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STATES RESOURCE PLAN 1998 (P.112/98): SECOND AMENDMENT _______________
Lodged au Greffe on 16th June 1998 by the Education Committee
______________________________
STATES OF JERSEY
STATES GREFFE
175 1 9 9 8 P . 1 4 3
Price code: C
PROPOSITION
THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of the opinion -
For sub-paragraph (b) of the proposition substitute the following -
(b ) to approve the recommended priority order of capital projects -
( i) f o r 1 9 99, as set out in Appendix 5.2, with the addition of the sum of £7,648,000 for the Phase 1
redevelopment of Hautlieu School and to request the Finance and Economics Committee to make sufficient funds available for the project in the 1999 Budget;
( ii ) fo r 2 0 00, 2001 and 2002 as set out in Appendix 5.4, with the addition, in whichever year is
appropriate, of the following sums and projects -
1 . £ 1 1 ,5 0 0 , 0 0 0 f or the Phase 2 redevelopment of Hautlieu School;
2 . £ 3 ,9 5 6 , 0 0 0 f o r a replacement Grands Vaux School;
3 . £ 2 ,6 3 8 , 0 0 0 f o r the refurbishment and extension of La Pouquelaye School; 4 . £ 4 4 8 ,0 0 0 fo r the construction of a Nursery Class at Bel Royal School;
5 . £ 1 ,4 6 0 , 0 0 0 f o r the Phase 2 redevelopment of La Moye School;
6 . £ 1 ,8 2 5 , 0 0 0 f o r the Phase 2 redevelopment of Grouville School; and
7 . £ 8 4 4 , 0 0 0 fo r the development of a Nursery Centre in part of the old Jersey College for Girls
building.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
NOTES : The comments of the Finance and Economics Committee are to follow.
REPORT
- B a c kg round
I n N o v ember 1992, the States approved the preparation of a new Education Law to replace the Loi (1912) sur
l'Instruction Primaire, as amended, and related Laws.
In g iv in g this approval, the States recognised the inadequacy of the existing legislation, which had been enacted to
serve a community which has since changed radically. The States also clearly recognised that the education service of the Island has been transformed from a relatively basic system of elementary schools and no further education to highly developed arrangements of nursery, primary, secondary, special and further education facilities with responsibilities ranging from early childhood education to post graduate studies. The Island's economy demands a highly educated, well trained workforce which, in turn, requires an effective and responsive system of education, supported by an appropriate legislative framework.
In F e b ru ary 1998 a draft Law (P.21/98) was lodged by the Education Committee, the detail of which, members will
be aware, is currently being consulted upon. The draft Law sets out the rights, duties and responsibilities of the various partners, both those who provide the service and those who use it. As we approach the millennium, the draft Law establishes the means of supporting the change and development that is vital to ensure an education service which is capable of meeting present and future needs.
- D ut ie s under legislation
- T h e States
A r tic le 6 of the draft Law clearly defines the duty of the States to promote education as follows -
" T h e S ta te s s hall promote the spiritual, moral, intellectual, cultural, social and physical development of the
people of the Island and, in particular, of the children of the Island".
- T h e Committee
A r t ic le 7 of the draft Law defines the many duties of the Education Committee. In particular, paragraph (2) of
Article 7 states that -
" T h e C o m m itte e shall, from year to year -
(a ) r e v ie w th e numbers of school places available, both in provided and non-provided schools; and
(b ) a ss e s s th e current and future requirements for provision of school places by reference to the ages and
numbers of the children of the Island".
A r tic le 11 of the draft Law defines the duty of the Committee with respect to children of compulsory school age (5-
16 years) as follows -
" T h e C o m m i ttee shall ensure that there is available to every child of compulsory school age full-time
education appropriate to his age, ability and aptitude.".
A r tic le 46 of the draft Law defines the duty of the Committee with regard to persons over compulsory school age as
follows -
" T h e C o m m it tee shall ensure that there is available education appropriate to the reasonable needs of the
generality of young persons, having regard to their different abilities and aptitudes".
It is , o f course, recognised that the draft Law has yet to be debated and there may be changes to the detail of the
proposed new Law.
H o w e v er, the Education Committee firmly believes that the principles and sentiments underlying these defined
duties are fundamental to good government, reflect the needs and expectations of the population as a whole and will therefore be accepted.
