Sir, I would like to start by saying what a privilege it is to serve as the President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture. As a new deputy I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those colleagues who have helped me make the transition to this new role. I am especially grateful for the support of my colleagues on the Committee. Between us, we have a wide range of skills and experience relevant to our mandate.
We bring diverse perspectives but share a commitment to work respectfully and collaboratively as momentum builds and challenges arise. Still in our induction phase, we are identifying priority areas, after which we may invite non-voting members to strengthen the Committee with complementary skills and experience. Amongst the areas for our early attention at this stage are the Education Law Review, Primary Education Transformation, collaboration with others on an Early Years Strategy; Heritage and Culture Strategies, reviewing the Education Strategy; Phase 2 of the Les Ozouets Campus development, and looking at Higher Education funding.
Sir, given the breadth of our mandate, it is difficult to know where to begin, but I will start with an event taking place this Saturday: the island’s fifth Joyous Childhood Conference, organised by the States Early Years Team. For early years practitioners—working mainly in nurseries, preschools and as childminders—the costs of travelling off-island to hear from sector specialists can be prohibitive. This conference ensures they can access high-quality training and inspiration locally.
Attendees will hear from respected early years experts on a wide range of topics, including: supporting emerging neurodivergence; the role of movement skills in development; the benefits of outdoor maths activities; the mental health impact of creativity and imagination; and how to discuss race with very young children while recognising unconscious bias.
Sir, events like these are not ‘nice to haves’. They build understanding of the physical and neurological development of our youngest—and most vulnerable—community members. By working with early years professionals in this way, we create the conditions for strong foundations on which children, families, and those supporting them can build with confidence. Alongside other Committee members, I look forward to attending Saturday’s workshops and learning from these specialists.
Looking slightly further ahead Sir, we host our third Pupil Leadership Day on 26th September. This brings together about 150 young learners from all States Primary Schools, for a series of workshops via which they will establish or improve presenting; research; technical; leadership & teamwork skills to support pupils to aspire to roles as Digital and Librarian Leaders in their schools. The event is kindly sponsored by PwC, to whom, through you Sir, we offer our grateful thanks, and partners from the Sports Commission and Guille-Allès Library will also play a key role on the day.
Sir, in October the Committee will be represented at the launch of “2027: Year of the Normans” in Caen. The Bailiwick has a major opportunity to participate in celebrations marking the 1,000th anniversary of William the Conqueror’s birth and the Norman legacy across Europe, and we are already working closely with colleagues in Normandy. Local workshops will begin this month to shape a programme of events for 2027.
To maximise the opportunities these celebrations and rising French visitor numbers present, visitor materials are being expanded. Leaflets for the Guernsey Museum, Castle Cornet, Fort Grey and the Naval Signals HQ are now available in French. From next season, all permanent Guernsey Museum gallery boards will be bilingual. New learning resources have been developed for French school groups, and French-language tours of Castle Cornet will be offered for large parties. Finally, there is even something for visitors from Jersey travelling with Islands Unlimited who can enjoy a 10% discount at Guernsey Museums and Castle Cornet
As well as looking forward Sir, I must take a moment to reflect on the success of the 80th Liberation Day, and extend gratitude to every volunteer and sponsor who made it happen. We now need to look for a way to commemorate and celebrate in future years on more modest sums of money. We should also recognise and congratulate the hard work and dedication of the island’s sportsmen and women and their coaches, whose efforts placed Guernsey 3rd in Orkney’s Island Games, with an overall haul of some 59 medals!
Sir, the Committee’s many partners help to deliver its mandate and receive grants enabling them to do so. We are grateful for their efforts on our behalf, and for the patience of those organisations we have yet to meet.
It has been a time of significant change in our secondary sector. Yesterday the Committee visited the Sixth Form Centre at its temporary home, the interior of which has been refreshed and is ready to welcome students tomorrow – and our thanks go to the professionals and the many volunteers who have worked so hard over the past six weeks. We are particularly grateful for the artists who have produced vibrant murals for some of the classrooms. And I cannot remember Les Varendes site ever being this busy with refurbishment activity over a summer. It is now ready to welcome its new year 7 students and those joining from the La Mare de Carteret site. There has been extensive planning to make all these moves happen successfully for students and staff. Our special thanks to all those who have worked in their own time to prepare for the start of this new academic year.
In June, the contract with Ofsted, our External Inspection provider, was renewed for a further four years. This ongoing partnership ensures a consistent approach to inspection and enables us to measure progress against robust criteria.
Sir, inspection frameworks usually include governance, and we are keen to establish the necessary legislative framework so that governance, too, is reviewed objectively within external inspections.
