New report highlights challenges in secondary education funding
Scrutiny
9 December 2024
The Children, Education, and Home Affairs Panel has published its findings and recommendations following an in-depth review of secondary education funding in Jersey. Launched in June 2023, the review examined how government funding has supported secondary schools and evaluated the impact of recent changes introduced by the new Jersey Funding Formula and initiatives such as the Education Reform Programme.The report highlights 29 key findings and 24 actionable recommendations overall, focusing on critical issues that the Panel believes require urgent attention from the Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning and the Government of Jersey.
The Panel found that while funding has increased and has partly addressed the previous deficit in non-fee-paying schools, it has not kept up with Jersey’s RPI inflation. Despite targeted funding for inclusion initiatives, the Panel found that core budgets for secondary schools remain under significant strain.
The recommendations prioritise greater transparency in the allocation and use of public funds for secondary education and call for enhancements to ensure young Islanders benefit from improved educational opportunities, extending beyond the core Jersey Curriculum.
Deputy Catherine Curtis, Chair of the Panel, expressed her gratitude to everyone who participated in the review, including school staff, pupils, and respondents to the consultation survey. ‘We deeply appreciate the thoughtful and in-depth feedback we received, which provided valuable insights into the challenges facing our schools,’ she said.
The review identified recurring themes such as:
- Parental choice: To what extent is it a practical reality?
- Inclusion: How effective are current measures in promoting inclusivity?
- Selective transfer at 14-plus: A policy that causes both optimism and anxiety.
Read the Panel’s full report here.
