before the horse.’
In her letter to Deputy Stephens, Deputy Steere says that the matters she raised would be addressed in the States report on the proposed closure.
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Assuming that the States continue with the ‘go for growth’ ideology, won’t new schools have to be built left, right and centre to accommodate the necessary influx of people? Wouldn’t we have to presume that we want to attract the young, potential home-makers, a couple of kids each to support our aging locals?
A conservative estimate opined previously would suggest 5%, or 3,000, working adults. Let’s just say that it is split evenly between male and female, and that the females are wanting to start families. By 2020 there could be hundreds of extra school age children to squeeze into the system. Then assuming they don’t all live in the upper parishes where are they going to go?
I would like to know that the projected intakes, and I know they are decreasing at present, have been taken into consideration before a decision to freeze an operation is made. How much more will it cost to restart a primary school on these premises in 2020, providing of course that the land hasn’t been sold to the private sector by then?
It would seem that £250k is a paltry saving to help fudge a balance sheet on accounts that ‘are not fit for purpose’.
And that’s the final point. If the accounts are a mess, how can economic decisions be made with any confidence?
As I have banged on about in the ‘confidence’ thread, how much do locals really have with this sort of policy making? Where are the demonstrations of logic, the public presentations to advertise goals, direction and ideology?
The fact that a straight answer hasn’t been given to a member of a concensus government, ‘democratically’ elected and voicing concern of their electorate, would imply a witholding of information at best, a grave piece of political shenanigans at worst. I thought we were aiming for transparency and dialogue?
If we are to have executive governance then we should be told. So far it looks like it is happening on the sly.
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It’s long been a source of puzzlement how a place like Guernsey with high achieving schools can produce such illiteracy.
It sheds light on the two tier education system we have. Do we want a locally run international finance centre? We better start raising levels across the board. There is no excuse for a lack of basic education in a rich island like Guernsey. It ain’t rokkit syance.
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Fast Robert
A good interesting post without over egging the anti establishment mumbo jumbo for once.
What I find ‘not fit for purpose’in the present education system is the state of many of the posts under the dog death headings.
At a time when local exam pass rates are about to exceed 100% how can the sentence formation and spelling in some of those posts be so atrocious ?
This stuff is read by the outside world for goodness sake.
Minister Steere should force every English
teacher under her control to read those posts in the hope that they will be sufficiently ashamed to admit that they ‘can do better’.
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Robert
The answer to your source of puzzlement is that there are some very high performing schools and departments within schools.
On the other hand the poor performances of both teacher and learner also.
Some schools clearly have an objective of performance table flattery and sod the rest.
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It is with dismay that I note Education’s excitement about prospective new buildings at Les Beaucamps and La Mare De Carteret schools. Great for them to have long-awaited re-developed premises, but at what cost? At the expense of closing an infant school? Aren’t we always hearing that the formative years are the crucial times in a child’s educational development? What message does this give people? That a tiny sum of £250,000 is reason enough to close a great little school when millions are being spent on other educational establishments? Something ain’t right.
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£8.6 million on an arts centre when there were other more urgent education priorities was a scandal.
Suzanne
Looking at the recent TV footage of Les Beaucamp I wondered,on seeing the appalling state of the woodwork, and lack of any maintenece on them; whether the absence was deliberate to make the case for money stronger
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Education should be one of the States top priorities for allocating funds. However is it really necessary to rebuild two schools at the cost of millions when if they had been maintained over the years this could have been prevented. I do not understand how the closure of an exceptional school like St Sampsons Infants is going to benefit the Island, especially the parish of St Sampsons. There is a distinct lack of reassurance as to what the future provisions are going to be if it should close and how it will affect the children. Learning in the early years is vital part of any childs education surely we should be fighting to keep schools open not shutting them.
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It doesn’t look as though the big picture for education has been given much thought, does it? Brand new schools at Baubigny and a small school up the road threatened with closure, that must surely cost much less to run than St. Sampson’s High. Why isn’t this infant school being turned into a primary school, instead of being shut? Where is the two-tier education provision in St. Sampson’s, if only secondary education is being offered in this parish? Where will children go to school, when the new housing goes up eventually at Belgreve Vinery, Pointues Rocques and Rue Queripel? Won’t the Vale Schools be full by then, once Tertre Lane and Leale’s Yard are completed (well over 200 homes)? Do Hautes Capelles and Amherst really wany more traffic around their schools and do they and the Vale schools want even bigger classes?
Have YOUR say!
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Is it really true that the good people of Guernsey don’t approve of ‘tax and spend’ policies when it comes to public infrastructure, or is it the will of the business classes that holds down our development as a well run, long termist Island?
