Douzeniers have voted to continue donating money to some island schools, highlighting a practice that has been in place since the end of the Occupation.
At a Vale Douzaine meeting earlier this year, a parishioner asked how much money is given to the schools educating children from the parish, how that amount is determined, and whether it can be varied.
The parish minutes of that meeting show that while the Constables had been in favour of stopping the annual payment to St Sampson’s High School, Le Murier School, and Vale, Hautes Cappelles, and La Mare de Carteret primaries, the Douzaine had wanted to keep the tradition going.
The matter was revisited earlier this month, after the schools had been asked to clarify what the money is spent on. Only the primary schools had responded to the query, confirming that the money was spent on learning materials including books for the schools’ libraries.
Vale parishioners were then asked if they wanted to continue giving money to the schools or not. A majority of those present said they wanted to continue supporting the primary schools and Le Murier (pictured top).
One parishioner raised a concern about “literary falling away in primary schools” saying that most children would “benefit from having reading books available to build language”.
In the past the Vale has given up to £5,000 to the parish schools annually. The payment has been made since the end of the Second World War when the parishes were all asked to support schools in their areas.
Although the number and make up of schools has changed over the past 80 years, it is understood that each parish continues to make a contribution to support children’s learning across the island.
Not all parishes have their accounts available online, but in 2024 St Peter Port contributed £10k to schools and St Sampson’s gave £5k. The smaller St Saviour’s contributed £1,500 and St Pierre du Bois gave £900.
St Martin’s gave £5,000 to its parish primary. The other parish accounts do not name a specific school.
Guernsey’s Director of Education, Nick Hynes, said the money contributed by the parishes is appreciated and goes towards ensuring all children have access to learning materials.
He also stressed that any reduction in funding from the parishes would not have an adverse effect on any child’s learning.
“The Education Office and the islands’ schools have a strong history of working closely with all the parishes as important parts of each schools’ community,” he said.
“Whilst we are grateful for any additional support we receive from parishes, particularly around donations for purchasing resources, we do of course ensure all students have access to the tools and resources needed to access all parts of the curriculum, including reading.”