ESF to spend more after review
The English Schools Foundation is to increase spending on its management office by 1.5 per cent after a review of the body's work demanded by legislators.
Chief executive Heather Du Quesnay is planning a shake-up at the ESF's Stubbs Road headquarters following the review, which was demanded by Legco's Public Accounts Committee in its review of the ESF's damning audit report last year.
The review looked at whether any of the work of the management office was no longer needed, would be better outsourced or carried out by schools, or whether it should be abolished altogether.
External consultants reached their conclusions after gathering the views of 39 people in the ESF community. They found that the management office was needed but it needed to be made more strategic, effective and efficient.
A change of culture was also needed in its relationship with schools.
Immediate changes that were needed included adding two new teams for parent and student services and communications, increasing its costs from $41,527,000 to $42,120,000. It would continue to manage the ESF's finances, education development, human resources and buildings management.
Ms Du Quesnay said nine jobs would be cut in the management office but four new ones would be created.
'Marginal cost increases would be acceptable if they helped to improve effectiveness,' she said.
