Will funding cut lead to higher school fees?

Tuesday 23 May 2017

Education have announced plans to reduce the States funding to Jersey’s fee-paying schools by 3% over the next couple of years, meaning parents are likely to have to make-up the shortfall.

The plans will result in just over £600,000 worth of savings for the Education Department.

However, the Education Minister Deputy Rod Bryans, argued that the potential increase in fees still puts the cost of a private education in Jersey below the UK average.

He said: “When you look at the situation, I’ve had quite a few parents say to me they couldn’t believe how cheap education was for the ones they had to pay for. So as a consideration, it’s anywhere between £12-15,000 you’d have to pay in the UK, here it is £5,000. And what we are looking for is a 1.5% or a 3% increase over two years so it’s quite minimal and we’ve worked on that to ensure it is something that most people can contemplate, as it’s not a massive amount of money."

In October 2016, the States approved a proposal for 'minor adjustment to grants for fee-paying schools' under the Medium Term Financial Plan for 2016-2019. Now, eight months later, the proposal published by the Education Department outlines the details of those 'minor funding adjustments.'

The cut will come in two stages, with the schools affected receiving an average of £82 less per pupil in 2018, a figure that will rise to £158 per pupil by 2019.

Non fee-paying schools have already been subject to efficiency savings in recent years, and the threat of higher school fees for parents comes after five years of rising fees across all fee-paying schools on the Island. 

Education says the funding reduction will not come as a surprise to schools who were made aware of the plans when the MFTP was first approved, and Deputy Bryans insisted that schools had been kept in the loop about the proposal and said: “We’ve been talking to them for some time."

Commenting on the facts parents are likely to be asked to make-up the shortfall, Deputy Bryans added:

“There is a possibility of that, and we are not saying this, as it is up to the schools, that they could soak up this extra cost themselves."

Jersey College for Girls have since told Express of their dissatisfaction over the move. Chair of Governors Nick Kershaw commented:

"It is always disappointing when money is taken out of Education.  The reverse should be the case.  

"The Governing Body were aware of such a proposal arising from the MTFP and have taken the funding cut into account in our financial planning.  Investment in our young people is the core priority of our Governing body.  

"Parents will naturally be concerned that such a reduction will inevitably mean a rise in fees.  At JCG and JCP we are committed to providing an excellent education for our students in a cost effective manner and we are mindful of the need for the overall level of fees to be within the reach of the majority of parents in Jersey. We remain committed to providing an excellent education to our students, as demonstrated by the most recent external review, in the most efficient and effective manner and we will continue to minimise the fee increases as much as we can.  Even with this reduction, JCG and JCP will continue to have the lowest fee charged by the island's fee paying schools.

Pictured: Jersey College for Girls Chair of Governors said that the proposals would lead to concerns from parents, but that the school would remain committed to providing "an excellent education" for students.

"It is also important to remember that the Governing Body is committed to providing financial assistance with fees to ensure that all students who meet our criteria are able to attend and benefit from a JCG secondary education irrespective of their family’s financial background.  Approximately 8% of our students receive a bursary. Families with household income of £48k or under receive up to 100% bursary.  Families with household income of £54k or less receive £1000 for assistance towards trips and expeditions.

"The objective of the Governing Body is to ensure the excellent education and opportunities for students at JCG and JCP remains exceptionally good value."

Similarly, the headmaster of Victoria College, Alun Watkins, was unable to confirm that fees wouldn't increase:

"Victoria College has a strong working relationship with the Education Department and we were aware well in advance of this change.   We have made provision for it in our budgeting and can reassure parents that the school will continue to provide a high quality, all round education for our students, which represents excellent value for money."

Specific details on how Victoria College, Jersey College for Girls, Beaulieu, De La Salle and FCJ plan to recoup the money lost through the grant reduction are still unknown, however.