De La Salle College, Beaulieu Convent School and FCJ Primary School: Grant of Funds

DE LA SALLE COLLEGE, BEAULIEU CONVENT SCHOOL AND FCJ PRIMARY SCHOOL: GRANT OF FUNDS

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Lodged au Greffe on 3rd April 2001 by Education Committee

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STATES OF JERSEY

STATES GREFFE

180             2 0 0 1    P . 5 7          

Price code: B

PROPOSITION

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

to agree, in principle, that the sum of £5 million should be made available to De La Salle College, Beaulieu Convent

School and FCJ Primary School, to enable them to undertake essential capital development so that appropriate provision may be made for their pupils, and to charge the Finance and Economics Committee to identify the appropriate source of funding.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Note:   T h e Fin  ance and Economics Committee acknowledges the considerable contribution made by church schools

to the Island's education system, which would otherwise be a further burden on the taxpayer. The Committee believes that the service provided by such schools, under the revenue grant made by the States, represents good value for money, but this can only continue if further financial support is provided to maintain the essential fabric and facilities within the schools. The Committee will seek to fund such support from an appropriate source so as not to jeopardise those projects in the indicative Capital Programme which have previously received the support of the States.

REPORT

1. B a c kg  round

1. T h e following Church Schools - De La Salle College, Beaulieu Convent School and FCJ Primary School are seeking financial support from the States, in order that they can meet ongoing demands for capital investment and continue to make a major contribution to the Island's education system.
   2. Sig nif  icance of Church Schools to education in Jersey

1. T h e Education Committee considers that the significance of the contribution that the Church Schools make to education in Jersey maybe judged in terms of scale, quality and economy.
2. Sc ale

  T h e C h urch Schools provide for 12  per cent of all children educated in Jersey schools with the pupil numbers for

2000 as follows -

Primary Secondary Totals

FCJ   2 75 -   2 75 De La Salle   3 36   4 5 1   7 87 Beaulieu   2 11   4 1 0   6 21

3. Q uality

  T h e sc h ools are highly regarded within the community and contribute greatly to the success of the students who

attend them and, indeed, to the overall success of the Island's education service. This may be judged, in part, by success in public examinations but, even more so, through the rich curricular and extra curricular activities which the schools offer.

4. Econo my

  T h e th r ee schools represent a significant part of the Island's educational infrastructure with land and buildings which have a current value of around £60  million that has been provided without capital investment from the States.

  T h e s c h ools receive a revenue grant from the Education Committee, for each pupil, currently based on 25  per cent

of the cost of educating a pupil of primary school age and 50  per cent of educating a pupil of secondary school age in the Island's non-fee paying schools. For 2000 the grants awarded to the schools were as follows -

£

FCJ 195,800 De La Salle 1,131,310 Beaulieu 961,212 2,288,322

  H a d th e full cost of these schools been borne by the States, the revenue implications would have been in the region

of -

Total

£

FCJ 654,000 De La Salle 2,582,000 Beaulieu 2,226,000 5,462,000

  T h u s , it may reasonably be argued that the "saving" to the States represents around £60 million in capital

investment and almost £3.2 million in annual revenue expenditure.

T h e S e r vice Review undertaken by Coopers and Lybrand of the Education Service in 1998 commented that it is of

particular interest that the Church Schools in Jersey "fall into this private category' " in that Jersey has no equivalent to the

"voluntary aided status" provided for in the 1994 Education Act in England and Wales, through which extensive grants are available for building costs. The Review also pointed out that "at present the States are making a considerable saving out of parents' opting for a Catholic education for their children".

  T h e E d ucation Committee is of opinion that the States have a duty to assist the Island's Church Schools to meet

their on-going demands for capital investment if they are to continue to make a major contribution to the Island's education system.

3. T he   n eed for capital development at Church Schools

1. T h e Church Schools are seeking support for their on-going capital development programmes to enable them to continue to provide appropriately for their pupils and to meet the demands of the curriculum. The Schools have agreed to work together in order to prioritise their capital requirements up to a maximum amount of £6.5 million and to follow States Codes of Practice etc., related to the control and management of capital funds. The Education Committee has agreed that it will provide £1.5 million by re-prioritising its current and future capital programme and a further sum of £5 million is therefore required from the States.
2. T h e introduction of Curriculum 2000 will result in an expansion in the post-16 roll and this makes the need for capital development urgent in the case of the combined Sixth Form for Beaulieu and De La Salle. At De La Salle the "staying on" rate has already risen from 45 per cent in 1998 to 65 per cent in 1999, and thus it maybe seen that there is a most pressing need to provide adequate facilities if these schools are to continue to play their part in sustaining the excellent standards which apply in the Island's schools.

4. P r o po  sal for financial support

1. T h e funds would be advanced on the security of the school premises themselves, and in the event that any of the Church Schools ceased to provide their services, or failed to meet adequate educational standards, the States would have the first call on the school properties either to utilise them for educational purposes orto realise the assets, in either case with the School in question being entitled to the net residual value of the asset.
2. A  p la nned and phased construction programme will be drawn up and agreed between the schools and the Education Committee. Funding will be drawn down on a phased basis against architects' certificates, or as an agreed lump sum.

5. C  on  c lusion

5.1 T h is report recommends how the States can support the Church Schools, in order that they can meet ongoing demands for capital investment and make appropriate provision for their pupils. The Education Committee firmly believes that it is essential that this capital development takes place if the Church Schools are to continue to make a significant contribution to education in Jersey and therefore commends this proposal to the States.

  T h e f in a ncial implications are set out above together with the comments of the Finance and Economics Committee.

There are no additional manpower implications for the States.