Blog

Good afternoon.

Executive Council met on Tuesday 27 August 2013 with four items on the agenda.

This was an open session of ExCo but no members of the public were in attendance.

The first item of business was the proposal to downgrade Wranghams from a Grade II to a Grade III Listed Building.  

The reasons put forward for the downgrading included that it was currently a Grade II listed building and as such would only be available for long term leasing, whereas downgrading to Grade III would permit sale of the property with fewer restrictions on future development.

Executive Council did not agree that the downgrading procedure was appropriate and rejected the proposal.  ExCo stated that in principle they did not wish to set a precedent for downgrading of properties for ease of sale.  Wranghams is a significant cultural asset for the Island; it is of historic interest and merit. ExCo members recommended that Wranghams should be re-advertised and put back on the market at Grade II for a long term lease and that a survey be done of the building.

The second agenda item was to amend the Medical Practitioners (Qualifications) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations, 2013, to include Guatemala on the schedule.  This was to enable the new surgeon due to arrive in September to practice medicine on St Helena.  ExCo agreed the amendment.

The next two agenda items were for ExCo to consider and advise if two bills should be tabled as Government Business at the next formal meeting of Legislative Council.

One related to the Commissioner of Oaths Amendment Bill, 2013 to enable qualified lawyers to act as Commissioners of Oaths on St Helena.  This will increase the number of Commissioners of Oaths available to the public and follows UK practice. ExCo agreed for the bill to be tabled at the next formal LegCo.

The second bill related to the Welfare of Children Amendment Ordinance, 2013.  At present children who are to be adopted can only be placed for adoption on St Helena.  The purpose of this amendment is to allow a Supreme Court Judge to place a child for adoption outside of St Helena if it is in the child’s best interests.  For example if a child living on St Helena was orphaned and the nearest relative was in the UK then the child could be placed with their relative overseas.  ExCo agreed for the bill to be tabled at the next formal LegCo.

The final item of business was a discussion about the need to have an open agenda in future ExCo meetings where appropriate.  It was agreed that there would be a presumption in favour of openness but that certain matters, particularly those concerning individuals, would be discussed under a closed agenda.

The meeting finished around 10.30am.                  

Thank you for listening.   

ExCo

27 August 2013

 

Results of this year’s examinations have been received bringing with them lots of individual stories of success and celebration.

All over St Helena there are families who are very proud that the hard work of their young people has resulted in some outstanding examination successes.  The good news for the Island’s economy is that almost a half of this year’s school leavers have now achieved GCSE ‘C’ grades in English and Maths.

Director of Education, Colin Moore said:

“Two years ago no students achieved a C grade or better in Maths.  This year almost half of the year group achieved a Grade C or better in Maths. This highly impressive performance reflects the hard work of the students and their teachers.

“In English Language all of the pupils entered for GCSE level achieved a C grade or better. The Directorate’s target was for 30% of students to gain 5 GCSEs A*-C, including English and Maths, and I am pleased to say that this target has been achieved.

“It is important to also recognise the achievement of our young people who follow vocational courses and once again we have some individual success stories that we should all be proud of. The economic developments related to the airport mean that we have an immediate need for a highly skilled workforce. This year’s achievements are just what the Island’s developing economy needs. In some respects this represents ‘Lift Off’.

We now have the evidence that our young people really can take advantage of the opportunities they have ahead of them.

“I am sure all of the Island’s community will want to join me in saying a very big well done to all of the young people and their teachers who have worked so hard over the past couple of years.”

Chairperson of the Education Committee, Councillor Christine Scipio-O’Dean added:

“We all know that Education is one of the highest priorities for the Island. I am delighted to offer my congratulations to all of the students who have worked so hard and achieved these excellent results. This represents real progress for the Island and means that any future investors can have confidence that St Helena has young people with the talent, skills and qualifications to succeed.”

