Fee-Paying/Private Schools: Reduction in Level of Financial Support for 2011

STATES OF JERSEY

FEE-PAYING/PRIVATE SCHOOLS: REDUCTION IN LEVEL OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR 2011

Lodged au Greffe on 26th October 2010 by Senator J.L. Perchard

STATES GREFFE

2010   Price code: B  P.164

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

to request the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture not to make any reduction in the level of financial support in 2011 for the schools listed below until  the  Minister  has  brought  the  matter  to  the  States  for  debate  and approval –

Jersey College for Girls

Jersey College for Girls Preparatory School Victoria College

Victoria College Preparatory School

De La Salle College (primary and secondary) Beaulieu Convent School (primary and secondary) FCJ Primary School

St. George's Preparatory School

St. Michael's Preparatory School

SENATOR J.L. PERCHARD

REPORT

In September 2010 the States debated the Draft Annual Business Plan 2011. The States approved, without amendment, the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture's proposals  for  the  2011  funding  of  Fee-paying  Education  (Provided  Schools)  at £5,676,200 and Fee-paying Education (Non-Provided Schools) at £5,133,500. These figures  represented  a  total  increase  awarded  to  Fee-paying/Private  schools  of £295,200. I attach, at the Appendix, pages 35 and 36 of the Annex to the 2011 Draft Business Plan, where the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture details his 2011 Budget proposals, and there are details of the ESC Service Analysis, Objectives and Performance Measures.

Despite  the  2011  CSR  request  to  deliver  2%  savings  across  the  whole  of  his £111 million budget the Minister, when publishing his 2011 estimates in the Annual Business Plan, clearly demonstrated his unequivocal support for Fee-paying/Private schools by proposing an actual increase of £295,200 in their 2011 funding.

Astonishingly, one week after the formal adoption of the Draft Annual Business Plan 2011, the Minister made it known that he intended to reduce the level of financial support to Fee-paying/Private schools by 50%.

I maintain that at the time of the 2011 Draft Annual Business debate, the Minster withheld from members his plans to reduce the level of financial support to Fee- paying/Private schools to the equivalent level of 25% of cost of educating a child in the States sector. The Minister for Treasury and Resources confirmed my suspicions in this respect during questions without notice on 12th October 2010 when he said – (I quote from Hansard)

"6.2  Senator J.L. Perchard:

Would the Minister for Treasury and Resources advise the Assembly when he and other Ministers were informed of Education's proposals to reduce the level of financial support of fee-paying schools in 2011, and can you explain why the draft 2011 Business Plan was silent in this respect?

Senator P.F.C. Ozouf :

I think that I was drawn to the fact that the Minister was going to be proposing some element of his £1.2 million for private sector schools, probably a couple of weeks before the Business Plan debate. I think it is unfortunate and lessons should have been learned – and lessons have been learned – about having a wide-ranging debate and ideally we should not have been put in the position that we are in. Lessons have been learned about that."

Members will draw their own conclusions as to why the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture made the decision at least 2 weeks before the Annual Business Plan debate to inform his colleagues on the Council of Ministers, but not States members, of his extreme plans to slash the levels of financial support to Fee-paying/Private schools.

The fact that many people, both in and outside the States believe that the Minister's new policy is completely misguided and that the Minister has displayed a worrying level  of  poor judgement  over  the  handling  of  this  matter  is irrelevant  when  one considers this particular proposition.

The fact that Fee-paying/Private schools provide a very good standard of education, a single-sexed and a faith option to parents as well as excellent value-for-money to the taxpayer is also irrelevant when one considers this proposition.

This proposition simply requests the Minister to bring to the States for approval any plans he has for 2011 that will essentially alter the financial relationship between the Fee-paying/Private schools and the States of Jersey.

Financial and manpower implications

There  will  be  no  financial  or  manpower  implications  for  the  States  should  this proposition be adopted.

APPENDIX