Skip to main content

Education Committee Capital Programme 2004-2010 and the establishment of a Development Fund

This content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost. Let us know if you find any major problems.

Text in this format is not official and should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments. Please see the PDF for the official version of the document.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE CAPITAL PROGRAMME 2004-2010 AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DEVELOPMENT FUND

_______________

Lodged au Greffe on 24th July 2001 by the Education Committee

______________________________

STATES OF JERSEY

STATES GREFFE

180             2 0 0 1   P . 1 2 0          

Price code: C

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion -

  (a ) to support the Education Committee's proposed capital programme for the period 2004-2010;

  (b ) to agree that an Education Development Fund should be established to enable the said capital programme to

be delivered within the period specified;

  (c ) to agree, in principle, that the proposed Education Development Fund should be established in January 2004,

in a sum equivalent to £13.0 million at June 2001 prices, and that this sum, for the period 2005-2010, should be adjusted each year to take full account of general inflation in building and related costs;

( d ) to charge the Finance and Economics Committee to identify how such a fund might be established and

maintained for the period 2004-2010.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Notes:  1. T h e Policy and Resources Committee's comments are to follow.

  2 . T h e Finance and Economics Committee's comments are to follow.

REPORT

  1. B a c kg  round
  1. L e g is  lation

  I n N  o v ember 1992, the States approved the preparation of a new Education Law to replace the Loi (1912) sur

l'Instruction Primaire, as amended, and related Laws. In giving this approval, the States recognised the inadequacy of the existing legislation, which had been enacted to serve a community which has since changed radically.

  T h e S ta tes also clearly recognised that the education service of the Island has been transformed from a relatively

basic system of elementary schools and no further education to highly developed arrangements of nursery, primary, secondary, special and further education facilities with responsibilities ranging from early childhood education to post-graduate studies. It was then, and still is now, recognised that the Island's economy demands a highly educated, well-trained workforce which, in turn, requires an effective and responsive system of education, supported by an appropriate legislative framework.

  O n 1 s t March 2000 the new Education (Jersey) Law 1999 came into force, which sets out the rights, duties and

responsibilities of the various partners, both those who provide the education service and those who use it. The Law clearly establishes the means of supporting the change that is vital to ensure the continued development and growth of an education service which is capable of meeting present and future needs, and which is at least equal to that in other western societies.

  1. C a p ita l development

  T h e E d ucation (Jersey) Law 1999 is the legislative means for setting the high standards to which the States of

Jersey and the Education Committee in particular, are required to meet in maintaining and developing the Jersey education service.

  In r e c e nt years the States has acted consistently and responsibly in recognising the need to continue to maintain

high education standards, and in granting the Education Committee sufficient revenue funds with which to maintain those high standards in terms of staffing and non-staff resources. As a result of such strong and continued support, Jersey schools are and should for the foreseeable future, be appropriately staffed and funded to deliver the high level skills the people of Jersey will need to prosper into the future.

H o w e v er, whilst the States has - since the early nineties - also been supportive of the need to redevelop and

modernise the neglected buildings in which such a high quality education service is delivered, and has granted appropriate investment funds for the development of school properties, the current rapid drive to reduce capital expenditure is beginning to show signs that, if this challenge of reduced funding is not addressed, it will soon have a significant adverse effect on the ability to deliver the high quality service which the Committee strongly believes the people of the Island want and which the States should seek to continue to support.

  1. D  ut ie  s under legislation

  With o u t wishing to labour the point in relation to the duties accepted wholeheartedly by the States in 1999 when it

approved the new Education (Jersey) Law 1999, the Committee believes it would be useful to clarify those duties succinctly here and to remind members of that which is expected by the people of the Island.

  1. T h e States

  A r tic  le 6 of the Law clearly defines the duty of the States to promote education as follows -

" Th  e States shall promote the spiritual, moral, intellectual, cultural, social and physical development of the

people of the Island and, in particular, of the children of the Island.".

  1. T h e Committee

  A r tic  le 7 of the Law defines the many duties of the Education Committee. In particular, paragraph (2) of Article 7

states that -

" Th  e Committee shall, from year to year -

(a )  review the numbers of school places available, both in provided and non-provided schools; and

(b )  assess the current and future requirements for provision of school places by reference to the ages and

numbers of the children of the Island.".

