The new model for secondary and post-16 education will be fully operational from September 2025.

Under a revised timeline announced today, it is expected that The Guernsey Institute staff and students will be able to move into their new purpose-built facilities as soon as it is practical for them to do so, which could be early in 2025 or during the Easter holidays. This will only be done where it is appropriate for learners, taking into consideration their course requirements.

The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture has taken the decision to delay the final handover date by up to a year after fully examining all available options to overcome challenges that are largely outside of its control; specifically the potential risks of construction delays and additional financial costs associated with continuing to target a September 2024 completion date.

This decision was reached after significant engagement with the local firms currently tendering for the construction of the post-16 campus at Les Ozouets. A restricted procedure (closed tender) has enabled engagement with local contractors that have the capability and capacity to complete this project, having been identified through a robust pre-qualification process.

While these contractors have said that completing the build by September 2024 is theoretically possible, the timeline would be tight so that any delay due to circumstances outside of their control such as adverse weather, sourcing materials or access to specialist equipment could result in missing the handover date. As such the Committee has taken an early decision to extend the programme timeline to provide certainty and avoid the significant risk of a delay closer to the time of transition to the new buildings, which would cause far greater disruption to students, parents and staff and would likely have more significant financial implications.

Transition for staff and students

As a result of the adjusted timeline, La Mare de Carteret High School will remain operational for an extra year until July 2025, with the school’s last intake of Year 7 students this September, for the 2022/23 academic year as planned. This is in line with the updated feeder school system which was announced by the Committee last year.

The updated feeder school system will still come into effect in September 2023 with no changes in order to offer certainty to affected parents and students. The table below indicates which secondary school current Year 5 students will attend.

When the new model becomes fully operational in September 2025, students from La Mare de Carteret High will all move together to the Les Varendes site as planned.

The Sixth Form Centre will remain at Les Varendes until July 2025.

Financial implications

Naturally, a revised timeline is not without financial impact.

The anticipated savings of £1.2m associated with consolidating into a single post-16 campus will not now be realised until 2026.  There might also be additional costs associated with extending the programme. However, the extended timeline also now provides greater flexibility and although indicative costs of maintaining the programme and La Mare de Carteret High School for an extended period is suggested to be up to £1.6m, the Committee is being intentionally prudent at this early stage.

The Committee was not prepared to insist on a 2024 delivery date, since it would have risked increased costs to hit an arbitrary and, what contractors have indicated is a, challenging deadline. Extending the build window now significantly reduces the risk of an overrun of the construction phase and potential associated costs.

Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:

‘We’ve been open with the community in recent months that the timeline for implementing the new model for secondary and post-16 education was under significant pressures outside of our Committee’s control, nevertheless I’m obviously disappointed that we’ve had to reluctantly agree a new timeframe for the new buildings at the Les Ozouets Campus. This is frustrating primarily as it is an additional year before the benefits of the new system will begin to be felt, but I am satisfied that a huge amount of effort has gone in to looking at everything possible to maintain the initial timeline and this really is a case of recognising the external factors being outside of anyone’s control.

‘It is well-known that the construction industry locally is under pressure and very much in demand, not least via other States projects. While the large firms we’ve engaged with outlined plans that would have completed construction of the new post-16 campus by our original target date of September 2024, the reality is they also raised material concerns about pressures to achieve that date. The two-year construction programme would have needed to be completely seamless with nothing going awry – and we all know that is nigh-on impossible, even for some of the much smaller construction projects.

‘The Committee is of course aware that this is disappointing news, but I want to be very clear that the Committee has made the best decision in the interests of our students, staff and best use of public funds when analysing the evidence presented to us.

‘While incurring any additional cost, or a reduction in realised savings, is not unimportant, in the wider context it must be remembered that the combined build programmes of the new facilities for The Guernsey Institute and reorganisation of secondary education is a £100m initiative and contingency costs have been budgeted for in the capital sum approved by the States.  It is much more important that we get it right rather than rushing to meet an arbitrary deadline and introducing unnecessary risks. Lengthening the timeframe for the build also enables us to work with whichever contractor is selected to keep costs down, rather than potentially facing increased costs associated with rushing to meet an earlier completion date.

‘Most importantly, the Committee’s early decision to adjust the timeline for moving to the new buildings and to maintain the current transitional arrangements for students leaving primary school, provides certainty and at the same time minimises disruption, as far as possible, for students and staff. This has been, and will remain, a key focus of all members of our Committee throughout.’

More information on the new model and transition plans, including the new feeder school system that will come into effect from September 2023, can be found at: www.ourfuture.gg/education