The Highlands College principal has issued a stark warning about the deteriorating condition of the island’s only further and higher education institution – and called for funding to improve the college’s “outdated, inflexible and no longer fit for purpose” campus.
In a strongly worded letter to the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel, Joanne Terry-Marchant urged Jersey to “move beyond reactive repairs and incremental fixes”.
She said that “immediate intervention” was required to mitigate “several urgent infrastructure risks” across the Highlands College estate, as well as developing learning spaces and improving accessibility requirements.
“This is not just about compliance,” wrote Ms Terry-Marchant.
“It is about securing the future of Jersey’s only further and higher education college.”
It comes after a 2022 condition survey and the subsequent Strategic Outline Case – submitted as part of the 2024–2027 Government Plan for capital projects – identified fire safety risks, faulty boilers and pipework, the need for electrical and heating system upgrades, and the replacement of a damaged ventilation system.
Jersey Property Holdings and the Government’s Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills have since adopted a joint approach with the college to prioritise the “most critical repairs and maintenance”, the letter stated.
To support the development of a highly skilled workforce, Jersey must move beyond reactive repairs and incremental fixes
Jo Terry-Marchant, principal of Highlands College
It outlined that 53 improvement works were planned to be delivered this year, with a further 59 works already identified to be delivered in 2026.
“It is vital that this schedule remains flexible and responsive to changing conditions across the estate,” the letter said.
But despite these efforts, Ms Terry-Marchant warned that “the condition of the estate remains fragile,” and that further delays will risk “deterioration, rising repair costs, or disruption to educational provision”.
The principal warned that some facilities used for students with complex needs do not comply with disability access regulations or meet fire safety standards, “affecting learners who need these opportunities most”.
In its current form, the college lacks the capacity to meet growing demand, particularly from 14–16-year-olds, and is unable to support Jersey’s ambition to become a hub for digital and green technology training.
“The existing estate presents barriers to progress,” Ms Terry-Marchant warned, adding: “The College will be able to accommodate limited delivery of high-tech training in green technologies and digital skills essential for Jersey’s sustainability agenda.”
The principal acknowledged financial pressures on the Government and the wider public sector, noting that addressing Highlands College’s maintenance backlog “would wipe out most of the Jersey Property Holding maintenance budget for its wider portfolio”.
But Ms Terry-Marchant argued that incremental repairs are no longer sufficient – describing a new, modern campus as “a strategic necessity”.
The principal called for at least a feasibility study into a partial rebuild – particularly focusing on expanding and modernising workshop areas – warning that without this, the college “will be constrained in our ability to meet government aspirations without capital investment”.
Ms Terry-Marchant said: “A new, modern campus is a strategic necessity, being central to the education eco-system, delivering a sustainable, future-ready education system that can support industry needs, social mobility, and the island’s long-term economic resilience.”