Comparing our inspection outcomes with England, it is clear our States’ schools and settings are improving. The proportion graded ‘good’ or better continues to exceed England, with every school judged at least ‘good’ for Behaviour, Personal Development, or, where relevant, Early Years provision. Gradings for the Quality of Education are broadly in line with England. Personal Development is a particular strength in our Primary Schools, where a higher proportion are judged ‘excellent’ than in England. Importantly, no school or setting in any phase has been graded ‘inadequate’. While comparisons with England can be complex, benchmarking against areas with similar demographics gives genuine cause for optimism.
But we need to be clear there is so much more progress to be made. Our next step must be to increase the proportion of schools receiving ‘excellent’ grades and as we start the second cycle of inspection visits, self-evaluation suggests several schools are close to meeting the criteria to be judged as ‘excellent’ in a range of areas.
In the secondary phase, 3 years ago, external tests showed maths attainment on entry to year 7 was low. Three years later, when the same children were retested, this is no longer the case. In particular, the proportion of children now in Year 9 (aged 14), scoring high scores has grown to the extent that our external assessments show this now matches England.
At GCSE, the proportion of learners achieving grade 4 in Maths rose by over three percentage points this summer, narrowing the gap with England. This is strong progress, particularly given the very low starting points when this cohort entered secondary education five years ago. We remain committed to further improvement, recognising variation between schools, especially in the primary phase. Educational advisors are working with leaders where results are weaker, and once established in legislation, new governance boards will really be able to hold schools accountable for progress.
Externally validated reading results remain strong and above average in most schools. However, GCSE English Language results fell this year, which is disappointing. Analysis is underway, though early signs suggest written work is weaker than reading in earlier years. For the first time, students sat an Ofqual-approved GCSE, which excludes coursework; this may have exposed weaknesses that were less visible under the previous qualification.
Improving written work in primary schools is therefore a key focus. Early adoption of the new approach shows higher standards, and we anticipate wider improvement as it is rolled out. In secondary schools, Ofsted has already praised the English curriculum as strong. This term, advisors will monitor how well it is being delivered, with governance boards scrutinising outcomes and ensuring feedback is acted upon.
Last September we launched the three-year High Quality Inclusive Practice (HQIP) programme, designed to raise teaching quality for all learners. The programme has been well received. Over the coming year, every school and setting will evaluate its implementation, identifying strengths and areas for further development.
Sir, the construction of Phase 1 of Les Ozouets Campus is progressing, and the Committee recently visited the site to see firsthand the works taking place and studied plans to see what the finished product will look like. We were impressed by how well the project is being managed; it is running on time and on budget.
This new campus will transform The Guernsey Institute, TGI, when it opens in 2027. It will be a strategic asset for the island, the aim being to provide a vibrant and inclusive centre of excellence for technical, vocational and professional learning to serve industry and our community.
And through you Sir, I remind Members that amongst the many strategic benefits of bringing the component parts of TGI together will be the unlocking of the Coutanchez site for much needed housing.
Supporting our community through skills, learning, and knowledge is vital for people to thrive in an increasingly connected world. Each year, almost 4,000 learners engage with TGI: around 400 full-time learners, 350 apprentices, over 100 Higher Education students, and 3,000 adults taking courses ranging from career development and technical accreditation to leisure and personal interest. TGI therefore makes a significant contribution to Guernsey’s greatest economic asset – a skilled and diverse workforce.
To sustain and grow this workforce, TGI, supported by Government Work Plan funding, has created a practical learning roadmap responsive to local needs and aligned with Guernsey’s ambition to be dynamic, self-reliant and sustainable. New initiatives include: a programme encouraging graduates to return to the island; a system for accrediting short courses and units of study; wider adult learning for upskilling, retraining and career switching; and community provision to strengthen literacy, numeracy and digital skills.
Sir, the Committee will soon spend time reviewing proposals for Les Ozouets Phase 2 including deepening our understanding of all the options for the long-term home of the Sixth Form Centre. This will inevitably involve looking at options across the education estate, analysing student population numbers and long-term population projections. Only once we have fully understood all of this information can we begin to make informed plans.
We also need to better understand and explore the interplay between the parts of Phase 2, relating to the sports block and outdoor sports facilities, and the outcome of the ongoing sustainability review of Beau Sejour.
The Beau Sejour Review is moving into phases 3 and 4.The published outcomes from Stages 1 & 2 remind us that Beau Sejour’s role is more than just a leisure and cultural facility – it is a critical asset in improving public health, community cohesion, and individual well-being, with a significant social value impact. Case studies, such as stroke rehabilitation and lifelong participation in sport showcase how Beau Sejour acts as a bridge between health, education and sport. Sir, the next stages of the Review will focus on what we need to do to provide sustainable services and facilities in the future.
Finally Sir, later in this meeting the Assembly will consider a Projet making States-approved changes to the Education Law, to support a new approach to the governance of States education settings in Guernsey and we hope, subject to processes in the States of Alderney, in St Anne’s School. Sir, I’ll reserve further comment on the Projet and the Sursis Motivé, suffice to say that the Committee recognises the less than straight forward history of this subject and looks forward to a constructive debate.