Sixth form plans for island under review

Plans for Guernsey's new sixth form centre are being reviewed and could change, politicians have said.

The original proposals for Les Ozouets, initially agreed in 2021, featured 15,000sq m (161,459sq ft) of "internal education and community spaces" which included indoor sport and recreational facilities.

Projections from the States suggested this project would cost £24m, but following detailed analysis, it admitted costs had escalated to between £40m and £50m.

Education, Sport and Culture (ESC) Committee president Paul Montague said there were a "number of considerations" for politicians to reflect on when it came to the construction at Les Ozouets Campus.

Funding for what is labelled by the States as phase two of the "Our Future Education" project has not been secured by ESC.

A funding and investment plan is set to be presented later this year which would allow the government to decide what it spends money on with regards to big building projects including the sixth form, hospital modernisation and new dairy.

Montague said: "There are a number of considerations for the committee to work through in the context of phase two of the construction of Les Ozouets Campus.

"We need time to do that because we recognise the complexity of this work and are determined to take a holistic and pragmatic approach.

"Our priority is to ensure stability for students in the system while exploring solutions that best meet the island's long-term educational and community needs."

Deputy Sarah Hansmann-Rouxel, an ESC member, told BBC Guernsey's political review of the year she believed the Les Ozouets plans would "look different" after the review.

Hansmann-Rouxel said the work was about "pragmatism" and choosing exactly where the committee wants to spend its budget.

"We're looking at it holistically and not just carrying on regardless of the direction of travel that was chosen prior to us, but also at the same time understanding that there is, there needs to be some stability in the secondary phase," she added.

"So we're really looking at it carefully and pragmatically and what the long-term home of the the sixth form is."

Guernsey's sixth form centre is currently based at La Mare De Carteret ahead of the planned move to Les Ozouet.

No date set has been set for when it will move out of La Mare De Carteret.

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