Guernsey’s Education Department wants to close St. Andrew’s Primary School
Education claims the proposal will save money and improve primary education for Guernsey’s children. We believe this is false. The only aim is to save money & it’s the island’s children paying the price.
Can the predicted FTP savings be achieved? Watch our presentation
Read the full counterargument here view pdf
How can you help?
sign the petition like our facebook pagefollow us on twitter
Most important of all phone, email, tweet or write to your Deputy asking them to vote against closure. You can find their emails here.
St Andrew’s is a successful school
St Andrew’s routinely receives glowing reports from independent inspectors. Even the Education Minister, Deputy Robert Sillars, described St Andrew’s as ‘a very good school’ at a public meeting to announce his plans. There are no educational grounds to close a successful school that is loved by pupils, parents and the community.
The children will be the ones to pay
Education says it wants all children to attend schools with two or more forms per year, because they claim it has educational benefits. Yet at a public meeting Education officials admitted that the results of pupils who are subjected to the disruption of moving school might suffer. They also stated that a single-form entry school was the highest achieving in the island.
Education’s figures don’t add up
Education says that closing the school will save £593,000 to £653,000 per year. We can’t make these figures add up. They are based on a low intake year, which over-estimates the number of spare places in the island’s primary schools. Pupil numbers will rise in the next few years. Neither do they take into account the fact that classroom and teaching resources will be stretched at the receiving schools.
Our research
Contrary to what some deputies are saying, our argument against Education’s proposal is based on facts, figures and research.
FTP was never about cutting frontline services
The evidence and research to prove that closing the school would lead to detrimental outcomes for students is compelling. Education’s report clearly selected only research supporting its aims to save money. There is other, more recent and relevant research contradicting these claims.
read our full reportThe figures don’t add up
Education’s projected saving figures are fundamentally flawed. There is no consideration of the cost of bringing out-of-action classrooms into use, no extra money is being allocated to cope with increased student numbers in receiving schools and there has been no investigation of the social or environmental impacts which could have associated long term costs.
read our full reportEducation claims 500 empty spaces
The calculation of surplus places is fundamentally flawed for a variety of reasons. For example, the calculation of available spaces at St. Martin’s has had to be reduced by more than half due to the actual physical space available. As a consequence, reliance on them could result in increased expenditure in the medium term, not savings.
read our full reportCurriculum & extra-curricular activities
The curriculum offer at St. Andrew’s is as strong or stronger than many other island schools. Research on curriculum offer in small schools at primary level is limited, but it has been found that the size of school does not impact on curriculum offer. Smaller classes often cover the curriculum “with greater breadth, depth and richness”. A higher percentage of children in smaller schools participate in extra-curricular activities than do so in larger schools. There is an abundance of research showing there is a greater and more varied participation by children in extra-curricular activities in smaller schools.
read our full reportOne of the cheapest schools to run
St. Andrew’s Primary School buildings are robust and fit for purpose. Qualified experts assessing the school and grounds recently concluded that there is ample space for expansion into a multiple form entry school without negative impact on hard or soft play areas. The school’s central position within the community and the island should make it an ideal candidate for expansion rather than closure – how many parents pass by the school on their journey to work? Furthermore the St Andrew’s Primary School is one of the cheapest to run.
read our full reportMultiple form entry is not necessarily better
Multiple form entry is not necessarily better. Research suggests that collaboration between schools produces better results rather than keeping all pooling of resources within the same establishment. To quote education “developing leadership, teaching and teamwork are key elements since these are the factors that produce the best [educational] outcomes”. However, this can be carried out just as easily, and often more successfully, between schools as has been proven in other jurisdictions.
read our full report