Headteacher of Prince Andrew School, Paul Starkie said:

“We are delighted with the results our students have gained. They have worked very hard and their efforts have been rewarded. There have been some excellent individual successes and all our students have proved what is possible with effort and commitment to study.  I know I speak for every member of staff here at Prince Andrew School when I say how extremely proud we are of each and every one of our students. Vanessa Tissington, Secondary Raising Attainment Partner was thrilled to see the results prior to her departure and asked me to personally convey her congratulations.

“To those former students who are entering work related opportunities, we wish them all the very best in the future. We are also absolutely delighted by the number of students returning to Prince Andrew School to continue their journey with us. Our dedicated and committed team of teachers and support staff are very much looking forward to welcoming them back in September.”

Primary Schools are too receiving their results for the Primary School end of Year 6 assessments, also known as Key Stage 2 SATs.

Compared to last year the overall results show a slight fall in the number of children achieving level 4+.  Level 4+ is the benchmark set for children leaving Primary Schools in England.  This slight fall was not unexpected since the actual tests are different from those that were administered in 2012.

This year, new assessments were introduced in Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation. 

Commenting on the Key Stage 2 SATs results, Colin said:

“The Year 6 children worked very hard throughout the year and there are some examples of really high achievement.

“Making comparisons with last year is quite tricky because new tests have been introduced.  At this stage we do not know what the overall trend is in terms of how schools in England have performed and so we have further analysis to undertake.  There are some indications that our experience of a slight dip in performance reflects what is happening in parts of England but it really is too soon to draw any conclusions.

“It does show however that the Directorate still has a lot of work to do to improve standards in Primary Education. We have a very dedicated team of teachers and support staff who will rise to the challenge and I am delighted that we have a dynamic and enthusiastic Primary Education Adviser, Victoria Stapleton, who is busy supporting our Head and Class teachers.”

Victoria added:

“Our 2013 SATs results show we still have some way to go to improve the children’s progress and attainment but I feel confident that the schools, education team and community will work hard together to achieve this.”

The overall figures of the Primary Schools’ exams along with the full analysis of this year’s public examinations will be reported to the Education Committee in October.

Education and Employment Directorate

SHG

27 August 2013

 

Following Executive Council’s decision on 6 August to redevelop the Sundale site into a prison, a public meeting was arranged at Half Tree Hollow Community Centre for all interested persons to discuss the reasons behind ExCo’s recommendations. Councillors agreed at the meeting that the planning conditions subject to which the development permission has been granted should be published.

The conditions (as recommended by the Land Planning Development Control Board to the Governor in Council) are set out below.

1. Development permission relates to the revised drawings submitted on 25 April 2013 and the development shall be carried out in accordance with those drawings apart from any minor amendment submitted subsequently and approved in writing by the Planning Officer. Reason: To define the permission.

2. Roof water is to be collected in storage tanks, not less than 450 litres capacity for re use, with overflows fed into landscaped areas; Reason: To encourage use of natural resources, and planning policy W.2, H.9 g)

3. No roof water or site water is to be fed into, or directed to any foul sewer system. Reason: To avoid unsettling the effective operation of the sewer system.

4. No external lighting shall be used to illuminate the perimeter walls. Reason: In the interest of residential amenity, to minimize light pollution and in accordance with planning policy E.8

5. All drainage pipe work shall be laid underground; Reason: In accordance with planning policy SD.7

6. Insulation shall be incorporated in all new roof spaces. Reason: To ensure energy efficiency in accordance with planning policy E.4

7. No development shall be commenced until a scheme of landscaping in the areas where the height of perimeter walls is to be increased, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Officer. The landscaping proposal shall be carried out within six months of the development being commissioned and thereafter maintained. Reason: To blend the development into its setting and in accordance with planning policy IZ 1 h)

8. No development shall be commenced until details of wall rendering and finishes has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Officer. Reason: In accordance with planning policy IZ 1 a)

9. The entrance gates shall be of heavy wooden or cast iron materials, details of which shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Officer. Reason: In the interest of security, to be symbolic of their purpose and in accordance with planning policy IZ 1 a)

10. No development shall be commenced until a Construction Management Plan has been submitted to the Planning Officer and approved in writing to demonstrate that the impact of construction work on nearby residents is to be minimized in respect of dust, noise, traffic, hours of working and the handling and disposal of waste materials. Reason: to protect residential amenity in accordance with planning policy IZ.1.

