Guernsey Secondary Schools Report Increase in Maths and English Class Sizes

States data indicates that the average number of students in mathematics and English classes within Guernsey’s secondary schools has grown by approximately 1.5 pupils over the last two years. The Committee for Education, Sport and Culture provided details regarding class sizes in Guernsey following a written inquiry submitted by Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez. The statistics revealed that Les Beaucamps High, which enrolls the highest number of students in the bailiwick, recorded an average Year 11 mathematics class size of 26.8 students, an increase from 24.3, and an average English class size of 27 students, also up from 24.3. Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of Education, attributed this rise to an increased influx of students into the educational system. She stated: “It reflects the bulge of students coming through our system at the moment, which we are expected to move through in 2029-2030.” She further added: “Also the reorganisation of post-16 and secondary schools, where we have a great numbers of students split across three of ours schools. The numbers are reflective of that change.” Dudley-Owen also mentioned: “There is extra support in the form of learning support assistants within those classes.” The committee reported that it has been engaged in specific initiatives as part of its strategy to enhance educational standards and technology in schools, which includes the implementation of new IT systems. Dudley-Owen expressed her view that the increased class sizes were not impacting staff morale. She commented: “We are asking our workforce to bear with us, to stick with us, to focus on the greater priorities within the education strategy and for them to come on the journey with us. We recognise that it’s been really challenging and we are starting to see some evidence that work is coming to fruition now in terms of the output for our students.” She conceded that there might be “pockets of discontent” but emphasized that efforts to improve the system “takes time”. Dudley-Owen stated: “We are changing the culture to engender trust and a more collaborative working environment. We’ve got a really big workforce… but we seek to support each individual and collectively as a staff group.”