Compromise could see colleges’ funding cut in half by 2033

Elizabeth College, The Ladies’ College and Blanchelande currently receive about £3m. a year from the States towards the cost of educating just over 1,250 of the island’s 11-18 students.

Education, Sport & Culture has proposed a phased withdrawal of the grant between 2026 and 2031, but the colleges have put forward a counter-proposal to maintain the current level of funding until 2040 as part of a new public-private partnership arrangement.

The Guernsey Press has obtained a draft amendment which was discussed by States members over the weekend. It looks set to offer a compromise proposal under which taxpayers’ funding of the grant-aided colleges would be cut by 50% by 2033.

‘There is a real chance that both of the original propositions will be rejected, leaving the whole issue of future States support for the colleges in limbo,’ said Peter Roffey, who has led the move.

‘That would not be a good outcome and would mean the colleges being unable meaningfully to do any medium-term financial planning.

‘With this in mind, this amendment seeks to insert an additional halfway house proposition to reduce the risk of no outcome at all.’

The colleges are currently guaranteed financial support from the States for the next 18 months only, under a seven-year agreement made around the time that the States stopped awarding special places through the 11-plus.

The draft amendment would cut the States’ grant to the three colleges to a total of about £1.7m. by 2033, after inflation. Annual funding per pupil would be reduced from about £2,300 to £1,700, assuming that the proportion of secondary-age students in the colleges remained the same.

About £750,000 of the annual saving would be ploughed back into education in the public sector and about £400,000 would be put towards the States’ cost savings programme.

Deputy Roffey described the original propositions as ‘simply too extreme’, despite more than two years of talks between ESC and the colleges.

‘At first I thought that might be a good option, leaving ESC and the colleges to try again to reach an agreed position,’ said Deputy Roffey.

‘However, sending ESC back to the drawing board in March would obviously mean that it would be the new committee which had to carry out the renegotiation, probably in the autumn, which in turn means no fresh proposals likely before 2026.

‘I think that is far too close to the end of the current funding arrangement and will engender far too much uncertainty. In my view, it behoves us at least to try to avoid such a non-outcome.’

The three colleges have claimed that they save the States money and help recruitment in various sectors of the economy.

Education has rejected the financial claims and its president, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, has said that taxpayers’ funding of the colleges was ‘widening the attainment gap between our islands’ young people’.

Deputy Roffey’s draft amendment would direct Education to return to the States with another funding arrangement from 2033, after making progress on the kind of partnership working suggested by the colleges, which currently educate about 30% of the island’s secondary-age students.

‘This would bond any future funding with the co-operation and collaboration necessary to support the local education system across both the independent and States-maintained sectors,’ he said.

‘With dwindling pupil numbers projected such co-working and synergies between the two sectors are going to become increasingly important and should be fully recognised and financially rewarded.’

Deputy Roffey has told States members that he would discuss his compromise proposal with the colleges this week, after being told they could not discuss it during half term.