The Minister said the current situation — where parents cannot choose what secondary school their child attends unless they can afford to pay school fees — means that “for every winner, there will be somebody who is not a winner”.
He admitted that this approach has a long history, but that he wasn’t sure if it was “the best way” to do things.
Of the nine secondary schools, three are academically selective.
Pictured: The secondary schools in Jersey are made up of five non-fee-paying schools and four fee-paying schools. Of the nine secondary schools, three are academically selective.
While no immediate changes are planned, Deputy Ward said there needs to be “an intelligent, dispassionate conversation” about the future of the system.
He added: “There’s a number of pieces to the jigsaw, but we need to sit back and have an intelligent, informed debate on this, come to some conclusions.”
“We don’t want to destroy something that’s successful anywhere that doesn’t help anybody.”
Despite these concerns, Deputy Ward defended the quality of non-selective schools which he said were providing “excellent education”.
The Reform politician argued there is “a good standard of opportunity for our young people, which is equitable across those schools”.
A “structural barrier” in education
The Minister’s comments follow a recent report by Policy Centre Jersey, which called for reforms to reduce selectivity in the secondary school system.
Pictured: The social mobility report critiqued Jersey’s selective secondary school system as a “structural barrier to achieving inclusive education” and called for reforms to support disadvantaged children and those on vocational pathways.
The report highlighted a “structural barrier” in education for disadvantaged students due to the high proportion of fee-paying schools and the transfer of pupils at ages 14 and 16 to Hautlieu.
“This has impact on diversity within other secondary schools and in the development of students’ self-confidence and aspirations,” the report warned.
It called on the government to “begin the process of reforming the secondary school system to reduce the extent of selection”.
READ MORE…
FOCUS: The impact of housing costs on Jersey’s social mobility
HAVE YOUR SAY…
How would you like to see the island’s school system changed? Do you think it’s time for the “selective” nature of some secondary schools to be challenged? Write to editor@bailiwickexpress.com with your thoughts.