Category: News

Minister Jeffrey Ellick will depart the island on Saturday, 22 March 2025 to attend a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Small Branches Workshop on ‘Strong and Independent Parliaments in Small Jurisdictions’. This workshop will take place from 01 to 03 April 2025 in the Isle of Man.

In addition to the workshop, Minister Ellick will also be undertaking visits and meetings with various government departments and parliamentarians in the UK. These meetings are related to ongoing business within the Safety, Security and Home Affairs (SSHA) Portfolio.

Minister Ellick is expected to return on Saturday, 12 April 2025.

During the Minister’s absence, Minister Christine Scipio will serve as the primary point of contact for matters pertaining to SSHA Portfolio and can be contacted via email at Christine.scipio@sainthelena.gov.sh.

#StHelena #ElectedMembers #CPAWorkshop

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The Education, Skills and Employment Portfolio (ESE) has been working with stakeholders to review our primary school structure. A critical priority is to shape our primary provision to meet the educational needs of our children. Currently, we have a number of challenges in our primary school provision, including a declining number of children living on St Helena, a shortage of qualified teachers, an increasing need for support for our students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, and concerning educational outcomes.

The review of our primary school provision was informed by extensive public consultation, including input from leaders and staff within the ESE Portfolio, a wide range of education data, input from key local stakeholders, and contributions by external experts, which has resulted in a series of essential reports. The ESE Portfolio expresses its sincere gratitude to parents, staff, the wider community and external experts from Hampshire Local Authority (HLA) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) for their monumental support throughout this educational journey of change.

After careful consideration of the evidence and the clear views of parents and the broader community, demonstrating their strong support for improved education provision the following decision has been taken.

 As of September 2026, St Helena will operate a brand new primary school structure.  Our primary school provision will be offered from two school sites only, comprising of:

• A Key Stage 1 school that will cater for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which include Nursery and Reception  and Years 1 and 2 students, which will operate on the existing Harford School site, and
• A Key Stage Two school, which will cater for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 students which will operate from the existing St Paul’s School site.

SHG is determined that the needs of pupils, staff and parents are central to the transition process, which will commence in April 2025, with the aim of opening our two new schools at the beginning of the new school year in September 2026. This lead-in time provides us with a generous 17-month window to honour the rich contributions our existing three schools – Harford, St Paul’s and Pilling – have made to our island community. This timeframe will also support our preparations to open our two new schools, on existing school sites.  The new structure and ways of operating will recognise and take the positive aspects of the existing schools, whilst recognising that there are some significant areas of improvement that we can make through the new approach.

There is still much work to be done over the next year to transition to these new arrangements. We recognise that the thought of change can bring concern and worry and therefore, we will work closely with our staff during this transition.  Emphasis will be placed on training, development and support for our existing staff.  This will ensure our staff and school leaders feel confident and ready for the implementation of the new arrangements, which bring with them potential benefits that will, over time, significantly improve education standards for our young people.

Other practical considerations include:

• As part of this process, school leaders will be working in partnership with the students to secure new names for our two new schools.
• The ESE will be working with our school bus providers to secure updated transport routes that are best suited to our new school arrangements. 
• Through the Economic Development Investment Programme (EDIP), the two primary schools will undergo phased facility upgrades.
• Working in partnership with our secondary school will continue to be a key priority, to secure the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) standards, our recently approved education standards framework.

This decision has been made to initiate a much needed educational journey that will bring opportunities for improvement, which support a determination in the community to improve educational outcomes for our primary children.

We seek your continued support in prioritising the needs of children and young people as central to community decisions. Education is, an engine of change, and is fundamentally at the heart of St Helena’s future journey.

#StHelena #EducationReview #AltogetherBetterForChildrenAndYoungPeople

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On 18 February 2025, the Environment, Natural Resources and Planning Portfolio (ENRP) received a consignment of 1000 Dekalb-Amberlink breed day-old chicks to replenish the island’s layers for egg production. The import was necessary to meet existing orders for chicks that were not fulfilled through the first batch imported in 2023. 

In compliance with biosecurity requirements, the chicks have undergone a four-week period of quarantine and will be released for sale to egg producers on Wednesday, 19 March 2025.

In line with current policy, priority for provision of chicks has been given to commercial producers, in order to complete their orders.  All smallholders who requested 10 or more chicks will receive their full requirement. The chicks will be sold at £3.00 per chick, with ENRP applying a 50% subsidy per chick to cover the costs associated with importation and quarantine. Such actions are aimed at improving our self-sufficiency in local fresh egg supply for the community and to encourage local production so that the community has reasonable access to local supplies of fresh produce.

There still remains a small number of producers who will not receive any chicks via this consignment. Consideration is being given to a further import of day-old-chicks later this year to supply the small number of orders that remain, and to invite further applications. Availability of chicks from our supplier, seasonality, and on-island feed supply considerations, will inform a date for this future import. ENRP will contact those applicants concerned.

The public will be notified via an advert in the newspaper and on radio when a further opportunity for applications for chicks can be made to ENRP.

#StHelena #LocalEggProduction #AltogetherWealthier

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Waste Management Services, in partnership with the St Helena National Trust (SHNT) and Zoological Society of London (ZSL), as part of the South Atlantic Plastic’s Project, is pleased to announce the winners of their recent competition to design a recycling superhero for St Helena.

The competition, aimed at primary-aged school children on the island, inspired some fantastic and creative entries. After careful consideration, the judging panel has selected the following winners:

• 1^st Place – Hari Stead, Pilling Primary
• 2^nd Place – Autumn Benjamin, St Paul’s Primary
• 3^rd Place – Emma Jacobs, Harford Primary

We extend congratulations to Hari Stead, Autumn Benjamin, and Emma Jacobs for their imaginative designs.