- C ha lle nges
In r e sp o nding to these duties, the Education Committees have, since the early nineties, been faced with and have
successfully dealt with, the following three major challenges.
3.1. D e m ographic Growth P r im a ry Schools
In 1 9 9 0 there were fewer than 4,000 children in non fee-paying primary schools. Today there is in excess of 5,300.
This represents an increase of almost a third, and the peak in primary aged pupils is not expected until 2001/2002, when just over 5,500 pupils must be accommodated.
S ec o n d a ry Schools
In 1 9 9 0 there were fewer than 2,300 pupils aged 11-16 years within the non fee-paying secondary schools, whist
today there are 2,775. As the increased number of children within the primary sector pass through to the secondary sector, this number will rise to more than 3,500 by September 2006, an increase of 725, or just over 26 per cent over the next eight years.
P o s t 1 6 Sector
T h e n u mbers of pupils, aged 17-19 years, within the fee-paying colleges and private schools will remain fairly
static during this forthcoming period of demographic growth, because those schools are each limited to four forms of intake. As a result, the non fee-paying sector, which consists of Hautlieu and Highlands College, will continue to grow to meet the demands for additional places.
H a u t lie u, which currently has around 450 students, is expected to grow to 750 full-time students by 2006 - an
increase of around 66 per cent! Highlands College, as the only significant provider of post-16 vocational programmes, will continue to expand to offer an increasing range of non "A" level courses, and will be required to accommodate an increasing diversity of part-time and full-time programmes.
- C u r r iculum
T h e c u rriculum provided to all children in schools has been developed and expanded to reflect the demands of
modern life and to prepare our young people for the world in which they will live and work. The teaching of this highly developed curriculum, the Jersey Curriculum, is now a requirement in all schools. The accommodation and facilities required have changed dramatically over the past decade and, as a result, there has been a requirement to improve and develop school facilities.
- B u ild ing Stock
D u e to many years of financial constraint and perhaps not enough foresight, it is now recognised, not only in
Jersey, but throughout much of the developed world, that too little was invested during the sixties, seventies and eighties on maintaining and developing school buildings. Despite recognition of this in the late eighties and a significantly increased investment by the States since the early nineties, this lack of earlier investment has left a legacy of many inadequate schools. This poor condition ranges across the estate, from some schools which have a few rooms in need of improvement, to other schools which can only be upgraded either by extensive refurbishment and extension or total replacement.
- Me e ting the challenges
T h e r e c ognition by the States in 1991 and 1992 of the need to improve the quality of our schools, and of the need to
provide appropriate places for the increasing number of children within the school system, led to a significant level of capital investment. As a result, successive Education Committees have implemented a capital building programme to improve the quality of Island schools. This programme has been funded, as follows, since 1993 -
1993 £18,133,000 (4 projects) 1994 £ 7,504,000 (6 projects) 1995 £ 9,239,000 (2 projects) 1996 £ 8,831,000 (2 projects) 1997 £ 2,395,000 (2 projects) 1998 £ 7,720,000 (6 projects)
T h e c le ar commitment to this ongoing programme of development has enabled the Committee to plan for the
development of quality provisions for all children. Confidence in the States' commitment to ensuring appropriate facilities has enabled children, parents and schools to accept the temporary and often substandard arrangements which have had to be put into place at some schools in order to cater for growth, pending extension and/or refurbishment.
- C ur r e nt Position
- 1 9 9 9 Capital Programme
In a p p r oving the proposition which accompanied the Policy and Resources Committee's Strategic Policy Review
and Action Plan 1997, the States decided to move towards more long-term planning, and to approve both the 1998 and the 1999 capital programmes. As a result, the 1999 capital programme approved for education projects was as follows -
£ 7,250,000 -
£ 3,270,000 -
£ 2,350,000 -
£ 4 20,000 -
£ 3 35,000 - £13,625,000 -
Hautlieu (Phase 1)
Grainville School (Phase 1)
Mont Nicolle School (Extension) St. Mark's School (Refurbishment) Trinity School (Extension)
H o w e v er, following a decision by the Policy and Resources Committee in early 1998 to re-examine the 1999
capital programme, the programme now proposed by the Policy and Resources Committee (at Appendix 5.2 of the report accompanying P.112/98) excludes the sum of £7,250,000 for Phase 1 of the Hautlieu project. This is despite this project receiving high priority again in the 1998 Capital Decision Conference.
