Treasury Minister Susie Pinel has lodged a proposition with the States in which she calls on Members to agree to lend the independent school, which provides a Catholic education for girls aged three to 19, the money over 20 years, with interest payable at 4.25%.
The school, which as a private fee-paying school is independently owned but receives grants from the States, says it will use the money to ‘improve and future-proof’ its facilities.
According to the proposition, the work will be carried out in phases with the initial stages to include the creation of three classrooms in the undercroft of the existing Jubilee Building, the building of a new sports centre, redevelopment of the existing gym and café to provide an enhanced café and a sixth-form centre and an upgrade to the façade of the middle school. The work is due to be completed by summer 2021.
The States has previously loaned the school £500,000 in 2008 and 2014, with repayment due in 2022. The balance of those loans – £283,168 – will be refinanced and added to the new loan.
In information sent to parents, Beaulieu’s board of directors said it had provisionally agreed the £7m loan with the minister but a change in political climate, including the fact that the Council of Ministers no longer have collective responsibility, is said to have led to Deputy Pinel deciding to lodge the matter with the States for debate.
Beaulieu headmaster Chris Beirne told the JEP: ‘As a registered charity and independent school, Beaulieu is delighted to have the chance to enter into this opportunity with the Government of Jersey, enabling us to work in partnership to achieve our development goals for the school in the future.
‘This is not a gift, but a loan facility, and Beaulieu has been required to develop and manage its business operations more effectively than ever, in order to provide a commercial rate of return to the Government of Jersey.
‘It is necessary for this loan to take place to improve and future-proof the facilities here at Beaulieu, enabling us to continue to offer an exceptional learning environment for our students, in a continued partnership with the Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills.
‘We are very excited about the Beaulieu we can become for the future.’
Parents have been asked to lobby their elected States Members to encourage them to support the proposition.
The report accompanying the proposition states that the Treasurer of the States will agree a system with the school for regular reporting to ensure the terms of the loan are met.
The proposition is due to be debated on 30 April.
