They could be needed until the Committee completes a reorganisation of secondary and further education approved by the States with a budget of £105million.
The plan at Les Ozouets is to construct two new education facilities: The Guernsey Institute to accommodate three previously separate providers of further and higher education and a new sixth form centre to replace the sixth form centre currently operating nearby at the Grammar School at Les Varendes.
Pictured: The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture says that the costs of any temporary classrooms would be met from within the overall capital budget of £105million approved by the States for the reorganisation of secondary, further and higher education.
“Ahead of building the new post-16 facilities, some of the teams that are currently based at Les Ozouets need to be temporarily relocated in order to clear the buildings that will be replaced,” said the Committee.
“The intention is to temporarily relocate some of the affected teams and students in existing education buildings. But in case that is not possible, a planning application for temporary modular units at Les Coutanchez has been submitted. This could see modular units equating to up to 10 classrooms [in size] being constructed on that site.”
In a second planning application, the Committee is asking for permission to put up a temporary building in a car park at the Grammar School to accommodate the Guernsey Music Service.
The Guernsey Music Service is currently based at Les Ozouets. As part of its wider reorganisation programme, the Committee intends to move it into the existing school building at Les Varendes.
Pictured: The Committee for Education, Sport & Education plans to move the Guernsey Music Service, seen here performing at St James Concert and Assembly Hall, to Les Varendes, initially into temporary units built in a car park to the west of the current Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre and then in the main building once sixth formers have moved to Les Ozouets.
The Committee said that “such decanting requirements are factored into the overall programming and budgeting of the new model for secondary and post-16 education”. It also said that its officials are “confident that any such temporary developments would have minimal impact at each site”.
A third planning application is expected early in 2022 to request permission to demolish the former St Peter Port Secondary School building at Les Ozouets in preparation for constructing the new buildings for the sixth form centre and The Guernsey Institute alongside the existing Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts.
Nick Hynes, Director of Education, said the Committee is making good progress on its plans at Les Ozouets and is “committed to minimising any disruption to any staff and students that are affected” by having to relocate over the next few years.
“There are two important things to stress here,” said Mr Hynes.
“Firstly, any relocation will be temporary, and for the least possible time ahead of these teams moving into new purpose-built facilities. Secondly, we will ensure that any temporary accommodation will be of acceptable standards.”
Pictured: Nick Hynes, Director of Education.
In September, the States agreed by 22 votes to 17 to close La Mare de Carteret High School and move the sixth form centre to Les Ozouets to create a model of three 11-16 schools and a separate sixth form centre co-located at Les Ozouets with The Guernsey Institute.
Pictured (top): The Guernsey Institute building at Les Ozouets, which will be replaced as part of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture’s £105million reorganisation of secondary, further and higher education.