Colleges hit back as States prepares to cease funding
The three colleges have hit back at claims that providing them with taxpayers’ money creates inequality in education.
Education, Sport & Culture president Andrea Dudley-Owen said that States funding of Elizabeth College, The Ladies’ College and Blanchelande ‘is widening the attainment gap between our islands’ young people’. They currently receive about £3m. a year, down from nearly £5m. 15 years ago, but the Guernsey Press revealed yesterday that ESC was about to publish proposals asking the States to start a phased withdrawal of all public funding once the current agreement runs out in 2026.
‘We are very concerned by the suggestion that the challenges in attainment in the States sector are caused by parents choosing to send their children to the colleges,’ said the three colleges in a statement issued late yesterday.
‘We agree with Deputy Dudley-Owen that education should not be used as a political pawn in this conversation and thus were disappointed by the intimation that removing funding from the independent sector would somehow address the attainment gap.’
ESC’s policy letter is due to be submitted on Monday, but deputies opposed to the committee’s proposals are already holding discussions about laying amendments during what will be one of the most controversial States debates before June’s general election.
The colleges’ statement briefly set out reasons why they believe the States grant ‘should continue at its current level’.
They are planning a major offensive with deputies once the policy letter has been released.
‘Together the colleges form a significant part of the island’s education ecosystem, educating approximately 30% of the island’s secondary school children for around 3% of the estimated total Education budget,’ they said.
‘The independent colleges represent outstanding value for money, delivering high-quality educational outcomes at a low cost to the States. Sustaining this partnership is not just an investment in education – it is an investment in the future prosperity of Guernsey.’
They dismissed ESC’s claim that States schools could provide places less expensively than the cost per student of the grant to the colleges.
They also challenged the committee’s suggestion that operating more efficiently could avoid increasing parents’ fees above their current level of about £15,000 a year to replace the public funding they now face losing.
‘Between 30% and 37% of children in the colleges at primary and secondary age come from families in the bottom three quintiles of income distribution,’ they said.
‘Therefore, it is too simplistic to argue that removing funding will not have an adverse impact on our parents.’
They added that maintaining an attractive independent sector was ‘a critical part of the island’s attractiveness as a place to do business’.
It is understood that the colleges’ preferred model, which was rejected by ESC, included a closer partnership with States schools, including on extra-curricular activities and governance, as well as a continuation of at least some public funding.
