Deborah McMillan, who officially took up the role last week, says that education, housing, access to health and employment opportunities were her key priorities to ensure that the Island’s children ‘thrive’.
And she said that although Jersey children would be affected by the same issues as UK children, the Island’s young people might be worried to speak out or look for support due to the nature of Island life as ‘everybody knows everybody’.
Mrs McMillan, a former police officer, teacher and director of local children’s services in the UK, said that ensuring access to education would help young people to break the cycle of poverty.
She added that the pupil premium scheme – which provides funding to schools so that they could spend money on extra lessons, equipment or access to clubs for pupils who are under the care of Social Services or who live in a household that receives income support – was a ‘good start’ to addressing the ‘attainment’ gap between those eligible for the support and those that are not. More than 3,000 Island students are eligible for the scheme, which launched last year.
‘I have been coming to Jersey on holiday since I was a child,’ she said. ‘I had this idyllic vision of what Jersey was like.
‘[Before taking the job] I spent a lot of time carrying out research of what was going on and was surprised that in what comes across as an affluent Island, there is poverty – very real poverty. To a lot of people that will be hidden.
‘I think addressing things like the attainment gap is what this whole change journey is about.’
She added: ‘If we want our children to thrive, we have to look at not just their education and care, but also their housing, the people they are living with, making sure they have access to healthcare and ensuring there are employment opportunities for them through economic development. All those things have to come together.’
Sean O’Regan, deputy chief officer for Education, said that the pupil premium was already beginning to show signs of success, but that it would take several years before its effect could be fully analysed.
He said: ‘Some of the results we have got back already from quite a number of our primary schools, and one of our secondary schools, is that those on the Jersey premium are reaching and outperforming the average attainment.’
He added that the scheme was not necessarily about providing support exclusively for the low-attaining pupils but was designed to make sure all students could reach their full potential, regardless of finances.