  A r tic  le 11 of the Law defines the duty of the Committee with respect to children of compulsory school age (five to

16 years) as follows -

" Th  e Committee shall ensure that there is available to every child of compulsory school age full-time

education appropriate to his age, ability and aptitude.".

  A r tic  le 46 of the Law defines the duty of the Committee with regard to persons over compulsory school age as

follows -

" Th  e Committee shall ensure that there is available education appropriate to the reasonable needs of the

generality of young persons, having regard to their different abilities and aptitudes.".

  T h e E d ucation Committee firmly believes, and is convinced that States members also believe, that the principles

and sentiments underlying these defined duties are fundamental to good government and reflect the needs and expectations of the population as a whole. That is why they have been accepted and enshrined in Law.

  T h e C o mmittee also firmly believes that in order to continue to deliver good government and to continue to meet

the aspirations of the population, it needs to continue to receive not only increased staff and non-staff costs in relation to demographic growth, but also sufficient capital development funds with which to finish the redevelopment of the education estate, which the States has hitherto also considered essential.

  1. C ha lle nges

I n r es p onding to these duties, Education Committees have, since the early nineties, been faced, and have

successfully dealt, with the following three major challenges.

3.1. D e m ographic growth   P r im  a ry Schools

  In 1 9 9 0 there were fewer than 4,000 children in non fee-paying primary schools. Today there is in excess of 5,300.

This represents an increase of almost a third and although the peak in overall primary aged pupils is expected soon, in 2002, the redevelopment of housing sites and the consequent "hot spots" this will cause, still requires the Committee to plan for major redevelopment and replacement of town primary schools over the next decade.

S ec o n d a ry Schools

  In 1 9 9 0 there were fewer than 2,300 pupils aged 11-16 years within the non fee-paying secondary schools, whilst

today there are 2,730. As the increased number of children within the primary sector pass through to the secondary sector this number will rise to more than 3,330 by September 2006, an increase of 600, or about 22  per cent over the next five years.

P o s t- 1 6 sector

T h e n u m bers of pupils aged 17-19 years within the fee-paying colleges and private schools will remain fairly static

during this forthcoming period of demographic growth, because those schools are each limited to four forms of intake. As a result, the non fee-paying sector, which consists of Hautlieu and Highlands College, will continue to grow to meet the demands for additional places. Hautlieu, which currently has around 500 students, is expected to grow to 675 or more full-time students by 2006/8 - an increase of 35 per cent. Highlands College, as the only significant provider of post-16 vocational programmes, will continue to expand to offer an increasing range of non "A" level courses and will be required to accommodate an increasing diversity of part-time and full-time programmes.

  1. C u r r iculum

  T h e c u rriculum provided to all children in schools has been developed and expanded to reflect the demands of

modern life and to prepare our young people for the world in which they will live and work.

  T h e te a ching of this highly developed curriculum, the Jersey Curriculum, is now a requirement in all schools and,

with the increasing introduction of vitally important Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment, the accommodation and facilities provided has had to change dramatically over the past decade and will do so even more into the future.

  1. B u ild   ing stock

  D u e to  many years of financial constraint and perhaps not enough foresight, it is now recognised, not only in

Jersey, but throughout much of the developed world, that too little was invested during the sixties, seventies and eighties on maintaining and developing school and other educational buildings. Despite recognition of this in the late eighties and a significantly increased investment by the States since the early nineties, this lack of earlier investment has left a legacy, still, of many inadequate schools. This poor condition ranges across the estate from some schools which have a few rooms in need of improvement, to other schools which can only be upgraded either by extensive refurbishment and extension or total replacement.

  1. Me e ting  the challenges

  In th e y ears 1984 to 1990 the States allocated the following sums to education projects -

£

1984 1,110,000 1985 1,299,000 1986 1,427,000 1987 911,000 1988 1,021,000 1989 391,000 1990 1,965,000

  T h e s e s ums equated to less than four per cent of overall States capital expenditure at a time when the Education Committee's revenue expenditure equated to more than 17  per cent of the States' total revenue expenditure.

  H o w  e v er, the recognition by the States in 1991 and 1992 that the building stock had been allowed to deteriorate

beyond simple maintenance and economic repair, of the desperate need to improve the quality of our schools and of the need to provide appropriate places for the increasing number of children within the school system, led to a significantly increased level of capital investment being made.

