Education in Guernsey

Education in  Guernsey

Committee for Education, Sport and Culture
President	Andrea Dudley-Owen
General details
Primary languages	English

Education in the Bailiwick of Guernsey is the combined education systems of Guernsey, Alderney and Sark. In Guernsey, it is overseen by the Education Section of the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture, part of the States of Guernsey. The States manage a number of island schools, including three comprehensive secondary schools and one grammar school, as well as the island's higher education facility, the Guernsey Institute. There are also a number of private schools on the island.

Students at States-maintained schools must attend primary school from Reception to Year 6 (ages 4 to 11; Early Years Foundation, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2) and secondary school from Year 7 to 11 (ages 11 to 16; Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4). At the end of Year 11. students typically take General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams^[1] or other Level 1 or Level 2 qualifications. For students who do not pursue academic qualifications until the end of Year 13, these qualifications are roughly equivalent to the completion of high school in many other countries.

Education is compulsory from the age of 5 to the age of 16,^[1] however students may take A-levels at one of the Sixth Form facilities on the island or take other Level 3 qualifications at the only FE college on the island. 87% of 16-year olds will stay in Education post-16. Education is free for all students up to the age of 18.^[1] After graduating from Sixth Form, many students will study off-island, typically in England, at a Higher Education institution or on-island at the Guernsey Institute.

The education system is roughly similar to that used in England, with GCSEs graded 9-1 since 2017.^[2] National school examinations and vocational education qualifications are the same as those issued by the UK Ofqual and follow the Regulated Qualifications Framework used in the UK.