Education Chief to step down at end of month

Thursday 17 October 2024

The Chief Officer of the Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department will step down from his role in two weeks' time, it has emerged – but details of how his role will be filled in the interim have not been made public.

Rob Sainsbury, who took charge of CYPES in October 2021 in an interim capacity and was appointed to the role permanently in December 2022, today told colleagues that he would finish work on 31 October.

Mr Sainsbury, who initially moved to Jersey in February 2018 as the Health Department's Managing Director, said that he needed to give full attention to important family matters, which would require him to spend more time in the UK.

Leaving Education would also allow Mr Sainsbury to take up some work in his previous career in nursing, he said.

On 11 October, Express asked the Government to confirm:

• On what date will Mr Sainsbury leave the organisation?

• Who is interim?

• What is the timeline for a new permanent recruit?

• Is any further restructuring of the department planned in light of this?

• What was the cost of the redundancy package, and what is the anticipated saving?

But the Government did not respond to any of these questions, despite repeated follow-up requests.

A former senior nurse and ward manager, Mr Sainsbury worked in the NHS in both England and Wales since 1995 in roles both in provision and commissioning at clinical, managerial and Executive Director level.

He joined the Government in February 2018 as the Health Department's Managing Director leading the hospital, the island’s mental health provision and improvement plan, social care and community commissioned services.

In October 2021, it was announced that Mr Sainsbury would move to lead the lead the Government's Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department in an interim capacity – despite not having a background in education. 

He was appointed to the role permanently in December 2022.