Ministers to Pay for Security in Schools
PRESS COVERAGE
London, 12th October, 2007
MINISTERS TO PAY FOR SECURITY IN SCHOOLS
The government pledged this week to help meet the spiralling cost of security at Jewish schools — a commitment welcomed by governors and community leaders.
Parents currently pay for security measures, from the barbed wire around Manchester’s King David campus to round-the-clock monitoring by the Community Security Trust.
Just how much money will come from the government and how it will be spent is not yet clear. But it will begin to fulfil one of the recommendations of last year’s all-party Parliamentary report on antisemitism. Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday about capital investment of £21.9 billion in schools from 2008-2011, the schools minister, Jim Knight, said that “school and pupil security is one of the important areas that should be addressed”.
CST chief executive Richard Benson said: “We are greatly encouraged by this statement and appreciative of the minister’s understanding of this important issue that affects our community.
“This follows two years of discussions with previous home secretaries about funding for security at Jewish schools.”
CST figures show a steady increase of incidents at schools. In 2004, there were 28 recorded antisemitic incidents; in 2005, it rose to 37 and there were 59 in 2006. But a spokesman said most were verbal abuse or the throwing of stones. There were no severe assaults.
Russell Kett, chair of governors at JFS, Britain’s biggest Jewish school, said: “Anything more than the nothing we get now is welcome. Whether it is commensurate with, or helps to defray, the costs we incur remains to be seen.”
Malcolm Gordon, chair of governors at Yavneh College in Borehamwood, said: “We would welcome any contribution from government, otherwise it all falls on parents.”
The report on antisemitism, published in September last year, stated: “We recommend that the Home Office provides a greater level of support in addressing the security needs of British Jews, especially with reference to their places of worship and schools.”
The CST is understood to spend around £5 million a year on security, and the King David Schools in Manchester spend around £130,000.
There was no precise figure for the 2,000-pupil JFS, but it was thought to be considerably more than King David. Yavneh spends £70,000-£80,000.
The JC understands that money allocated for security will be given to local authorities. Those with Jewish schools within their boundaries will liaise with the CST, which will advise on how and where it should be spent.
Mr Kett said: “The issue is whether it is capital funding or revenue. Capital funding will mean it can be used to install new or upgrade existing security systems without having to seek finance from a parent body. If it comes under revenue, it could help alleviate the huge sums we spend each year providing round-the-clock security.”
Simon Goulden, chief executive of the United Synagogue Agency for Jewish Education, said: “Generally, it’s a very positive statement. But I can’t be entirely satisfied until I know what the detailed individual programmes are.
“Currently parents are responsible, through voluntary contributions, for funding security in our day schools. We would appreciate any help from the government, whether capital or revenue, though it is the revenue costs that are particularly hard on parents.”
Denis MacShane, chairman of the Commons antisemitism inquiry, said: “Jewish schools should lobby their MPs, and if a school has a particular security need, they should bring it up. I’m hopeful that today’s statement is a step in the right direction.”
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Article Credit, Jewish Chronicle, www.thejc.com
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