17 July 2023
The Jersey Funding Formula for Schools 2023 – which sets out how the budget for individual Island
schools is calculated - has been published on the Government of Jersey website.
The updated formula also sets out the additional funding available to support children with a
Record of Need (RON), those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), or from low-income households.
Under the previous system, school funding was allocated based on an Average Weighted Pupil Unit
(APWU) methodology. APWU allocated costs to each area of spend (for example, building
maintenance, teacher salaries), but did not accurately reflect the underlying needs of children
attending the school which reduced schools’ ability to plan and respond to their specific needs.
The Jersey Funding Formula for Schools has been developed following the Independent School
Funding Review which took place in 2020. The review recommended that Jersey adopt a simpler
funding formula to offer all schools and colleges equitable and flexible budgets.
As well as allocating an increased level of funding, the new funding formula increases focus on
inclusion in schools. It does this based on three main approaches:
Firstly, by allocating funding for a core set of staff to support inclusion in schools.
Secondly, by
specifically targeting funding to those cohorts of children and young people with the greatest
need.
Thirdly, by developing more provisions in both mainstream and special schools to align with
the needs of children and young people attending those schools.
As in 2022, the formula determines how the budget is calculated for each school, providing head
teachers, in the main, with discretion on how best to invest it for their school.
The updated formula comes alongside ongoing work to recruit and retain more teaching staff,
teaching assistants and support staff, and underpins the critical work in policy and practice to
improve inclusion in schools.
The new funding formula applies to all government-funded schools with the exception of Jersey
College for Girls, Victoria College, Beaulieu School and De La Salle College. These schools will
continue to use the APWU model.
Minister for Children and Education, Deputy Inna Gardiner, said: “I welcome this updated funding
formula and I am pleased to share with schools and the wider community. This represents a
meaningful change in delivering a more inclusive education by, amongst other changes, targeting
funding more closely on the needs of individual pupils.
“This funding formula and increased investment will not change schools overnight. However, it
underpins all the other work we are doing to support schools and pupils. This includes broader
work on developing an Inclusion Vision and Charter, and ongoing work to hire and retain the staff
we need.
“We anticipate that we still start to see change over the coming years as this funding reaches
schools who can put in place the measures that will support all their children to achieve the best
possible outcomes.”
gov.je