Latest news with #PaulMontague
BBC News
20-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Five more years of Guernsey sailing and boating tuition agreed
All States-maintained schools in the bailiwick are set to continue to receive free boating tuition after an agreement was Guernsey Sailing Trust delivers lessons to about 2,500 students each year, including through schools, community and outreach groups and via holiday Sport & Culture provides grant funding for the trust to deliver the Paul Montague, president of the committee, said: "I am pleased the previous committee renewed the agreement with Guernsey Sailing Trust, so that they can continue to provide such valuable enrichment opportunities to our students." Montague said it would allow pupils to benefit in a variety of ways, including navigation, sailing and then progressing from sheltered water to the sea."Sailing is a brilliant way for young people to help develop transferable skills, gain accredited qualifications, and enjoy the beautiful outdoor environment our island offers us," he said."I look forward to seeing our learners continue to benefit from this partnership over the next five years."
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Minister to 'look carefully' at smartphone ban for schoolchildren
The newly elected president of the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture says he will be acting on policy around smartphone use among children "reasonably quickly".Former teacher Deputy Paul Montague took up the position in June after becoming the highest polling new candidate in the Guernsey to BBC Radio Guernsey, Montague said he was "so glad to be asked" about a potential ban on smartphone use in schools and was having important discussions with "experts in the field". He said the committee needed to "look carefully at what a ban means" but was of the opinion "a community led smartphone ban" was initially needed for primary aged children. 'Smartphones off and away' Montague said: "I've been in touch over the weekend with the minister for Education over in Jersey who like me, was the National Education Union rep."We're going to be discussing how Jersey have dealt with it, as they have a similar situation to us."Montague said he had also spoken to senior leaders in secondary schools to support schools and provide clarity on smartphone policies. "I guess we could describe the policy as smartphones need to be off and away in school," he said. "I think in primary schools we probably need to go further than that and be far more robust, but as I read more and more of the evidence and discuss more and more with groups of people, certainly that's something we're going to be acting on reasonably quickly." The former teacher, who has been in the education sector for more than 30 years, said any new initiative needed to be "properly evidence based and pragmatic" to avoid being counter-productive. Montague said smartphone technology was "so embedded into our lives" and it was difficult once you've "gone so far down that line to say lets move back against that".He said: "At the moment at least one of our schools, students are allowed, with permission, to take their phones out to pay at the cafeteria."There are minor areas as well, we have students who have to check insulin levels on apps on their phones, things like that.""This is why its not right for me in my first conversation on BBC Radio Guernsey to come straight out and say this is exactly what we're doing, there's still a lot of work to be done."
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Guernsey Election 2025: Top five in the polls on next States term
Candidates who topped the polls said they felt the next States would work well Lindsay de Sausmarez, who came out on top with support from more than half of those who voted, said she was "stunned" by the Yvonne Burford, who came second in the polls, said it was hard to know how well she was doing while she was out five candidate Paul Montague said it was an "incredibly long interview process". De Saumerez received 10,721 votes and said she was pleased many candidates had focused on housing in their manifestos."I'm really hoping that there will something where we can keep the momentum going and really build on the progress that we have managed to achieve in the last couple of years," she said. When asked Burford said she was confident the issue of States finances would be sorted before the next election."A really strong theme in the election is about working together and it was a lot of deputies promised to do and I think we have a really good sprit going forward," she Parkinson, who came third, said he would be going for the top job of Policy and Resources president."My ambition was to finish in the top five and I'm there so obviously the public have confidence in me and I'll try not to disappoint them." Mr Montague, the only non-current States member who came in the top 10, said he would be throwing his hat in the ring for the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture."[It's] absolutely the right place for me, it's the right fit," he Montague also suggested he would want to sit on the Committee for Health and Social Care."A lot of my concerns are to do with particularly physical and mental health of young people," he said."Particularly physical health in terms of preventative medicine to make sure that we can after ourselves in future. But also mental health, I've seen some real problems with youngsters in education." Deputy Steve Falla, who came fourth, said he was "very grateful" the public put their trust in him."There is a lot of work to do but I'm really up for it and I'm really ready for it," he said."I'm very pro business. I will be putting myself forward for the president of Economic Development and it will down to the assembly if they favour me with that job."
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'High levels of anxiety driving school absences'
A teaching union representative has said rising levels of anxiety faced by students is one of the problems driving absences in schools across Guernsey. Paul Montague, a teacher of 30 years and representative for the National Education Union (NEU) said the mental health challenges faced by students was a key concern for his members. Mr Montague said teachers were working "incredibly hard" but would welcome additional support from the government to tackle the problem. He said: "When you have a student who is not there regularly it's really hard to have the continuity of teaching to help that child make progress." Mr Montague said anxiety in students was a genuine problem. "Staff and civil servants are trying to address it but we do need more resources," he said. Guernsey educators are among those across the British Isles struggling to boost attendance rates, which are yet to return to pre-Covid levels. Earlier this year Education said it was aiming for an attendance of at least 95% across Guernsey's schools, compared with rates of 94% in primary and 87% in secondary schools during the last academic year. Nick Hynes, Guernsey's director of education, agreed teachers needed help to "fix the problems facing young people". He said: "Good attendance is everyone's business and I think we need to make sure schools have high expectations which are communicated to parents." But he added issuing fines to parents - as is the system in England - may not be effective. It comes as plans to bring in fines for parents who don't ensure their children's attendance as part of Guernsey's Education Law review were not progressed. Mr Hynes said: "The evidence is patchy about whether or not it has a positive impact. Some local authorities use it extensively and some don't use it at all." Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to Government aims to improve school attendance Education reforms to be introduced in phases Education - States of Guernsey