11. The development shall not be brought in to use until the septic tank and its soakaway system have been examined and reported upon to the Planning Officer together with proposals for refurbishment to ensure their effectiveness in dealing with foul sewage from the development. Reason: to ensure avoidance of pollution in compliance with planning policy SD.4.

12. The specification and details of the means of support of all security mesh shall be submitted to the Planning Officer and shall have been approved in writing prior to its installation. Reason: In the interest of security in accordance with planning policies SI.1 and SI.3.

SHG

27 August 2013

Open to the Public from 9.30am

Executive Council will meet on Tuesday 27 August 2013 in the Council Chamber. 

Commencing at 9.30am, the meeting will be open to the public & agenda items are:

The Downgrading of Wranghams from II to III Listed Building, Medical Practitioners (Qualifications) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations, 2013, Commissioner of Oaths Amendment Bill, 2013 and the Welfare of Children Amendment Ordinance, 2013.

Executive Council Members are: Nigel Dollery, Lawson Henry, Ian Rummery, Christine Scipio-O’Dean and Wilson Duncan in Cyril George’s absence.  

SHG

23 August 2013

 

Arriving on 2 September will be Vivienne Wood, Senior Advisor for Early Years Education. Vivienne’s post is a new one created within the Education Directorate to demonstrate the importance of providing the best possible start to education for all children.

As an Early Years specialist with previous experience working in the UK and most recently in Qatar, Vivienne will work with the full range of providers of early education on the Island.

Director of Education and Employment Colin Moore said:

“I am delighted that we were able to appoint such a strong Specialist teacher to lead our work in early years education. It is so important that we give all of our children the best possible start to their schooling and education.

Vivienne joins us with a very impressive record of success built up over many years and in a number of locations. I am sure that she will help us to build upon the good work that is already taking place.”

Vivienne commented:

“I am extremely excited about my appointment and look forward to meeting everybody. This is such a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate just how important early education is, not just for the children but for the whole community.”

(picture attached)

SHG
27 August 2013

Connect Saint Helena is pleased to announce that the Island-wide water restrictions has been lifted.

The rain earlier this week has had a significant effect on reservoir levels and by the end of next week it is estimated that all of the Redhill reservoir storage will be essentially full.

Connect Saint Helena thanks consumers for exercising constraint over the last few difficult months.
The boil water notice in the Redhill area remains in place.

On behalf of Connect Saint Helena Ltd
23 August 2013

The Education and Employment Directorate this week said goodbye to Secondary Raising Attainment Adviser, Vanessa Tissington on completion of her contract.

Vanessa has been with the Education Directorate since last September supporting improvements at Prince Andrew School and raising educational standards on St Helena.

In a farewell reception for Vanessa, Colin Moore, Director of Education and Employment said:

“Vanessa has made an outstanding contribution to education on St Helena during her time here. Vanessa exudes enthusiasm and anyone who came into contact with her couldn’t help but be impressed with her desire to see young people make the most of their opportunities. She is a very tenacious professional with very high standards and a heart of gold.

“I know there will always be a continuing affection that Vanessa will hold for St Helena and particularly for Prince Andrew School. We will also have a continuing high regard and long lasting memory of the contribution that Vanessa has made.

“We all wish her the very best for her future career. She leaves secondary education on the Island in a much stronger state than when she first arrived.”