- 2 0 0 0 Capital Programme
In a p p ro ving P.149/97 in November 1997, the States also gave in principle' approval to the higher priority projects
recommended for 2000 and 2001. The Education Committee was pleased to note that the long-term commitment to improve schools would be maintained, and that the 2000 capital programme included the sum of £8,600,000 for four important projects.
H o w e v er, as a result of the April 1998 Capital Decision Conference, and of decisions made by the Policy and
Resources Committee, the 2000 programme (as now proposed at Appendix 5.4 of the report accompanying P.112/98) contains no education projects at all!
- T he p rojects
T h e im plications of the proposals of Policy and Resources for the 1999 and 2000 capital programmes is that the
Policy and Resources Committee are recommending that the States should end its commitment to improving Island schools.
T o en s u re that States members are aware of the reasons for each of the excluded projects and of the necessity for
approval to be given for them to proceed, there follows a brief rationale for each project.
- H au t lieu School: (£22,500,000)
In O c to ber 1991 the States approved, in principle', the remodelling and refurbishment of Hautlieu School in 1998
(refer P.149/91). It was recognised that the existing buildings needed to be brought up-to-date and enlarged to meet modern environmental and safety standards, and the current and future curriculum requirements.
In 1 9 9 4 , a sum of £6.3 million was inscribed into the 1998 forward programme. This project was approved and
carried forward; and in 1995 the sum of £6.3 million was inscribed into the 1998 programme, and in November 1996 the sum of £6.6 million was inscribed into the 1999 programme.
Fr o m e a rly feasibility work, it became clear that to provide accommodation capable of accommodating the needs of
the school for at least the next 40 years, a significant amount of new building would be required, in addition to extensive remodelling of the existing buildings. At that time, it was planned that three new blocks - one for science, one for art, design and technology and one for sports - would be needed.
T h is n e w phased project was subsequently confirmed to the 1997 Capital Decision Conference and, as a result, a
figure of £7.25 million was approved for inclusion into the 1999 capital programme, and an extra sum of £3.6 million for Phase 2 - the new sports block - was included within the high priority projects for the 2000 programme. Phase 3, the refurbishment and remodelling of the existing school, at £7.0 million, was not afforded priority at that time. However, the project phase did retain a very high priority in the list of projects rejected, and it was expected that it would eventually be afforded high priority in either 2002 or 2003.
In Se p te mber 1997, the Education Committee considered an extensive and detailed Feasibility Study, carried out by
a professional design team led by the States Chief Architect, into various options for the development of Hautlieu. Given clear evidence that the extension and remodelling scheme would give neither value for money nor provide ideal accommodation, the Committee accepted that a new school should be constructed on the adjacent Oakfield site, and that the existing Hautlieu site should become a new open playing field.
B e f o re taking these proposals forward, the Education Committee determined that it would seek the views of the
Planning and Environment Committee and, following a site visit by that Committee, the proposals for the new school and the rationalisation of the site were considered by the Planning and Environment Committee in November 1997. Given the evidence of the feasibility study and the potential significant land gain for the area, the Planning and Environment Committee was also of the opinion that the new building plans offered the best alternative.
P r o je c t Phasing
T h e p r o ject phasing, as supported by the Decision Conference in 1997 was as follows -
1999 Science and ADT Blocks £ 7,648,000 2000 Sports Block £ 3,798,000 2001/2 Classroom Block + Admin. £18,831,000
H o w ev e r, taking account of the requirements identified in the detailed feasibility study, the likely current building
costs (as identified on both Haute Vallée and JCG projects), the need to ensure maximum value for money and the need to minimise the disruption to the school and its neighbours, the phasing proposed now is as follows -
1999 Science and ADT Blocks £ 7,648,000 2000 Classrooms, Arts + Admin. £11,500,000 2002/3 Sports Block £ 3,852,000 £22,500,000
T h e c u r rent scheme is to build a new school on Oakfield Playing Field, to demolish the existing Hautlieu buildings
and to convert the existing Hautlieu site into open playing fields with an integral sports block. Rationalisation of access roads, parking and landscaping is also included. This scheme provides for the best use of land, the least disruption and the most economical use of funds.