In th e te n-year period from 1991 to 2000, the States allocated the following sums to Education capital projects -

£

1991 4,185,000 1992 8,574,000 1993 18,133,000

1994 7,504,000 1995 9,239,000 1996 8,831,000 1997 2,395,000 1998 7,720,000 1999 28,755,000

2000  12,829,000 108,165,000


(four projects)

(six projects)

(four projects - including new d'Hautrée

@ £12  million)

(six projects)

(two projects)

(two projects)

(two projects)

(six projects)

(four projects - inc. Hautlieu @

£23  million)

(five projects)

  It  m a y be seen that this ten-year period, although a somewhat uneven investment and which was project driven,

equates to an average of just under £11.0  million per year, which of course if calculated at current-day prices would be considerably higher, due to intervening inflation. It should also be noted that this level of investment equated to around 20  per cent of States capital expenditure - a similar figure to the proportion of overall revenue budget allocated to the Education Committee - and this was therefore a further clear indication, to the people, of the strong support being given to the needs of education by the States.

  T h e c le  ar commitment to this ongoing programme of capital development has enabled the Education Committee to

plan the development of quality provisions for all children and, as a consequence, this confidence in the States' commitment has enabled children, parents and schools to accept the temporary and often sub-standard arrangements which have had to be put into place in order to cater for growth pending extension and/or refurbishment.

  1. C  ur r e nt position

  Fo  r th e period 2001 to 2003 the States has either allocated (2001), or agreed in principle (2002/3), the following

capital sums for education projects -

£

2001 11,657,000 (two projects - including Le Rocquier (1)

@ £6.7  million)

2002 12,243,000 (three projects - including Le Rocquier (2)

@ £6.7  million)

2003 6,700,000 (one project - Le Rocquier (3) @

£6.7  million)

  H o w  ev e r, it will also be recalled that in April 2001 the States and the Finance and Economics Committee agreed to

augment these allocations by voting funds in the sum of £5.0  million for the first phase of the planned development of the Catholic Schools (CS). Thus the Committee's allocations may be amended as follows -

£

2001 12,657,000 (two projects - including Le Rocquier (1)

@ £6.7  million and CS @£1.0  million)

2002 14,243,000 (three projects - including Le Rocquier (2)

@ £6.7  million and CS @£2.0  million)

2003  8,700,000 (one project - Le Rocquier (3) @

£6.7  million and CS @£2.0  million) 35,600,000

  In r e la tio  n to the States' agreed capital limit of £55.0  million per annum, these figures appear relatively strong, in

that they still equate to an average of just under 22.0  per cent of planned States capital expenditure at a time when the Committee's revenue expenditure remains at just under 21  per cent of the States' total net revenue expenditure. However, the notional allocations shown above for 2002-2003 disguise the true underlying project expenditure pattern, which because of changing and urgent circumstances will probably be as follows -

£

2001 7,737,000 (one project + £2.23  million for Le

Rocquier enabling + £550,000 for CS) 2002 7,993,000 (two projects + £2.45  million for CS) 2003 19,870,000 (one project - Le Rocquier @

£16.37  million +£3.5  million for CS)

35,600,000

  It  m a y be seen that out of the total capital available of £35.6  million for the period 2001-2003, £18.6  million or

52  per cent will be expended on the Le Rocquier project, and£6.5  million or 18.2  per cent will be allocated to th Catholic Schools. It should also be noted that due to changing circumstances, and as capital cash limits for this period have been set, it will be necessary to borrow forward' up to £4.5  million for the redevelopment ofLes Chênes School and, as a result, the first phase of the Le Rocquier project may have to be reduced to £14.1  million with an extra new Phase  2 project of circa£6.0  million being let in 2004 or 2005 - depending upon when the Les Chênes School funding is agreed. All of this only leaves £10.5  million for three other small projects for the three- year period and this has meant that a number of urgent primary school projects will be delayed again. This is at a time when pupil numbers continue to grow beyond the capacity of many schools' ability to cope.

  It, o f c o urse, also results in significant further funding for a Le Rocquier School Phase  2 project having to be found

in 2006 and 2008 - if the school is not to be left half-completed, and which will cost considerably more than if the school  could  have  been  completed  as  originally  proposed,  and  as  supported  by  the  States  Capital  Decision Conference process, in one contract. Given the cash-limited approach to funding, all these extra costs will be to the detriment of other projects.