Vanessa commented:

“The time I spent on the Island has been one of the most rewarding of my professional career. I have enjoyed every minute and hope that I have contributed to the continuing improvement of educational standards on St Helena.”

Vanessa departed the Island on Wednesday to return to the UK where the first thing she will be doing is greeting her new grandchild who was born on Tuesday 20 August.

SHG
23 August 2013

The public are advised that with effect from 21 August until 9 September 2013, the Outpatients Clinic in Jamestown will run at a reduced capacity. This has been brought about by changes in staffing levels.

The new arrangements mean that there will be16 less appointments in Jamestown per day (Monday to Friday) and the usual 12 Jamestown Outpatient Clinics (held Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4pm) will be reduced to 7. There will be no late clinic (4-6pm) today and next Wednesday.

Outpatient Clinics in Levelwood, Longwood and Half Tree Hollow are unaffected and the Emergency appointments and the Triage system will operate as normal.

A new GP will arrive in early September and Outpatients Clinics should return to normal thereafter. In the meantime the public are encouraged to book appointments early.

We thank the public in advance for their cooperation.

SHG
21 August 2013

Launched at the beginning of June, the St Helena Photography Competition encouraged entrants to submit photos of all types ranging from family snapshots, home surroundings, celebrations and favourite scenic spots on the Island.     

With a steady flow of entries over the following weeks and a slightly extended deadline to encourage younger participants, the total number of entrants amounted to 84.  Averaging 5 photos per submission, the total number of to judge was a staggering and welcomed 420. 

This was a tremendous response and a tough decision for the judges, Robyn Sim, Barbara George, Darrin Henry and Ed Thorpe.

Ed commented:

“The harder decisions were in the older category as there were quite a few favourites.  There were some amazing photographs but they could have been taken anywhere.  The winning entrants were shots that best represented St Helena.  These pictures reflect different viewpoints, unique pictures that we have never seen before.  I was very impressed with the 10–15 age category, as they gave the older groups a real run for their money.”

Robyn commented on how the judges chose their winners:  

“We went through all the photos and jotted down those that stood out to us, we then discussed together and after some deliberation we finally came to an agreed decision.”

A prize presentation was held at Plantation last night (Tuesday 20 August) to announce the winners.  Invited guests included judges, awardees and keen photographers.

The Governor announced the winners in reverse order and presented cash prizes:

10-15 age category:

Third Place: Charlotte Hubbard

Second Place: Caitlyn Leo

First Place: Chrystabel Greentree

16-21 age category:

Third Place: Terri Clingham

Second Place: Josh Hubbard

First Place: Eira Stevens

Over 22 age Category:

Third Place: Mike Thorpe

Second Place: Joe Hollins

First Place: Mark Stevenson

Due to the surprising amount of entries and quality of photos received, recognition was also given to individuals who did not win but submitted exceptional photographs.  Distinctions were awarded to Scott Thomas, Alison Hubbard, Remi Bruneton and Helena Bennett.  

Winners and Distinction photographs will be used for publicity and displayed on the St Helena Government Website – on the photo gallery www.sainthelena.gov.sh

(picture of the winners at plantation attached)

SHG

21 August 2013

The Royal Navy Type 23 Frigate HMS RICHMOND (photo attached) is due to visit St Helena between 29 and 30 August as part of her current operational deployment. She left her home port of Portsmouth on 5 August. During her 7 month deployment in the South Atlantic she will be promoting British interests and providing a continuous security presence in the region.

The Atlantic Patrol Task will see HMS Richmond undertake maritime security operations, including counter-narcotics and anti-piracy patrols, providing opportunities to work with a number of other navies to further strengthen ties and demonstrate the Royal Navy’s commitment to the region.

Onboard HMS Richmond is St Helenian Leading Seaman Jamie Fowler. While the ship is in port Jamie’s family, who he has not seen for 12 years, will be invited onboard to meet him.

A programme of activities for HMS Richmond’s two-day visit is currently being developed.

SHG
20 August 2013