P r o b le m s of delay
T h e e x isting school buildings have reached the end of their useful life. Indeed most blocks have exceeded their planned life by a considerable margin, and are providing poor quality accommodation for pupils and staff. If these buildings are not replaced, as a matter of urgency, the school will continue to struggle to provide the range and
quality of subjects required by high-achieving young people, and there will remain very limited opportunities to introduce
new programmes or to provide appropriate student facilities. In addition, large injections of additional maintenance funding will be essential to address significant problems which have been deferred or delayed pending the capital development.
T h e e x i sting buildings do not and cannot, even with remodelling, afford sufficient space to deliver the full range of
science, art, design and technology or sports curricula. This is an unacceptable position for a school intended to meet the needs of the brightest students in all subject areas. It should not be accepted that our leading students, upon whom the future prosperity of our community depends, will continue to be taught in what are now the worst secondary school buildings in the Island.
T h e p r o ject as it stands was given a high priority by the Decision Conference, but has been omitted on grounds of
cost alone. However, the Policy and Resources Committee has stated in its report that "There is some doubt about the availability or desirability of recommending further loan sanctions to allow for major projects such as Hautlieu, or the new block at H.M. Prison. Because of this and despite the priority afforded to the project, the Policy and Resources Committee cannot recommend that Hautlieu should be included as a £19.1 million project to be funded in the foreseeable future."
Wh a t c o st to the Island will result from neglecting or diminishing the education afforded to its brightest citizens?
T h e E d ucation Committee has recognised the significant concern that has been expressed by the Public and in the
States Chamber over the poor condition of the Hautlieu buildings. It is determined to ensure that the redevelopment of this school proceeds as soon as possible, and seeks the support of the States to its proposals to commence the project in 1999 and to complete it during the period 2000-2003.
- B e l R oyal School - Nursery Class: (£448,000)
B e l R o yal School is the only primary school which accommodates children between the ages of five and eleven
with physical handicaps. With demographic growth, and improvements in medical care and treatment, the school is providing for an increasing number of children with physical handicaps and multiple or severe disabilities.
In a d d itio n to this growth in school age children, early diagnosis and treatment is becoming the norm for children
as young as two or three years of age, and it is clear that in many cases, early educational intervention can reap significant benefits in later years. Provision for several children with physical disabilities is being made in the new nursery classes at Le Squez and Grouville Schools. However, these units can only deal with a few children offering lesser challenges.
T h e S ta tes is committed to the value of good quality child care and education and recognises the indisputable
benefits of such provision in later life. They include -
• im p ro v e d academic performance;
• en h a n c e d social skills;
• re d u c e d requirement for support in special needs;
• a r e d uc t ion in crime and antisocial behaviour;
• im p ro v e d life skills and job satisfaction.
T h e s e b enefits are supported by extensive research studies in Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom
Additionally, the States has recognised that the economy in Jersey will be assisted if more support is made available for women and one-parent families to enable them to contribute to the economy by working and thus enabling the family to exist without welfare support.
T h e b e n efits of nursery education are accepted, and the Committee maintains that these benefits should be available
to children with disabilities and their parents. It is therefore proposed to construct a new nursery class at Bel Royal School, and thereby to make adequate and appropriate provision for these children.
P r o b le m s of delay
A h ig h e r proportion of very young children with physical disabilities will be debarred from enjoying the benefits of
early years education, and the parents of these children, many of whom need even more support, will also be denied access.
If th e Sta tes is to meet its aim of providing an education service which is equal to or better than education services
elsewhere, then this development must not be ignored. The Committee cannot understand how the improvement of facilities for sixth form students at Victoria College, although in itself an important project, can have been given higher priority within the proposed capital programme than this Nursery Class. It can only conclude that the decision conference process is flawed, or that attendees at the conference did not understand the urgent need for this facility. The Committee therefore seeks States support for this project to proceed as a matter of urgency.
- G ra n ds Vaux School: (£3,956,000)
G r a n d s Vaux School was erected at about the same time, and is of the same design and construction as Le Squez
School. The 25 year design life of the buildings, which are little more than prefabricated temporary units, has been far exceeded, and significant funds have had to be applied on an annual basis, simply to keep the buildings wind and weather-tight. Due to their lightweight construction, the buildings, and hence the occupants, suffer from overheating in summer and cold in winter.
