APPENDIX 2
THE MANAGEMENT OF GROWTH IN THE ENGLISH
FURTHER EDUCATION SECTOR (PAC 97-98/261)
Supplementary Memorandum submitted by
the Department for Education and Employment
Q63. Cost comparisons
Over the last two years, the Department, in
consultation with external partners, has been developing estimates
of the funding costs of particular qualifications for 16-19 year
olds in schools and FE colleges. These relate to qualifications
achieved and take into account the costs of unsuccessful attempts
and drop-out. Two sets of figures have been published, for 1994-95[2]
and, with various improvements to the methodology, for 1995-96[3].
The median funding costs for three A-levels from the 1995-96 publication
are shown below.
|
| Public funding cost 1995-96 | Median Funding
£
|
|
| Three GCE A levels: |
|
| LEA/VA School Sixth Forms | 16,970
|
| GM School Sixth Forms | 7,010
|
| General FE Colleges | 6,410
|
| Sixth Form Colleges | 6,640
|
|
These estimates show that the public funding costs in FE
sector colleges were slightly less than in school sixth forms,
but broadly similar in school sixth forms and sixth form colleges.
Schools and sixth forms colleges tend to need more funding for
extra-curricular enrichment activities; without this funding,
the costs of each sector would be closer together. However, since
1995-96 there have been efficiency gains in the FE sector. Hence
we expect our continuing work in this area on more recent data
to reveal a larger gap in the funding of three A-levels between
schools and FE.
The estimates above relate to a particular qualification
package that is studied widely in both sectors. It is important
to note that there will be different relative funding costs for
other qualifications. Funding per student across all qualifications
is likely to be somewhat higher in school sixth forms that in
FE sector colleges, again as a result of the efficiency gains
made in recent years in the FE sector.
Permanent Secretary
Department for Education and Employment
8 April 1998
2
"Funding 16-19 Education and Training: Towards Convergence",
DfEE, 1996. Back
3
"The Public Funding costs of Education and Training for 16-19
year olds in England 1995-96", DfEE, 1997. Back
|