  1. T he   f uture

  Wh e n e xamining the possible future allocations for 2004 and 2005, it may be seen that the squeeze on education

capital is likely to bite harder into the Committee's planned redevelopment programme, and thus will slow up progress dramatically towards finishing the job started back in 1991.

  Fo  r th e period 2004 and 2005, the Education Committee has been forced, by the reducing commitment already

shown for the period 2001 to 2003 and by the fact that the real spending value of the States capital budget has been cut significantly over the past five years, to submit a longer list of urgent projects for consideration than it would otherwise have wished. In 2000, the Education Committee submitted its prioritised projects for consideration by the Policy and Resources Committee, as follows -

New Town Primary School Les Chênes School

Mont à L'Abbé School Les Quennevais School Seaton Place Replacement

Highlands College A' Block

Grainville School (Phase 3) Highlands College: Art and Technology

St. Peter 's School

Janvrin School

St. Martin 's School Victoria College Prep Highlands College: Media Studies

Victoria College Sixth Form


3,100 Health and Safety 4,950 Statutory places 1,800 Statutory places 3,000 Statutory places 2,372 Statutory places

750 Maintenance existing asset 2,075 Maintenance

existing asset 4,540 Phase 3 of scheme 2,175 Non-statutory

places

2,765 Upgrade

1,473 Upgrade

1,530 Upgrade/expansion 8,190 Expansion/upgrade 2,588 Non-statutory

places

2,400 Non-statutory places

  T h e C o mmittee regretted being forced to submit such a long list, but felt unable to remove any project as being not

of a high priority, as the Committee remains faced with still having to restore the remainder of its estate and to bring up to standard the many buildings so long neglected and undervalued by the States in the past.

  H o w  e v er, at the end of 2000 the Education Committee responded to a request from the Policy and Resources

Committee and, recognising that some sacrifices must be made, agreed to reduce its requested programme down to 11 projects only. In January 2001 the Capital Projects Review Sub-Committee, on little evidence, determined that this list was still too long for consideration, and has proposed reducing it still further to the following seven projects, or possibly nine - if further additional information is deemed acceptable.

Grainville School (Phase 3) New Town Primary School Les Chênes School

Mont à L'Abbé School

Les Quennevais School Highlands College A' Block

Seaton Place Replacement

Highlands College: Art and Technology


3,100 Health and Safety 4,540 Phase 3 of scheme 4,950 Statutory places 1,800 Statutory places 3,000 Statutory places 2,372 Statutory places 2,075 Maintenance existing

asset

750 Maintenance existing asset

2,175 Non-statutory places

  T h e c le  ar result of this approach is that the following six projects will not now even be considered until the 2006

programme is to be decided upon - probably in 2003 or 2004.

£

St. Peter 's School

Janvrin School

St. Martin 's School Victoria College Prep Highlands College: Media Studies

Victoria College Sixth Form


2,765 Upgrade

1,473 Upgrade

1,530 Upgrade/expansion 8,190 Expansion/upgrade 2,588 Non-statutory places

2,400 Non-statutory places

G iv en th at the reduced list of nine projects submitted for the 2004 and 2005 programme will, no doubt, again prove

highly successful in the Capital Decision Conference, but as with previous years will be reduced yet further, the Committee now firmly believes that it is highly probable that some of these six rejected projects may not, under the present system, now be included for consideration until perhaps the end of the decade!

  O n th e face of it, it may be said that in times such as these when the States is seeking to reduce its overall capital

expenditure, the Education Committee has little to complain of and, to some extent, this is true. However -

g iv en that the massive overspending' on States capital generally is not attributable to the Education

Committee - which has always followed the States procedures openly and fairly - and is a result of other States Committees developing schemes, such as the WEB suspense fund and the Housing Development Fund, which circumvent these same control procedures by generating construction programmes much larger than the size of the allocated funds;

g iv en that the capital budget available has not only been reduced significantly in real terms as the States annual capital allocation has not kept pace with inflation, but that projects are now being included on estimated

out turn' costs rather than real costs, which is contrary to the intended procedures;

g iv en that the States has, on a fairly consistent basis, managed to find significant additional capital funds for a wider and wider array of other worthwhile projects over the past years;

th e g e neral trend towards significant reductions in the education development funding with the inevitable prolonged use of sub-standard and inappropriate buildings continuing long into the future seems inequitable.