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Jim
Education planning.
Fancy thinking they are capable of it.
I sometimes wonder if educational decisions are taken for any reason other that educational.
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I dont understand why more people arent supporting this wonderful school. I am delighted for the parents of St Andrews school who no longer have the worry hanging over them but should we not all be now showing our support to St Sampsons???
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As parents of a child in reception class, we already predict how completely unsettling it would be for our daughter to change school before her Key Stage 1 education is complete. To then change school again to the Vale Junior School, one year later, means three consecutive years in three different schools; this cannot be in the best interests of the children.
Closing the school is not the right solution to the island’s economic concerns nor to its future education plans.
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Another thing. What about the roads around the alternative schools? No-one has yet offered any solution to the well-noted traffic congestion around The Vale schools and Hautes Capelles. If St. Sampson’s Infants closes, how will the lack of pavements on the approaches to these schools be addressed? What about the parking, let alone the extra vehicles, since parents and pupils will no longer be able to walk to school?
Lots of wonderful traffic calming schemes around Baubigny – how much did that cost?? And tot hink that Education want to close a small school that, in global terms, cost peanuts, relatively speaking.
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It is very worrying that Education has not provided any documentation supporting the closure of St Sampson’s Infants beyond a press release that is focussed solely on financial considerations and what is apparently a rather thin response to deputy Stephens’ questions. So far there is nothing in what they have released to the public that considers the best interests of the children. Surely this should be at the top of their list of concerns?
The financial arguments in the press release are also seriously flawed. I don’t believe they will save anywhere near £250,000 a year if St Sampson’s Infants is closed. I estimate £65,000 to £75,000 at the most – and even this much is dubious given that Education’s own figures indicate that about £225,000 of the savings are staff costs – yet they are not making any redundant and (I assume) are not intending to increase class sizes. Even setting aside the most important element (what is best for the children) the current financial data do not justify the closing of what Education admit is a good school.
Education needs to publish the information (not just financial) on which they based their decision as soon as possible so that all interested parties can see it and it can be properly discussed prior to the States meeting.
Anything less (publishing it only in the report for the States meeting in January is too late) leaves them open to accusations of:
(a) not having had sufficient information on which to make their recommendation to close the school, and
(b) undermining the democratic process by not giving the public and deputies sufficient time to see the information, discuss and analyse it and provide any counter-arguments prior to the States meeting in January. (Even the press release that Education have produced is not available on the States web site under the Government – Press Releases section.)
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I pity the Landsbanki casualties, I really do. I note a declaration of priority from the States for Education funding. However, this is for NEW schools. Presumably, established schools that are doing a great job don’t come under this category. Instead Education want to close them, for no other reason than they cost a little bit more than others.Is this really true? If the total bill of running costs for each school was compared to that of St. Sampson’s infants, would the latter compare so unfavourably? Oh, and has the public been given an opportunity to view these figures? Where is the transparency between Education, States members and people involved with this community? What about the added value that this small school gives to the community and the island as a whole? What about the benefits for the children themselves that they gain from the contribution that they are able to make to their community? Empty school equates to community spirit’s demise!
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Jim asks
“Instead Education want to close them, for no other reason than they cost a little bit more than others.Is this really true?”
Problem with figures Jim is they can be used to justify anything.
It needs someonbe with the know all to be given access to all the figures, to be able to verify their accuracy, and to ask searchinbg questions of education.
I wouldn’t take at face value any figures produced by education.
Hopefully, some deputies will put these people to the inquisition.
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It would appear that a large proportion of the Deputies are waiting for the Educations report before they make a decision. However, if Education continues to drag it heels over releasing the information it may be that the Deputies do not have sufficient time to ask any questions or ask for further information in order to make an informed decision before it goes to the vote, or is this Educations plan!
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Thank you to the Press for republishing that appalling Mike Torode incident. Fancy questioning a headteacher on the state of their school?
“Not on my watch!” Indeed.
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Stephen John:
Actually, the figures are, to some extent, irrelevant. Some things just cost more than others, but they are worth having if they are doing a good job; if what we are getting at this great little establishment is great added value (and we are – just look at one of their recent awards-Becta) , then the extra cost per capita must surely be worth it. This cannot be underestimated. Without St. Sampson’s Infants School, the community will be the poorer for it.
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So his school needs a bit of upgrading. Big deal. The enviromental value to this school should be enough to keep it open. It has obviously been needed for a lot of years. It perorms well and the majority of parents and children speak highly of it and walk there due to the fact that it is on their doorstep. What are the authorities wanting a few superschools and an increase in traffic? We have enough of this on our roads already. If it has been good enough for all these years then it must have some merit and worth being kept open.
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