The announcement of today’s winners coincides with Global Recycling Day celebrated annually on 18 March. This annual event serves as a powerful reminder of the critical role recycling plays in safeguarding our planet’s resources and fostering a sustainable future. By empowering our youth to become advocates for recycling, we are investing in a healthier and more environmentally conscious St Helena.

The winning designs will play a key role in promoting recycling awareness on St Helena. A final superhero design has been created, incorporating elements from all three winning entries, and will be used in upcoming campaigns.

We would like to thank all the learners who participated in the competition, their schools, and our partners, SHNT and ZSL, for making this initiative a success.

Photos

1^st Place Winner: Hari Stead’s design of a ‘Wirebird Warrior’

2^nd Place Winner: Autumn Benjamin’s ‘Ms Ebony’

3^rd Place Winner: Emma Jacobs’ “I Recycle, What’s your Super Power?”

The final design created by Waste Management Services, incorporating elements from all three of the winning designs.

#StHelena #RecyclingHeroes #GlobalRecyclingDay

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Nathaniel Benjamin of Pilling Primary School was honoured at a special tea party held in the Governor’s Office on Thursday 6 March 2025. This celebration recognised Nathaniel’s winning design in the annual Christmas card competition.

This marks Nathaniel’s second victory, having previously won the competition in 2022 whilst a student at St Pauls Primary.

Nathaniel was joined by his parents, his younger brother, Mrs Emma Phillips, and Worsley.

Photo

Nathaniel receiving his prize from HE Governor Phillips

Nathaniel and his parents opening his prize

The winning card

#StHelena #Christmascardcompetition #GovernorsOffice

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At a meeting of the Executive Council held on 11 March 2025, an increase to the minimum wage of 50p per hour was approved.

This change will take effect from 01 July 2025 and will increase from £4.00 to £4.50 for persons over 18 years, and £3.05 to £3.55 for persons aged 16 or 17 years. This represents an annual increase of 12% and 16% respectively.

The approval of this increase is in line with the objective of establishing a more ambitious minimum wage, benefitting workers and providing adequate time for businesses to plan and adapt.

The principle informing the minimum wage is that of the Minimum Income Standard (MIS), which states that “minimum income is based on needs and not wants, but it provides more than what is just needed for survival. It supports social participation and recognises that choice is important, but also that choice cannot be unlimited”. Although the MIS varies for people based on their specific circumstances, the current MIS of at least £5.23 per hour is dependent on the cost of housing, which includes costs to a family for renting accommodation or paying a housing loan, and car ownership.

In determining the increase, consideration was given to the current cost of living pressures on both employees and employers and it was noted that a balance would need to be struck. The Minimum Wage Policy therefore recognises that there is a limit to the size of increases that businesses can absorb in a single year, whilst at the same time acknowledging the need to continue raising the minimum income level on St Helena to go some way in encouraging residents to remain in employment on St Helena.

This year’s increase follows consultations with employers, employees and other relevant stakeholders including the Chamber of Commerce.

The minimum wage will be reviewed again in early 2026 and will include public consultation to consider further uplifts for the period 2026/27.

Since its inception in 2013, the minimum wage has raised from £2.30 to £4.50 for persons over 18 years, and from £1.45 to £3.55 for persons aged 16 or 17 years. These increases equate to a 95% and 145% rise respectively.

#StHelena #MinimumWage #AltogetherWealthier

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St Helena Government (SHG) invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) from interested persons to undertake the role of Non-Executive Director (NED) on the boards of State-Owned Entities (SOEs) and entities in which SHG has an equity interest.

As an SHG-appointed NED on SOE boards, you will play a crucial role in aligning entity strategy with government policy and providing financial leadership comparable to a Finance Director. Your key responsibilities will include:

• Strategic Alignment: Bridging the gap between entity strategy and government policy.
• Financial Leadership: Providing financial leadership comparable to a Finance Director, fostering growth, economic development, and reform.
• Collaboration and Communication: Maintaining effective communication and monitoring, managing relationships with key stakeholders, and working closely with Ministers and Senior Officials to align portfolio direction with SHG policy.
• Performance and Governance: Driving performance and collaboration within the economic group, critically evaluating spending and planning, overseeing external consulting, and implementing recommendations to enhance corporate governance and accountability between SHG and its SOEs.

As NED, you would be expected to represent SHG on the following boards: Bank of St Helena Ltd; Connect St Helena Ltd; St Helena Hotel Development Ltd; St Helena Airport Ltd; and Solomon & Company (St Helena) PLC.

To provide the capacity required to help drive improvements in governance and performance across the SOEs, this will be a full-time role. However, consideration may also be given to part-time and remote working options. The post holder will be required to be flexible and able to respond to demand and work requirements. The role will include contribution to the SOE transformation agenda, in addition to routine attendance at Board Meetings, preparation time, and reporting to Ministers and Officials.

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and experience:

• Extensive experience in a similar role.
• CIMA/ACCA or CCAB qualified accountant (or equivalent) with current membership and an up-to-date CPD record.
• Proven experience at board level in key industries such as utilities, banking, hospitality, insurance, or retail (advantageous).
• A strong background in public sector organisations.
• Demonstrated political astuteness.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including listening, negotiating, and the ability to present detailed information effectively.

For further information about the duties of the post and a copy of the terms of reference, interested persons should contact Phil Sharman, SOE Non-Executive Director, via email at phil.sharman@shg.gov.sh or by visiting the SHG website at: www.sainthelena.gov.sh/vacancies. Applications, consisting of a CV and covering letter, should be submitted by email to recruitment@sainthelena.gov.sh by no later than 16:00 on Friday, 28 March 2025.

SHG

17 March 2025

www.sainthelena.gov.sh