L e Sq u ez School has now been replaced with a much larger and more substantial building. The Le Squez area, in
which much of the States housing has also been significantly improved, now has a school with community facilities of which the States may be proud. On the other hand, the Grands Vaux area, in which the housing stock has also been improved, still has an old, tired school which in building terms, is neither a credit to the education service nor to the States.
T h e Sta tes has rightly supported the need for improved living accommodation, an improved external environment
and for enhanced youth and community facilities for the people of Grands Vaux. The Committee wishes to see that same commitment afforded to the local school. It had been thought, by previous Education Committees, that the school could be maintained in a reasonable condition until 2002 or 2003. However, recent investigations have identified that serious shortcomings within the building are having an adverse effect on the facilities available, on the curriculum delivered to the children and on the morale of both teachers and parents. As a result, this Committee has sought to bring this project forward to 2000.
- L a M oye School (Phase 2): (£1,460,000)
Ph a se 1 of the extension to and remodelling of La Moye School is progressing well and tenders for the works will
be received shortly. Most of the school is presently decanted into a large block of temporary classrooms, awaiting the start on site this coming summer. At the end of this Phase 1 project, the school will have twelve permanent classrooms, but will still have to retain the majority of the temporary classrooms on site. This seriously reduces the outdoor play area and results in largely unsuitable shared and communal areas throughout the partially completed school.
T h e P h a se 2 project will replace the temporary classrooms with permanent structures, will complete the upgrading
and modernisation of the old school buildings, including the school hall, and will also include a new Nursery Class. The Phase 2 project also includes funding for the significant enhancement of the school's playground and playing field facilities, which with over 300 children on a restricted site, is essential.
It m a k e s sense for there to be minimal delay between the completion of Phase 1 and the commencement of Phase 2.
The Committee has therefore sought to bring Phase 2 forward to 2000 which, if approved, would mean that the project would begin in July 1998 and would be completed by the end of 2000.
- G ro u ville School (Phase 2): (£1,825,000)
A s w ith La Moye School, Phase 1 of the extension to and remodelling of Grouville School is progressing well, and
tenders for the works will be received shortly. Half of the school is now decanted into a large block of temporary classrooms awaiting the start on site this coming summer.
A t th e e nd of this Phase 1 project, half of the school will have been modernised and upgraded and the school will
have a new, purpose-built Nursery Class. However, the other half of the school and the central block, which houses the school library, etc. will remain unimproved.
T h e Ph a se 2 project will upgrade the remaining parts of the school to modern standards, and also includes funding
for the significant enhancement of the school's playground and playing field facilities, which with over 300 children on an extremely restricted site, is essential.
It m a k e s sense for there to be minimal delay between the completion of Phase 1 and the commencement of Phase 2.
The Committee has therefore sought to bring Phase 2 forward to 2000 which, if approved, would mean that the project would begin in the summer of 1998 and could be completed by the September 2000.
- L a P ouquelaye School: (£2,638,000)
L a Po u q uelaye School is a prefabricated construction and, like Le Squez and Grand Vaux schools, has reached the
end of its economic life and must be replaced.
T h e s i te of La Pouquelaye School is so restricted that it will not be possible to construct a new school alongside the
old. Instead, it will be necessary to rebuild and modernise the existing school buildings, as has been done at Plat Douet School, by decanting half the school into temporary accommodation whilst the works are in progress.
T h e i n tention is also to include a new Nursery Class within this school. This forms part of the Committee's
approved strategy for increasing the day care places for children under five years of age, and will form a very important additional facility in this area where no comparable facility exists.
If th e p roject does not proceed as planned, the very poor fabric of the building will continue to deteriorate, and a
large injection of maintenance funding will be required to address problems which have been deferred or delayed pending the planned start of the redevelopment.
- N u rs ery Centre: (£844,000)
I n 1 9 9 6 the States recognised the need for improved quality child care provisions and, in 1997, to aid in the
development of more and better provisions, it established the Child Care Trust. It is accepted that the economy in Jersey would be assisted, especially in a period of renewed growth where there is a shortage of staff, if more support was available for women and single parents to enable them to contribute to the economy by working, and thus enabling the family to exist without welfare support. Whilst the Education Committee has made significant progress in establishing nursery classes and stimulating quality improvements within the private sector, there is a significant lack of provision for extended day-care throughout the year, especially for babies and, in particular, for the majority of those who reside in the town area.