  A t t h is point the Committee believes it useful to point out that, despite many rumours to the contrary, and with the

exception of one notable case, all capital projects under its administration have been brought in within the budget allocated and within the agreed programme. Where there have been costs over and above those initially predicted, they have always been contained within the inflation matched budget and, indeed, the vast majority of education projects have been completed under the normal inflation matched budget.

  T h e o n e major exception to this successful record was caused by the unfortunate, unforeseen and relatively catastrophic failure of the consulting engineers Russell Wilson International. However, although this failure did add significantly to the overall costs of the new Haute Vallée School, it has since become clear that when these extra

costs are identified and separated out, the actual cost of the school still represents considerable value for money, and the

school and project management team are to be congratulated for their perseverance and diligence in absolutely minimising any additional cost to the States.

With a view to completing the task set for it by the States in 1991, and as a result of careful planning, the Education

Committee has consistently outlined its capital project requirements. Until recently, it must be said, the States has matched those requirements, and it is to the States' credit that so much of the education estate is now of a quality that is very much admired, and has established standards for which the Island may be justifiably proud. However, the Education Committee is now very concerned, as it knows are an increasing number of parents and school governors, that this commitment to completing the restoration of the education estate is to be delayed and, possibly, at the now projected rate, will not completed for another two decades, unless some alternative, more positive, funding mechanism can be agreed.

  A c c e p ti ng the decisions already democratically arrived at regarding the period 2000-2003, the Appendix to this

report outlines the Education Committee's proposed capital development programme for 2000 through to 2010. This revised and carefully constructed programme addresses all identified estate shortfalls and would, if carried out, complete the restoration of the estate in a timescale which is both manageable and, the Committee believes, affordable.

I n s u m mary the programme, which equates to an average of marginally less than £13.0 million per annum to

complete, is as follows -

£

2000 (Approved and funded) 2001 (Approved and funded) 2002 (Approved in principle) 2003 (Approved in principle)

2004 (Submitted bids) 2005 (Submitted bids) 2006 (Future bids) 2007 (Future bids) 2008 (Future bids) 2009 (Future bids) 2010 (Future bids)


12,829 (five projects) 12,657 (two projects) 14,243 (three projects)   8,700 (two projects) 48,429

12,790 (four projects) 13,522 (five projects) 14,055 (five projects) 12,428 (three projects) 12,675 (three projects) 12,840 (eight projects) 12,210 (six projects) 90,520

Total required over 11 years: 138,949

  G iv  e n th  at the capital budgets are established and set for the period 2000-2003, it is proposed to concentrate on the

total funds required for the seven-year period of 2004-2010, i.e. £90,520, which equates to an annual average of just under £13.0  million. It may be seen that, in constructing this programme, the Committee is seeking only to maintain the level of States investment similar to that previously supported by the States for the successful period 1991-2000 and now repeated for the period 2001-2003.

  1. T he   s uccess story

  T h e C o mmittee is, and believes the States should be, justly proud of the tremendous success of its, and its

predecessors', capital development programme. In particular the schemes which have been completed in the period since 1991 are imaginative, inspiring and have set the standard by which the Island is now rightly judged. It is no small coincidence that with the vision and support of the States, so many school projects have been the recipient of local, and indeed highly prestigious National, design awards. The Committee does not apologise for this level of quality.

  N o r d o es it believe should the States, which should accept and glory in the presence now of many high quality

public buildings which will benefit thousands of our children for many decades to come. Some highly notable examples of this success may be seen at -

Fir  s t T o wer School (Jersey Design Award Winner)

  E x is tin  g school totally refurbished, remodelled and extended with new classroom block, a nursery class, school

library and hall to accommodate up to 380 children.

L e s L a n des School

  E x is tin g school totally refurbished, remodelled and extended with new classroom block to accommodate up to 175

children.

L e S q u e z School ( Thorne Lighting Award)

N e w tw  o-form entry school with a nursery class to accommodate up to 380 children. Pla  t D o uet School ( Thorne Lighting Award)

  E x is tin g school totally refurbished, remodelled and extended with new classroom block and new nursery class to

accommodate up to 380 children.

R o u g e B  ouillon School

E x is tin g school totally refurbished, remodelled and extended with new classroom blocks, new school halls and new

nursery class to accommodate up to 555 children.   Sp  rin  g f ield School

  E x is tin g old Janvrin school totally refurbished, remodelled and extended to provide the new town primary school

and to accommodate up to 175 children.

