ESC college funding proposal represents 80 per cent cut

Now that the Committee for Education Sport and Culture (ESC) has published its proposal for the future funding arrangements of The Three Colleges we maintain our position that the proposed level of financial support is insufficient to allow the colleges to remain inclusive.

ESC says that the figure of £816 per pupil largely reflects the current funding model and suggests that the diminishing funding for special place holders can be replaced by the colleges taking on more fee-paying pupils. But this rationale misses the point that to follow this course would make the colleges exclusive to those with the ability to pay by replacing children from households with limited means with fee payers paying full fees. 

The Three Colleges’ main objective, following the removal of special place holders, is to make the colleges more accessible and inclusive so that families who are less affluent can benefit from the comprehensive education, opportunity and choice that the colleges provide. States funding will be used to support means-tested assisted places to achieve this.

ESC’s proposed level of support is not “maintain(ing) current levels of funding subsidy” and it would be a mistake to confuse it with preserving the status quo. It is an 80 per cent reduction to the current level of States funding.

The Three Colleges provide tremendous value to the States of Guernsey. The ESC proposal acknowledges that they educate 30 per cent of the island’s pupils at a cost to the tax payer of just six per cent of the total education general revenue budget.

They operate on tight budgets and are non-profit-making.

The colleges are robustly overseen by boards of governors or directors and are willing to be accountable to the States through a service level agreement.

Allister Langlois, an Associate Governor at The Ladies’ College and spokesperson for The Three Colleges, said: “We are pleased that the ESC policy letter acknowledges the possibility of making use of additional capacity at the colleges.

“It will be for States members to decide whether ESC’s proposed level of financial support will enable the colleges to be inclusive and remain an integral and valuable part of Guernsey’s secondary education provision.

“We have an important role to play in providing stability, value, capacity and choice as an integral part of the education system.”