Future is looking rosy for Bognor's education

The observation will be passed on by the head of the English body which regulates teachers.

Keith Bartley, the chief executive of the General Teaching Council, spent four hours touring the Bognor Regis Community College campus.

The site is undergoing a 50m transformation with a new community college, financed by the government, and a new primary school being built. Mr Bartley spoke to the heads of the three schools currently on the Westloats Lane site as well as students and teachers.

He said: "It's been good to speak to them about the challenges of having such a major scheme growing in their garden. It is a good thing having that amount of investment in education but it is also a logistic and planning challenge.

"There's a real danger that the heads will be focusing on the future rather than the work they should be doing now. That's not happening here and it's a real credit to the three heads that is the case.

"There has been a massive commitment by the heads and the teachers, especially of the two schools which are being merged, to ensure their experience is not going to be lost in the new buildings."

Mr Bartley also talked to a group of GCSE and A-level students at the community college.

"They had a sense of regret that they will not be able to enjoy the results of the investment," he stated. But there was also a sense of pride that they had created a legacy by being involved in how the new college will look and how it's going to function.

"They took that very seriously and that's a credit to the system which has produced them."

Almost 2,000 pupils are taught at the current schools, which will be flattened after the new buildings start to open next year.

Mr Bartley, whose job is to represent teachers in talks with the government and national agencies, spent the morning in Bognor on one of its fortnightly visits around the country. He was invited to the town by community college head and former colleague David Jones.

Mr Jones said he had talked to Mr Bartley about matters such as the extent of social care teachers had to employ and the need to make teaching more attractive.

"We want to support our students but it is difficult to get right the amount of social work we do for them and their families. At what point do we draw the line and say we are educators '“ that's our prime purpose and function.

"Recruitment is always a problem at this time of year for heads who are looking towards September. We were told the recession would increase the numbers coming into teaching. There is some slight evidence that might be happening but heads know it is not helping now," he explained.

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