Review Of £120m Secondary School Funding

A review is looking at whether Jersey's secondary schools are receiving enough government funding.

The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel will examine funding for secondary schools.

It will consider factors including student well-being, staffing, and the 14+ transfer system and public expectations.

It will also look at the amount spent by the government on private schools, and the Pupil Premium which is specific funding given to schools with pupils who are looked after children, from households on Income Support or who from 'registered' households that would qualify for Income Support had they been in the island for five years.

It aims to analyse the link between the level of funding to schools and the outcomes for students, such as the qualifications they achieve.

Panel Chair  Deputy Catherine Curtis says it will be a very analytical report.

"We're going to be collecting all of the facts and figures about the funding, how it's distributed, how it compares to other jurisdictions.

We're going to get feedback from headteachers and teachers about how well it's working.

By looking at how well the funding is targeted in school - it is expected to be £120 million this year  - we can see where it needs to be targeted better."

The panel wants to look into how effective a recent change to the funding formula has been, and the impact it has had on education.

It included putting more money into promoting inclusion and creating the 'Jersey Funding Formula for Schools' in October 2022.

For the past few years there has been a deficit in secondary school funding in the region of around £2 million a year.

The panel expects to report its findings in the autumn.

Islanders can have their say on secondary education in a survey.

The Panel will also be holding Pop-Up stands from 12-2 in St Helier on 27 June (Brooks Street) and 12 July (Charing Cross)