Education needs to be 'ahead not behind the curve'

Education needs to be "ahead rather than behind the curve" to help pupils gain skills they need for work, a head teacher has said.

Daniele Harford-Fox, principal of The Ladies' College in Guernsey, said reforms outlined by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to give secondary school pupils the chance to study subjects such as artifical intelligence (AI) were still looking at current needs rather than the future.

Burnham said the education system was "built for too long" around the university route and wanted a system which offered a path to all young people.

Guernsey Director of Education Nick Hynes said the island's government would review Burnham's proposals once more details were available.

Harford-Fox changed her school's curriculum in 2025 to include AI.

This included having a custom-made AI agent to help Year 7 students set themselves targets and an internal version of Microsoft Copilot available to staff to ensure safe learning.

Talking about Burnham's reforms, Harford-Fox said: "Students that come into reception this year are going to leave school in 2040.

"If you talk to anybody in the world of AI, they will tell you that the roles and jobs that are available to those young people at that point will be radically different from the ones that we had, our parents had, and our grandparents had.

"For me, education has to be ahead rather than behind that curve to ensure those young people have the skills that we need."

Hynes said very little detail had been released on the Prime Minister's plans.

He said once more had been announced, the States would review the proposals and carefully consider "whether they are suitable for our island's unique context and needs".

Hynes added: "We support the aim of ensuring every young person can reach their full potential, within and beyond school.

"We also welcome any focus on strengthening technical and vocational training, which aligns closely with work already under way in Guernsey to value vocational and academic routes equally, so that every path into a rewarding future is held in equal regard."

Secretary of State for Education Lucy Powell said the government's proposals marked "the start of a real shared effort" to design an education system that "connects young people to jobs and careers in their local area".

She added: "The technological revolution we are living through should mean young people become the fresh lifeblood our economy needs to adapt and grow.

"I want to make sure this generation is able to seize that opportunity, whatever their background or postcode."

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