Education, Sport and Culture Report for Minister |
Subject: | Fees for Provided Fee Paying Schools – Jersey College for Girls and Jersey College for Girls Preparatory School |
Exempt Clause: | | Date: | 20th December 2009 |
Author: | Assistant Director - Finance |
1. Background
1.1 Article 13A of the Education (Jersey) 1999 Law requires that:
“Each year, subject to the approval of the Committee, the governing bodies of Jersey College for Girls, Victoria College and their respective preparatory schools shall set fees for the provision of education in those schools.”
1.2 Further to decisions of the schools Governing Body the approval of Minister for Education, Sport and Culture has been sought for an increase in respect of the academic year 2009/10, as follows:-
School | 2009/10 Request | 2009/10 Approved | 2010/11 Request | % increase |
Jersey College for Girls | £1,340 | £1,286 | £1,340 | 4.20 |
JCG Preparatory | £1,225 | £1,204 | £1,228 | 1.99 |
1.3 A letter from the Chairman of the Board of Governors dated the 1st December 2009, attached Appendix A, presents the case for the increase in fees. The letter details in particular the following:-
§ Fee proposals for the years, 2010, 2011 and 2012;
§ That the fee proposals are based on a cumulative budget reduction from 2011 agreed as part of the 2010 Annual Business Plan process; and
§ Forecast surplus/deficits for each year through to 2012.
1.4 In approving the fee increase for the academic year 2009/10, the Minister will recall that the Chairman had been informed in a letter dated the 20th May 2009, ‘… so that we may engage in a full and proper discussion and inform parents of the outcome in a timely manner, I would ask you to submit your formal request in respect of fee proposals for 2010 as soon as possible, or should you wish to discuss your proposals beforehand please do not hesitate to contact me.’
1.5 The Chairman had been further informed in a letter from the Minister dated the 2nd December 2009, in confirming the budget reductions that will apply to the schools from 2011 that ‘… it is my intention to work closely with the school governing body to ensure future fee levels are set at an appropriate level in order to minimise the impact such a reduction may have. As Financial Directions dictate that any fee increase which exceeds 2.5% will require the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources, I would ask that any proposal to increase fees should be submitted well in advance to ensure that an informed decision can be made allowing sufficient notice to be given to parents’.
1.6 On this basis, representatives of the schools have been invited to meet with the Minister and Officers of the Department, to provide them with an opportunity to supply supplementary information to present their case for the proposed increase in fees. This will further improve the process of communication in agreeing the annual proposals for fee increases.
1.7 The schools have provided a high level summary of their forecast out-turn for 2009 and the budget position for 2010 to 2012 and these are attached at Appendix B. The Minister will recall that the schools had requested an increased fee level for the 2009/10 academic year of 6.77% for JCG and 4.34% for the Preparatory School and the increase had been restricted to 2.5%. The schools have therefore been asked what actions they have taken to be able to restrict their fee proposal for 2010/11.
1.8 The Jersey Retail Price Index decreased by -0.6% in the 12 months to September 2009.
1.9 Since 2006 the carry forward of school underspends, which have been supported by the Department without restriction, have been as follows:
| 2006 £ | 2007 £ | 2008 £ | 2009 forecast £ |
JCG | 315,710 | 199,620 | 198,023 | 107,000 |
JCG Prep | 143,592 | 169,800 | 205,848 | 75,000 |
1.10 Financial Direction 4.1 Increases in States Fees and Charges states:
‘Where a fee or charge increase exceeds the above limit [2.5%] per annum it will be the responsibility of the requesting Department to ensure that the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources is gained before any increase is levied; and the requesting Department provides the necessary justification for the level of increase.’
2. Recommendation
The schools have been required to accommodate the budget decreases from 2011, recommended by the Comptroller and Auditor General, and agreed as part of the 2010 Business Plan process. The Chairman of the Governing Body has further suggested that collaboration with the other fee-paying secondary schools continues to increase. On the basis that the schools are able to provide further evidence that this is the case at the meeting in January, it is recommended that the Minister approves the fees set by the Governing Body of Jersey College for Girls and Jersey College for Girls Preparatory school as detailed above.
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