Thursday 02 December 2021
A group of more than 20 aspiring education leaders, representing many of the States' maintained schools and The Guernsey Institute, are working together to support the development and visibility of the Education Strategy as it moves from intent to implementation.
This collaborative approach, developing the strategy with school-based staff who act as Education Strategy champions in their settings, ensures that there is appropriate input, challenge and support from staff working on the frontline of educational delivery and will ensure that the Education Strategy has a tangible impact in their own schools and settings. The Education Strategy Network has been established to ensure ongoing feedback from across the sector continues to inform the evolution of the strategy.
Development of the island's Education Strategy, which has been a key priority for the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture for some time, extends to the delivery of education across all settings and age ranges. It provides an ambitious and aspirational framework for continuous improvement which will help deliver a high-quality education for all learners in Guernsey and Alderney.
The Network meets on a regular basis to share views, consider issues and learn from one another. Recent discussions have included how best to raise the profile of the strategy more widely with staff and the community and exploring which of the strategy commitments are a current focus in individual schools and settings. More information about the focus areas within the strategy that have been prioritised by settings and the Education Office for 2021/22 will be available in the Spring Term and the Network has been in discussion about how best to communicate this to colleagues at that time.
Danielle Rowe, Literacy Subject Leader at Amherst Primary School, said:
'In my teaching career I can't ever remember a time when all providers, from primary to secondary and key stage 4, The Guernsey Institute, the Music Service, and Education officers have all worked together on the same priorities. It's very exciting to work with colleagues across the sectors on the strategy. The strategy's aims in simple terms is to make sure we are all, regardless of setting or sector, meeting the needs of learners irrespective of their circumstances. This ranges from the very basic requirement of keeping them safe to the expectation that they are taught by the best possible staff, which we ensure by constant career learning and development, and they access a carefully constructed curriculum.'
Ruth Sharp, States Early Years Lead Officer, said:
'Some of the benefits of the Education Strategy for parent and carers is to provide an equitable offer for their children right through from birth to post-16. Everyone who works in education wants to do the best they can for young people, but having a shared and cohesive vision throughout the various ages and sectors is so important. It's about all sectors buying in to the same goals and priorities, which we're developing through the strategy in a really collaborative way.'
Tim Le Compte, Year 4 teacher at La Houguette Primary School, said:
'The role of the Strategy Network is really as a bridge between the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture and its senior officers, and staff in educational settings. It gives educational settings a voice to provide feedback on the development of the strategy. It has been recognised that it will be settings-based staff delivering the tangible benefits of the strategy day-to-day so that involvement across settings in its development is key.'
The Education Strategy is an evolving piece of work that is designed to outline the key priorities and the underpinning commitments that leaders from education settings, the Education Office and the Committee have agreed set out the medium to long-term vision and ambitions for education in Guernsey and Alderney.
The Education Strategy should be viewed as the glue that holds the complex education eco-system together as it shows what is important for all education settings, no matter the age-range that they serve and lays out the collective aspirations for the whole system. It is not going to be a single document that runs the risk of sitting on a shelf after being published, but is, instead, an evolving and dynamic piece of work that focuses on continual development and improvement.
The four pillars of the strategy are below with a brief overview of each:
Achieving equity, safety and inclusivity
- Embedding whole-setting cultures and practices which promote inclusivity, challenge inequity, support well-being and remove barriers to personal ambition.
- Ensuring that our curriculum at all phases reflects the needs of all learners and is appropriately broad, diverse and ambitious.
Meeting the needs of our community
- Ensuring that our education system equips learners with the right balance of knowledge and skills so they are able to succeed wherever they are, either within or beyond the Bailiwick, now and in the future.
Delivering high quality learning and excellent outcomes
- Establishing practices which support leaders to develop, invest in and retain a robust, evidence-informed and highly-skilled education workforce including excellent continuous professional development and high-quality recruitment.
- Ensuring that our schools, post 16 and lifelong learning offers evolve to reflect best practice in curriculum development.
Providing outstanding leadership and governance
- Developing cultures, reviewing frameworks and investing in leadership development at all levels to empower leaders to lead.
- Review and develop appropriate education governance systems for settings and across the States of Guernsey.
More information on the development of the Education Strategy is available at www.gov.gg/educationstrategy