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Comprehensive Spending Review: Savings Proposals - Impact on Employment of Public Sector Staff (P91/2010): Ministerial Comment

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A decision made on 16 July 2010 regarding a ministerial comment on Comprehensive Spending Review: Savings Proposals - Impact on Employment of Public Sector Staff (P91/2010)

Decision Reference:

Decision Summary Title :

COMPREHENSIVE SPENDING REVIEW: SAVINGS PROPOSALS – IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT OF PUBLIC SECTOR STAFF (P.91/2010) – COMMENTS

Date of Decision Summary:

16th July 2010

Decision Summary Author:

Business Manager - Schools and Colleges

Decision Summary:

Public or Exempt?

(State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)

Public

Type of Report:

Oral or Written?

Oral

Person Giving

Oral Report:

Business Manager - Schools and Colleges

Written Report

Title :

COMPREHENSIVE SPENDING REVIEW: SAVINGS PROPOSALS – IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT OF PUBLIC SECTOR STAFF (P.91/2010) – COMMENTS

Date of Written Report:

15th July 2010

Written Report Author:

Business Manager - Schools and Colleges

Written Report :

Public or Exempt?

(State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)

Public

Subject: COMPREHENSIVE SPENDING REVIEW: SAVINGS PROPOSALS – IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT OF PUBLIC SECTOR STAFF (P.91/2010) – COMMENTS

Decision(s): Following discussion at the Council of Ministers’ meetings held on 8th and 15th July 2010 the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture decided to present a Comments paper on Part (a) of Proposition P.91/2010 to the States ahead of the debate to be held during the week commencing 19th July 2010.  It was also agreed that a Comments paper in response of Part (b) of the Proposition would be presented in the name of the Council of Ministers.

Reason(s) for Decision: The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, supported by the Council of Ministers, strongly supports the teaching of modern foreign languages in Jersey schools. An indication of this has been the long standing decision of the States for the compulsory teaching of French in primary schools. This means that all Jersey pupils receive five years of French before the age of fourteen. 

To further develop the teaching of French in our primary schools the Education, Sport and Culture Department has invested significant time and resources over the past two years. This has resulted in the primary teaching resources being re-written, new assessment tools being developed to ensure progression into secondary schools and twenty additional primary teachers being trained to teach French in Upper Key Stage 2 (9 – 11 years). 

The teaching of modern foreign languages in secondary schools is delivered by experienced and well qualified staff in appropriately resourced language departments. These departments have access to new technologies that increasingly support the learning of a language. 

In addition to this the Department has provided, and will continue to provide, language assistants to support the teachers and the pupils in their learning. 

The Minister believes that the Part 9 (a) of the Proposition is misguided and should be opposed.  As such, the Minister wishes for the attached Comments to be presented to the States ahead of the debate.

Resource Implications:  There are no financial or resource implications.

Action required: Business Manager - Schools and Colleges to arrange for Comments paper to be sent to the Greffe by 12.00 noon Friday 16th July 2010 for subsequent presentation to the States.

Signature:

Position:   

Deputy James Reed, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture

Date Signed:

Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed

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