T h is p r oject will provide up to 100 extra places for children of up to five years of age. It will provide high quality
care and education throughout the working day and for 48 weeks of the year. It is intended to be a States-owned but privately run facility, managed under the guidance of the Child Care Trust and the Education Committee.
T h is f ac ility is desperately needed if targets for helping women back into work and for improving the quality and
extent of child care are to be met. The building which will house this facility forms part of what is now the Jersey College for Girls. When the College moves to Mont Millais in September 1999, the buildings will be available for refurbishment and conversion by early 2000.
T h e C o mmittee is anxious to meet the high public expectations in this area. This project has been afforded a high
priority in previous years and the demand for it is growing, not reducing. The Committee therefore believes that this project, for which premises have been identified and which will have little direct impact on overall States revenue resources, should not be delayed any longer than necessary.
- St. C lement's School: (£1,424,000)
T h e o ld er part of this school has been extensively altered and extended over the last 15 years to provide a much
improved school environment. However, with the growing number of primary school age children in this area, and the recent far-reaching changes to the content of the primary curriculum, the teaching rooms are, in general, not large enough and there are insufficient other teaching and non-teaching rooms/spaces of quality to meet today's standards. In addition, this part of the school still has to operate with outdoor toilets, situated across the playground.
T h e C o mmittee, with support from the States, managed to allocate a small amount of funding to carry out a series of minor improvements during 1996, 1997 and 1998. These works have included the absorption of the old School
House into the school for use as an additional classroom, improved staff facilities and a staff/teaching kitchen and, in addition, a second additional temporary classroom was installed to cater for growth. These actions have enabled the school to accommodate its immediate overcrowding problems, but these actions do not provide permanent solutions to the school's problems. A major extension and remodelling scheme is required to do away with the need
for temporary classrooms, to provide more rational and better-equipped and serviced accommodation and to bring this old
school up to today's standards.
In a d d itio n to the many accommodation problems, this school is the only one in Jersey which is on a split site and
which actually has a public road running between the two school buildings. This represents a totally unacceptable safety hazard for children and staff, and creates tremendous logistical problems in managing and supervising small children as they repeatedly move between the two buildings during the school day. The Committee maintains that this situation is not one which would be countenanced at all today, as the very real and constant danger to children would be considered so unacceptable that the site would not even be considered as suitable for a primary school.
In a d d re ssing these serious problems and, in relating the traffic and access problems of this school with those of Le
Rocquier School, the Education Committee has commissioned a detailed feasibility study of the two school sites. This study, which is due for completion by August this year, will aim to identify the main issues and to provide solutions.
A lth o u g h, the Committee remains convinced of the absolute and urgent need to upgrade the major part of this
school and to resolve the road safety issues, it has accepted that any plans it may have must be considered alongside those which will be proposed for Le Rocquier School site. As a result, the Committee has decided that it should not seek to pursue the re-instatement of this project into the capital programme at this time.
- C on c lusions
T h e E d ucation Committee understands the need for financial prudence. It has always responded to reasonable
requests from the Policy and Resources Committee and the Finance and Economics Committee to defer capital expenditure or to utilise funds efficiently and effectively. It does recognise that the States needs to reconsider its capital building programme in the light of economic forecasts and of immigration problems.
H o w e v er, it also strongly believes that the process for constructing a reasonable capital programme and the
apparently almost arbitrary way that projects have been included or excluded, is seriously flawed. In the case of education projects, the sixth form facilities at Victoria College have gained a higher priority than either the Nursery Class at Bel Royal School or the need to complete La Moye and Grouville Schools, which have already been commenced. The process has also allocated funding to Grainville Phase 3, when this cannot be completed before Phase 2, which has been excluded! How can projects that for years have been afforded high priority, like the Nursery Centre, be omitted, and others, which until this year have been afforded low or no priority, suddenly appear at the top of the list?
T h e C o mmittee, therefore, contends that such a flawed system should not form the basis of the States capital
programme and asks the States to approve the proposition to this report, which seeks to redress the balance and to reinstate the projects which on political, social and economic grounds should be supported.