St.   J o h n School (Jersey Design Award Winner and Thorne Lighting Award)

  E x is tin g school totally refurbished, remodelled and extended with new classroom block and new nursery class to

accommodate up to 210 children.

St.   L a w  rence School

  E x is tin g school totally refurbished, remodelled and extended with new classroom block and extended nursery class

to accommodate up to 205 children.

St.   L u k e 's School

  E x is tin g school totally refurbished and remodelled and extended to include the old Vicarage to accommodate up to

175 children.

St.   M  a r k's School

E x is tin g school totally refurbished and existing nursery class extended to accommodate up to 205 children. St.   M  a r y's School

E x is tin g school refurbished and extended to accommodate up to 175 children.

St.   Sa  v io  ur's School

  E x is tin g school refurbished and extended with new classrooms and a new nursery class to accommodate up to 255

children.

T rin  ity School

  E x is tin g school refurbished and extended with new classrooms and major playground extension to accommodate

up to 175  children. (Further small scheme to replace remaining temporary classrooms starting in 2001.)

J. C . G . Pr  eparatory School (R.I.B.A. National Design Award Winner)

N e w s c hools constructed to accommodate 375 pupils (see also Victoria College Prep below). St.   J a m e s' School

  E x is tin g school totally refurbished, remodelled and extended so as to properly accommodate up to 18 children with

emotional or behavioural difficulties.

M o n t à l'Abbé School

  A n e w Phase  1 wing was completed in 1993/4 and provided a new nursery class and new classrooms and a new

school hall. (Phase  2 is identified in the Committee's programme for 2004, should funding be secured.)

H a u te V allée School (R.I.B.A. National Design and Civic Design Award Winner)

  N e w 7 5 0 student (ages 11-16) school, which includes a community use theatre and swimming pool, completed in

1998/9.

  A l l o f th  e above schemes, with the notable exception of Haute Vallée School, were completed within the budget

allocated and in line with the agreed programmes.

  1. T he   o ngoing work

  In a d d iti on to the above many projects, the Committee is currently administering the following ongoing projects -   M o n t N  icolle School

  M a jo  r r efurbishment, remodelling and extension of the school, to accommodate 225 children plus a new 30-place

Nursery Class, is due for completion in July 2002.

Je r s e y C ollege for Girls (short-listed for 2001 R.I.B.A. Award)

  7 0 0 s tu  dent (ages 11-18) school completed in 1999 and shortly to be opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The final phase of sports facilities (Langford) commenced in December 2000 and is due for completion by January 2003.

G r a in v ille  School

  Ph  a se 1 Science Block due for completion in November 2001. The Phase 2 Art, Design and Technology Block (*)

is due to start in mid 2002 and Phase 3 (*), which is the major refurbishment of the existing school, should start in 2004, provided funding is agreed.

B e l R o y al School

  N e w  3 0 -place nursery class, which will accommodate children with physical disabilities, under construction and

due to open in January 2002.

G r o u v ille  School

  Ph  a se 1 , which included new and remodelled classrooms, a new toilets and a new nursery class, was completed in

November 1999. Phase 2, which includes further new and remodelled classrooms and provision for children with hearing impairment, is in progress and due for completion in June 2002.

L a M  o y e School

  Ph  a se 1 , which included new and remodelled classrooms, a new library, new changing rooms and a music general

purpose room was completed in July 1999. Phase 2 is due to start in 2001 and will include the final two new classrooms, a new nursery and the extension to the existing school hall.

G r a n d s Vaux School

  N  ew   1 75-pupil  school  with  a  replacement  30-place  nursery  class  is  to  be  constructed  on  the  existing  site commencing January 2002. School currently decanted to the old JCG site at La Pouquelaye until July 2003.

L a P o u q uelaye School

  N e w  3 8 0-pupil school to include a new nursery class is, subject to approvals, to be constructed on the old JCG

Playing Field site in La Pouquelaye. This school is to accommodate children from the La Pouquelaye area and, following the failure to identify a suitable site in the south-west of St. Helier , the children who will reside in the new Waterfront housing developments.

N u r se r y Centre

  T h is p ro ject, to develop a 100-place Centre of Excellence' Nursery Centre within the Farewell Wing of the of JCG

building is funded, in principle for 2002.

