Education chiefs are drawing up contingency plans with the schools for the possible return of coronavirus.

Education Minister Dr Alex Allinson set out his reasons for not pursuing a review report’s recommendation of a board structure.

Giving evidence to a House of Keys select committee looking at the Education Bill, Dr Allinson said: ’We are faced with transformational change at a time when we’ve got a global pandemic and when we are drawing up with those teachers contingency plans for the effects of the virus coming back to the island.

He was ’very wary to start upturning the entire structure of the education service at this time’.

The Beamans report highlighted a fractured relationship between schools and the DESC and proposed a board structure - the same solution that the Sir Jonathan Michael review had set out for the DHSC.

Dr Allinson said he found this ’interesting’ but said the two reports were looking at different things, with Beamans considering transformation of culture and communication rather than outcome and efficiency.

He said: ’I’m not convinced of going straight away to a full board structure is necessarily what we need.

’I’m also cautious to undergo transformational change at a time when we are in industrial dispute with the unions that represent the majority of teachers in the island.

’That sort of transformational change has to be done in consultation with the right engagement and buy-in of the people it will effect.

’At the moment we physically cannot do that because of the action short of a strike.’

He said he was not convinced we have the resources or the opportunity necessary and he was more attracted to an interim solution.