College grants to be based on student numbers

Deputies agreed to change rather than cut the funding given to private colleges by an overwhelming majority

Private colleges in Guernsey will still get States funding in future - but will no longer receive a lump sum.

It follows a call to end government grants given to the island's three independent colleges.

Instead politicians agreed to replace the lump sum with a per student grant system - so if the colleges take fewer in the future they would receive less money.

The changes to the proposals from the education committee mainly came through an amendment laid by Deputy Gavin St Pier who said the move "really acknowledges that we need to recognise the role that they play and ensure their stability".

Major changes to education's proposals came predominantly from an amendment laid by Deputy Gavin St Pier

He said: "The colleges play a significant role in our education system, whether you like it or not."

The Committee for Education, Sport and Culture had hoped to reallocate a the money to States-run schools.

The grants totalled £723,000 in the 2019/20 academic year and are expected to total about £2.85m for the 2025/26 academic year.

Going forward the grant will increase in line with inflation and the money will be ring fenced and the maximum grant on this model cannot exceed the total for the 2025/26 academic year adjusted annually by RPIX.

Each year's subsidy is to be calculated based on the number of qualifying students on the 31 October in the preceding academic year.

Politicians also agreed to give the colleges a five-year notice period if they wanted to reduce or withdraw the grant to allow them time to plan for any change.