H a u tlie u School

  T h e c o n struction of a complete new school is due to start on site in July 2001, although enabling works started in

preparation in early 2000, and is due to be occupied and operational from September 2004. The Phase 2 sports facilities will follow on in 2004 after the old school is demolished.

L e R  o cq uier School (*)

  D u e to start major construction of new blocks in early 2003, due to delays in securing funding, but enabling works

will start in 2001 by the creation of new playing fields on an adjacent site. The project will now be completed in three to four phases over the next decade.

  1. T he   im  mediate future

  A t th  is tim  e, the following projects remain as capital bids only -   St.   C  le m  ent's School (*)

T h e s c h ool remains on a split site with a public roadway dividing the Key Stage 1 and 2 areas.

  It is   p r o posed to build a new Key Stage 2 area on the same side of the road as the Key Stage 1, and thus to make the

site safe for children, to remove the range of temporary classrooms units and to rationalise and modernise the poor existing accommodation. The school will continue to accommodate up to 200 children.

L e s C h ê nes School (*)

  O f th  e h ighest priority - a scheme is currently being developed which will provide appropriate and separate living

accommodation for 24 students on the same site as the existing school, and the school itself will be remodelled to accommodate up to 30 students. This scheme is currently shown as a bid for 2004 but must be brought forward to 2001/2 to meet urgent statutory duties.

M o n t à l'Abbé School (*)

  T h e re m  aining half of the school needs, as a matter of urgency now, to be brought to the same standard as the

Phase  1 project and extended to accommodate a growth in student numbers.

L e s Q u e nnevais School (*)

  In o rd e r to cope with growth in student numbers and in changes in the delivery of the curriculum, this school needs

further extension to provide up to six extra general classrooms and extra laboratory and craft spaces.

Se  ato  n Place Youth Club (*)

  It  is p ro posed to move the majority of the existing youth facilities into the vacated and refurbished States Greffe

Printers' building in La Motte Street, and to relinquish the old Seaton Place building, thereby releasing additional funding to support these developments. In addition, a location on the Waterfront is to be identified in which to develop a drop in' youth café/meeting room type facility and this will form part of and be funded within the same Seaton Place project.

H ig  h la n ds College A' Block (*)

  T h is is a major maintenance project to repair the external walls and roof to stop water ingress and, at the same time,

to remodel parts of the interior and replace and update existing building services.

St.   M  a r tin's School (*)

  It  is p ro posed to extend and remodel the school, to remove the temporary accommodation units and to ensure the

school is adequate for up to 205 children.

St.   Pe  te  r's School (*)

  M a jo  r p arts of this school, like Plat Douet, Grands Vaux, Le Squez and La Pouquelaye have reached the end of its

design life and are in need of replacement and/or refurbishment. The school will also have a new nursery class added during the construction period to ensure the school can adequately accommodate up to 200 children.

H ig  h la n ds College - Art and Technology (*)

  T h is is Phase 1 of the scheme to refurbish the old d'Hautrée School buildings to accommodate the expected growth

in Highlands College students and the growth and variation in subjects to be studied post-16.

  T h e p r ogramme shown on the attached Appendix illustrates the number, type and size of projects yet to be

completed, over and above those identified here in the period 2006-2010, before the restoration of the education estate is complete. However, it should be noted that those projects above which are marked with an (*) are not yet funded and, under the existing system, therefore may be delayed further than planned.

  1. C  on  c lusions

  T h e E d ucation Committee understands the need for financial prudence. It has always responded to reasonable

requests from the Policy and Resources Committee and the Finance and Economics Committee to defer capital expenditure or to utilise funds efficiently and effectively. It recognises that the States needs to reconsider its capital building programme in the light of economic forecasts and of population issues.

  H o w  e v er, it also strongly believes that the process for constructing a reasonable capital programme and the

apparently almost arbitrary way that projects have been included or excluded, is seriously flawed. An example of this was recently when the Sixth Form facilities at Victoria College gained a higher priority than either the nursery class at Bel Royal School or the need to complete La Moye and Grouville Schools, which had already been commenced. The process has also recently allocated funding to Grainville Phase  3, ahead of Phase  2, which wa then excluded! The Committee therefore contends that such a flawed system should not continue to form the basis of the States capital programme.

  T h e C o mmittee contends that the present system not only leads to repeated uncertainties, in that it is not until the

year before a project is due to start that its funds are voted, but that such a system of constant bidding and, in effect, bartering' between Committees, has led to a winner takes all' approach having to be taken by Committees each fighting their own corner.

