New Guernsey high school set to open this week

Les Varendes High School in Guernsey will officially open this week.

The opening means all States 11-16 schools will now deliver a non-selective system of education.

The school will open on Wednesday for pupils, in line with the start of the school term.

The former Guernsey Grammar School and La Mare de Carteret High School have already started to work closely together and will complete their integration in 2025.

The merger means the former Grammar School is no longer a "grammar" school.

Staff have been preparing for the change during the summer and last week new signage was put in place.

During the previous academic year, development of the school's new branding was led by students from both The Grammar School and La Mare de Carteret High School as part of the New School Design Team.

The new branding has been incorporated into the new signage inside and outside the school and updates have been made to the school's website.

Students have worked with staff to develop the school's new uniform, which will be brought in in September 2024.

Kieran James, the principal of Les Varendes High School and the Sixth Form Centre, said he was looking forward to welcoming students back into a new school for "another year of learning".

Verona Tomlin, the current Principal of La Mare de Carteret High School, and the designate principal for Les Varendes High School, said it had been "a really exciting process working with the students to create an identity for the new school".

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