Three of six Grammar teachers can stay
Monday 16th March 2009, 1:00PM GMT.
THREE out of six Grammar School teachers whose housing licences were about to expire have won their battle to stay in the island.
The A-level teachers’ five-year licences were due to end at the end of the summer term.
But after a sustained campaign by students, who organised a Facebook group called Save Teachers, Change Housing Law, half of them have been given an extension.
Grammar School head Jeff Smith (pictured) said three was better than none at all.
‘We had three who have been granted extensions, one in maths who was granted a 15-year licence,’ he said. ‘A physics teacher has been given a two-year extension, taking his to a seven-year licence. It is difficult to get physics teachers.’
The third was the head of photography, who, Mr Smith said, should have been given a 15-year licence from the start.
The school was still losing teachers of English, religious studies and history, said Mr Smith.
‘We have excellent teachers and now we don’t know who will be their replacements. It’s a bit of a gamble.’
‘I’m going to be recruiting from the UK. There is not a history teacher in the island waiting for a job,’ he said.
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Excuse me??? This is in no way a U-turn by the states as two of the teachers given licence extensions had already been given this news before February half term, and the third extension had absolutely nothing to do with the campaign supported by the students or the facebook group. The three teachers denied an extension also knew before February half term and are still leaving in July. Nothing has changed. This article is wholly inaccurate and misleading suggesting that things have changed. They have not.
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I am a believer in sucession planning, the point of giving a license is because there is not a local person to fill the post. Given we know there are local teachers wanting to return (apparently) but can’t as they lack experience yet they are finding jobs in the UK, which is prepared to provide experience training.
I feel that Guernsey can be rather picky and decides to not sucession plan at it’s convenience rather than the long term goal of proviing local jobs for local people and building experience.
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As the Mother of one of the teachers involved in the housing licence dispute, I am surprised at the misleading way the Guernsey Press has reported the outcome. The Grammar School has had remarkable exam results due to the excellent teaching qualities of those involved in the request for extensions. As Mr Smith says it’s a bit of a gamble who will replace them. Are there really that many island teachers waiting to fill their shoes? Apparently not if he is recruiting from the UK again!
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Mr Smith said “There is not a history teacher in the island waiting for a job”
What exactly he means is unclear. it is possible that one or more of the existing history teachers would be interested in the Grammar school job.
I had assumed you could only say no one from the island was interested in the job after the job had been advertised, and there was no local interest.
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I would assume Stephen John that Mr Smith is in a position to know exactly how many local and non-local applicants there are for Grammar School teaching posts given the very high staff turnover due to the current housing regulations, including within the History department. Not to mention the even higher turnovers within the English and Religious Studies departments, both of which have had to recruit new staff almost every year for the past six years. Do you not think that we teachers in different schools talk to each other and are therefore very well aware of who is keen to move to a different post within the island? Furthermore I am absolutely sick of all the non-teachers who have posted their unfounded and uninformed opinions and assumptions in comments on this and other articles relating to this issue on this website. Mr Smith is exactly right and stating fact. Yes there are teachers on this island looking for jobs but not any that can fill these specific posts as they are predominantly primary teachers and not A level specialists in these particular subjects. That is the real issue that is so mind-numbingly obvious that I am at a loss as to why people are unable to grasp this fact. If you want evidence just look to the fact that the most recent appointments in these departments (in both September and January of this school year) have been non-local candidates, simply because no locals applied. What on earth makes anybody think that a local candidate who did not apply for these posts three or six months ago, or last year, or the year before is suddenly going to decide to apply now? What exactly is making people think that locals are suddenly going to appear and queue up for these jobs full stop? Recent trends have shown that this is simply not going to happen, a fact that will be proven only when excellent non-local teachers have once again been replaced by different non-locals at great expense to the taxpayer. Or is it merely wishful thinking on the part of those with xenophobic tendencies?
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Can somebody please explain to me why non-locals are prohibited from reapplying for their own posts when their licence expires? Surely this would solve all problems as if there is a suitable local candidate then fair enough, they can be appointed. If not then a local candidate with a proven track record could be retained rather than wasting money bringing over an alternative non-local plus their dependents and possessions and then paying them a rent subsidy for potentially three years.
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Non Local
You are entitled to your opinion but so are others.
I thought the purpose of education was to see both sides of the debate.
if you read my post you will have seen that I was asking the question “Is it possible” etc
You ask why do we assume that local residents who did not apply for a job three or six months ago will now apply for the job. How about different circumstances, different views on the existing and offered job do for starters.
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Actually Stephen John you clearly state ‘it is possible’. A question is usually followed by a question mark. Despite this, of course it is possible. In which case, what is wrong with the existing teachers being given the opportunity to reapply for these posts so that if there is not a local applicant then they can be retained if, and only if they have a proven track record? I can of course appreciate the concerns of locals regarding the potential rise in population, however, surely the education of future generations of locals is far more important than this issue? I am by no means suggesting that non-locals should be retained en masse, simply that in individual cases, if a teacher has a record of excellence then they can be assessed as such an individual case and be reappointed where appropriate. This will not result in a mass poplutation surge as it is obviously common sense to do so only in rare cases, such as potentially some of the three teachers in question who are outstanding. If you read the responses to earlier articles on this issue you will see that my concerns are addressed only to those who are claiming that there are locals waiting for these jobs. As we have both identified this is a possibility but clearly not a certainty as they are assuming.
And as a qualified professional educator I am well aware of the purpose of education. I am also aware however that there is a very large difference between informed opinion and ignorance. The purpose of education is not simply to teach children to see both sides of the debate but to draw reasonable conclusions from the available evidence. Not to respond with knee-jerk reactions and then claim that your opinions are equally as valid as those made by individuals who may have access to the bigger picture. Is the opinion of Dep. Dave Jones who claims that a primary school teacher would be appropriate to teach A level subjects as valid as those who truly understand the nature of educating students to this level?
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>>why non-locals are prohibited from reapplying for their own posts when their licence expires<<
I have no idea but if true i applaud this. You have a licence for a set period of time and it expires. What’s the problem
I suspect that some people expect a short term licence as a nod and a wink towards residency. education should be filling positions with local qualified staff wherever possible.
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Over the years there have been mutterings that candidates have been given the impression that the licence control was not as rigid as it appears in writing.
If this had been the interpretation of one or two candidates it could have been put down to misunderstanding. However, the numbers getting the wrong message does suggest that the nod and a wink view might be correct.
I agree with the view that a 5 year licence is just that and should be that.
Concern about extensions was usually associated with the worry that people could assume the right to live permanently on the island via the legal back door. Human Rights and all that.
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why if they have to recruit from the UK can they not extend the licenses of those teachers who are already and established member of the teaching staff. i understand the preference to not allow those from the UK to become local but if there are not qualified locals willing to come back for these post, which most arent then, then why not aim to keep those qualified professionals who are up to date with the current syllabus being taught at the grammar with the specific exam board being used as from experience many of the new UK born teachers coming in have taught using different exam boards or with differnt areas of the syllabus and are therefore learning it as the students are being taught it and therefore are not performing to the best of thier abilities meaning the students are not getting adequate education at a time when the students need some of the best teaching to gain the grades needed for university or work.
it seems illogical to keep bringing new people over on a regular basis when it would be more beneficial for almost everyone to keep those established in the schools
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