School staffing costs (FOI)

Request

A

Since the start of the pandemic, how much money has been spent on:

i)

Staffing costs in schools to cover staff absence due to illness?

ii)

CO₂ monitors and air filters for schools?

B

On 17 January 2022, CYPES tabled a proposal to STAC to purchase air filters to reduce airborne transmission of COVID in schools. It was noted by STAC that air filters would also reduce the incidence of some other illnesses in addition to COVID. It was stated the proposal covered a maximum of 1012 rooms. Presuming one filter was required per room, and using the Education Department’s preferred air filter model, it would have cost approximately £150,000 to purchase 1012 air filters for the schools (based on the current unit price of the air filter). The first Omicron wave hit the schools shortly after.

i)

How much has been spent on school staffing costs to cover illness since 17 January 2022?

ii)

How many days of school have the island’s students missed due to either illness, or because of year group closures, since 17 January 2022? 

Response

A(i)

Whilst the government does maintain staffing costs centrally, identification of the information requested would require a manual analysis of staff cost data to identify any costs created as a direct result of illness related absences. To produce the data would take in excess of 12.5 working hours therefore Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

A(ii)

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, CYPES have spent:

The portable CO₂ monitors were used to identify areas / rooms where the CO₂ level was regularly above the acceptable limit of 1000ppm, this then informed when natural ventilation (opening a window or door) or artificial ventilation (air purifier) was required.

B(i)

Whilst the government does maintain staffing costs centrally, identification of the information requested would require a manual analysis of staff cost data to identify any costs created as a direct result of illness related absences. To produce the data would take in excess of 12.5 working hours therefore Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

B(ii)

A total number of 146,293 days were recorded as absent by pupils in Government of Jersey schools between 17 January 2022 and 21 March 2023 due to:

• Illness
• Self-isolating with coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms
• Confirmed case of coronavirus (Covid-19)
• Class closures

The Covid absences may have involved pupils studying from home who were recorded as absent due to Covid related illness.

Article applied

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations. 

(2) Despite paragraph (1), a scheduled public authority may still supply the information requested on payment to it of a fee determined by the authority in the manner prescribed by Regulations for the purposes of this Article.

(3) Regulations may provide that, in such circumstances as the Regulations prescribe, if two or more requests for information are made to a scheduled public authority –

(a) by one person; or

(b) by different persons who appear to the scheduled public authority to be acting in concert or in pursuance of a campaign, the estimated cost of complying with any of the requests is to be taken to be the estimated total cost of complying with all of them.