Grainville students celebrate school's cultural and LGBTQ+ diversity

Thursday 05 March 2020

Students at Grainville are “fiercely proud” of how diversity is valued in their school, which has introduced strategies to tackle discrimination, an independent review has revealed.

The secondary school, which has 713 students aged 11 to 16, is the latest to be evaluated by a team of eight independent reviewers as part of the Jersey Schools Review Framework.

The Framework will see each school assessed every three years, to evaluate pupils are in a safe, nurturing environment; the behaviour and personal development of pupils; the standards of teaching, learning and achievement; as well as the effectiveness of the schools' leadership.

Video: All schools should be reviewed by December 2022 as part of the Jersey Schools Review Framework.

The review team included education consultants from outside of the island, as well as staff from the Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills, (CYPES) and two local senior teachers, one from a school and the other from the college. 

They observed the work of all teachers and teaching assistants as well as students. The review team also watched students’ behaviour and attitudes during break times and spoke to them about their learning and progress.

In their report, the review team described Grainville as a “well-led school” where senior and middle leaders “work with passion, commitment and a real focus on achieving positive outcomes for students and ensuring everyone’s welfare and safety”. They also noted that staff at the school are “caring” and often “go the extra mile” to support students.

Pictured: Grainville School has 713 students aged 11 to 16.

The team praised students, the majority of which, they said, are “positive, mature and respectful”. “The great majority have well thought-through and positive attitudes to issues such as diversity and equality,” they added. “Students generally have a well-founded sense of pride in themselves and in their school.”

They noted that the behaviour of a small number of students is “very challenging”, but noted that systems are in place to manage this. 

Year 11 students described the quality of the care and the support they receive as a “stand-out” aspect of the work of the school.

A majority said how “fiercely proud” they are of how much diversity is valued across the school, with those from different social, religious and ethnic backgrounds being “valued and respected equally”.

The review team noted Grainville has a range of “practical strategies” in place to tackle discrimination, including a LGBTQ+ group. 

Pictured: Grainville students are good at creative subjects but do not perform as well in science.

“Students appreciate the support of staff and the strong positive culture that an effective and well-delivered programme of personal, social and health education has brought about,” they wrote.

In addition, students said bullying is rare at Grainville, described such incidents as “isolated acts of thoughtlessness, or the ebb and flow of friendships”, rather than premeditated. 

Students also told the team they were pleased with the effectiveness of the support provided by staff.

In terms of learning, the team noted students make very good progress in creative subjects, such as photography and art and design, as well as business studies and modern foreign languages. 

However, achievements in a minority of subjects, including, science, were said to be “an area of concern for the school”.

The quality of teaching in science was also said to be “rightly a key focus for senior leaders”.

The review team recommended that staff be supported “to broaden and deepen” their teaching skills in a bid to improve the quality of learning in science. They also suggested that the delivery of the new curriculum be planned carefully to ensure “coherence, pace and challenge in every students’ experience”.