Funding for fee-paying schools cut

Wednesday 05 July 2017

Jersey’s States have agreed to cut the subsidies for fee-paying schools.

Although the savings had already been approved in theory in September last year as part of the new Medium Term Financial Plan, a procedural quirk meant the recommendations had to be approved by the States again.

The subsidies given to schools are based on the age of pupils and how much it costs to educate them – what’s termed the Age-Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU) ratio. In non-fee paying schools that covers all the costs.

In fee-paying primary schools the States fund 25% of the cost of funding a pupil of the same age in a non fee-paying school, and in a secondary school, 50% of the costs.

Last academic year the subsidies cost the States just over £9m.

Under the measures approved yesterday, the percentage of States grant for fee-paying schools will be cut by a total of 3% by 2019, taking it to 47% for secondary and 22% for primary. This will be a saving totalling £608,000 by 2019. 

The current set-up is seen by many as a win-win situation. As the proposal highlights: “In Jersey more than 36% of students were in fee-paying schools at January 2016. The current system provides financial benefits both to the taxpayer (who does not need to fund the full cost of education in fee-paying schools) and to parents (who do not have to meet the full cost of a private education).”

But, as Education Minister Deputy Rod Bryans, told the States, savings need to be made, and that if the subsidies to the fee-paying schools weren’t cut, it was likely non fee-paying schools would suffer. The cuts though couldn’t be too severe, because that might force parents to take their children out of the fee-paying system and put them in the non fee-paying sector instead, which would actually increase the cost to the taxpayer.