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.
States Greffe
Connétable Richard Vibert Minister for Children and Education
BY EMAIL
15th February 2024 Dear Minister,
Higher Education and Student Finance
The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel (the Panel) would be grateful to receive an update on the Government’s plans to amend the Education (Grants and Allowances) (Jersey) Order 2018 (the Order). Please could you provide further details of any updates or changes to the Order that are under consideration and, if relevant, advise of the proposed timescale for bringing forward amendments in 2024?
It has also been suggested to the Panel that some sections of the Student Finance and higher education pages of the Government of Jersey website (here[1]) or Student Finance forms, provide out of date or incomplete information for the public. The Panel would therefore be grateful if you could advise:
- how is the information on the website and forms for Student Finance reviewed, and how often does this happen; and
- how information available on the website for Student Finance is coordinated between relevant departments (for example, with Children’s Social Care).
Please see below for some of the examples that have been highlighted to us. We would be grateful if you could address the points in any response and confirm whether updates to publicly available information would be possible:
Corporate Parenting responsibility for children in care
• The link on the student finance website “children in care support package” links to out of date information in the Children’s Social Care section of the website in a document titled “Guide for young people leaving care”. For example, the guide states that the living expenses grant for those in Higher Education would be set at £7,500 per annum, however, the maximum maintenance grant has now been increased to £8,572. The Panel is concerned that incorrect or outdated information could impact the decision- making process for young people who are calculating their finances ahead of any potential application.
Four-year courses
• The information and advice available on the website in relation to four-year courses and placements does not match the wording of the Order, for example:
- There is no guidance or definition on what is classified as an “equivalent 3 year full-time course”, for example whether this relates to the qualification received at the end or has any relation to content delivery.
- Article 20, paragraph (2) of the Order does not specifically state that a work placement must be unpaid in order to receive maintenance grant support, however, this is a stated factor in the website guidance.
Income Statement (HE2) form
• A template example of the HE2 form and declaration is not available to view on the website, but we understand that it includes terms which are undefined even though they are part of a formal declaration, for example, “PC1” and “PC2”. This is reportedly confusing for individuals completing the declaration.
The Panel looks forward to your response and would request this is received by 22nd February 2024. Please direct any response or queries to the Panel through our Committee and Panel Officer, Katherine de Carteret by email at k.decarteret@gov.je and Research and Project Officer, Joseph Brannigan by email at j.brannigan@gov.je.
Yours sincerely,
Deputy Catherine Curtis
Chair, Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel