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Nearly half of schools to offer more bursaries

Finance | Vibeka Mair | 17 Sep 2008

Nearly half of independent schools will offer more bursaries in a bid to keep their charitable status when the Charity Commission introduces requirements on public benefit, according to new research from Zurich Financial Services.

Currently, all schools automatically get charitable status. But from March 2009 all charities, including schools, will have to start reporting to the Charity Commission on public benefit to prove their charitable status under new measures in the Charity Act 2006.

Zurich, which interviewed 1,700 fee-paying schools, found that nearly half of them will extend mean-tested bursaries to demonstrate public benefit, and a further third are considering the idea. Some 27 per cent are contemplating opening lessons up to local state school children, with 21 per cent claiming this is something they already do.

Many independent schools which do not already do so may offer the use of their facilities to state schools and the local community. Music, sport and arts facilities were the most popular options.

One-tenth to increase fees

The survey also found nearly one in ten independent schools plan to increase their fees to fund measures that will meet the new public benefit requirements. A quarter of schools said they did not know where they will find the money to fund the new measures.

Meanwhile, nearly one in five schools said they were still confused by the draft guidance on public benefit which the Commission released in January and were still not clear on how they could meet requirements.

Jonathan Cook, general secretary of the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association, said the research was a bit premature. “We need to wait for final guidance from the Charity Commission to make concrete judgement,” he said.

Education ‘always been charitable’

Matthew Burgess, deputy chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) added: “ISC, among others, is not surprised that schools remain unclear as to the public benefit guidelines. The sector is waiting for the publication of the final guidance later this year and ISC is working with the Charity Commission to ensure that the final guidance is clear. ISC has always said that education is and always has been a charitable purpose, and the Charities Bill has merely galvanised the debate for charitable schools.”

The Charity Commission will produce supplementary guidance on public benefit and the advancement of education at the end of the year, along with further guidance on public benefit and the advancement of religion, public benefit and the relief or prevention of poverty, and public benefit and fee-charging.

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