  T h is in turn leads to potentially increased costs, in that time and energy are being expended in securing funds rather

than developing even better value for money schemes, and insufficient early planning time is devoted to securing the optimum scheme for the States.

  T h e C o mmittee also recognises that, although it always provides best value in relation to the capital budgets it

manages, there would be further pressure on the Committee in this regard if it had to specifically rank its projects within a given overall capital budget. The Committee, rather than avoiding this pressure, would see it as a positive move for the education service in that all sectors would have to agree priorities and would have to live with consensual agreements, rather than as at present, each applying pressure against one another. To this end, the Education Committee therefore recommends that the States should support the proposal that -

th e re should be created an ongoing Education Development Fund' to the value, at present day costs, of £13.0 million per annum;

th e Committee should be required to produce for approval by the States a rolling capital development programme for schools and other educational buildings; and

th a t all capital expenditure on education projects, however incurred, must be contained within the sums allocated.

  I t i s r e cognised that the Finance and Economics Committee has already undertaken to have in place by 2006

funding mechanisms by which each States Committee will receive an overall cash limit, which will include funds for capital projects. However, given that this is still five years hence, and given the decreasing allocation of funds to education projects in the meantime, the Committee recommends that the Education Development Fund' be instigated in January 2004.

T h is w o uld not only provide the wider Education community' with some certainty of States' support for the future,

but would also provide the Finance and Economics Committee with two years' actual experience with which to move ahead with other Committees in 2006.

T h is p ro position has no manpower implications for the States.

APPENDIX

EDUCATION COMMITTEE -

PROPOSED ROLLING CAPITAL PROGRAMME (2000-2009) (Assuming Education Development Fund from 2004)

£,000s 2000 Grouville School (Phase 2) 1,917

Bel Royal Nursery 471

La Moye School (Phase 2) 1,533 Grands Vaux School 4,145 New Town Primary School  4,763 12,829

2001 La Pouquelaye School 4,957 Le Rocquier School (Phase 1 - allocation 1) 6,700

Church Schools (Phase 1)  1,000 12,657

2002 Grainville School (Phase 2) 4,619 Nursery Centre 924

Le Rocquier School (Phase 1 - allocation 2) 6,700 Church Schools (Phase 2)  2,000 14,243

2003 Le Rocquier School (Phase 1 - allocation 3) 6,700 Church Schools (Phase 3) 2,000

8,700 2004 Les Chênes School (Phase 2) 4,500

Grainville School (Phase 3) 4,540

Seaton Place Replacement 750 Church Schools (Phase 4)  3,000 12,790

2005 St. Clement 's School 3,100 Mont à L'Abbé School (Phase 2) 3,000

Les Quennevais School 2,372 Church Schools (Phase 5) 4,500 St. Luke's School - Nursery 550 13,522

2006 New Town Primary School 4,950 Highlands College A' Block 2,075

St. Martin 's School 1,530 Le Rocquier (Phase 2 - allocation 1) 4,000 Church School (Phase 6)  1,500 14,055

2007 Janvrin School (Phase 2) 1,473 St. Peter 's School 2,765

Victoria College Preparatory School  8,190 12,428

2008 Grainville School (Phase 4) 5,500 Le Rocquier (Phase 2 - allocation 2) 5,000

Highlands College Art and Technology  2,175 12,675

2009 Victoria College Sixth Form 2,400 JCG Preparatory School 1,750

New Town Youth Centre 1,000 Les Landes School - Nursery 550 Highlands College Media Studies 2,588 Victoria College Gymnasium 1,352 Bel Royal School 1,800 Trinity School - Hall + Nursery  1,400 12,840

2010 Springfield School - Nursery 550 St. Mary 's School 1,700

Victoria College Extend/Remodel 4,500 Highlands College Expansion (Phase 3) 4,000 Haute Vallée (AW Pitches) 835 Haute Vallée School (Dining)   6 25 12,210

SUMMARY

FUNDED AND APPROVED (2000-2001) = £25,486,000 (18.3%) APPROVED IN PRINCIPLE (2002-2003) = £22,943,000 (16.5%) FUNDING REQUIRED (2004-2010) = £90,520,000 (65.2%) TOTAL FOR 11 YEAR PROGRAMME = £138,949,000