Department of Education, Sport and Culture

235 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 100.0%

The Freedom of Information requests to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture reveal an authority deeply entangled in the controversy of the St Thomas' Primary School co-location proposal. A significant portion of the casework (over 14 related cases) focuses on this issue, where the Department frequently employed a 'practical refusal' or 'already public' defense to withhold decision-making correspondence (e.g., 354839, 354847), while simultaneously disclosing granular data on pupil catchments (354959) and the fact that the school paid no rent (467435). This pattern suggests a strategy of transparency on operational metrics but obstruction on political and strategic deliberations. The data also exposes a complex relationship between the state and religious groups; while the Department confirmed regular visits by the Child Evangelism Fellowship (354861), it actively blocked access for the abortion reform group HEAR (354831), highlighting a selective gatekeeping of external influences in schools.

Key Cases

Case 354861 — Reveals the systematic presence of the Child Evangelism Fellowship in Isle of Man schools, providing a detailed breakdown of visit frequencies, which raises questions about the separation of church and state in public education.

Case 354831 — Discloses a specific incident where the abortion reform group HEAR attempted to access pupils at St Mary's School and was declined, offering a rare glimpse into the Department's vetting of controversial external groups.

Case 361143 — Highlights a significant administrative error and subsequent correction regarding public objections to the St Thomas' co-location (initially 403 signatures, corrected to 413), demonstrating the volatility of the consultation process.

Case 467435 — Confirms that St Thomas' School paid zero rent to the Department for the building, parking, and playgrounds over three years, a crucial financial fact in the debate over the school's viability and the co-location proposal.

Case 354883 — Discloses that eight unqualified teachers were employed in training roles across four secondary schools, raising concerns about the quality of education and staffing standards during the 2016/17 academic year.

Related FOI Stories

The St Thomas' Co-location Saga#354839, #354847, #354849, #358135, #354867

Home Education and Legal Enforcement#354833, #354857, #354875, #358137, #354911

School Performance Data and Statistical Gaps#354791, #354801, #354809, #354815, #354925

Religious Influence and External Visits#354851, #354831, #354861, #354877, #512133

Staffing, Employment, and Discipline#354805, #354813, #354883, #354945, #354947

All (235) All information sent (235) · Some information sent but part exempt (116) · Some information sent but not all held (110) · Information not held (56) · No information sent - all held but exempt (48) · Upheld - partial (17) · Not upheld (15) · Upheld - full (8) · Not required to fulfill request (8) · Request lapsed - requested information not provided (1) · Repeated request (1) · Neither confirm or deny information held (1) · Information Notice (1) ·
DateTitleOutcome
2024-05-072024-25 Support for Sport programmeAll information sent
The Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded to a request for 2024-25 Support for Sport funding allocations and membership numbers by providing a complete list of 29 sports with their respective financial grants and registered member counts.
2024-04-23No of primary school teachers between academic yr 2014-2015-2019/2020All information sent
2024-04-18Fire Alarm Activations in SchoolsAll information sent
2024-04-17Villa Marina operationAll information sent
A request was made for detailed profit and loss accounts for Villa Marina and the Gaiety Theatre covering the years 2019 to 2023. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested information, providing financial breakdowns for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021.
2024-03-28Reception numbersAll information sent
2024-03-21Cost of fire service callouts within schoolsAll information sent
2024-03-14SPC CentresAll information sent
2024-03-14Miscellaneous Pupil Data 2023-24All information sent
2024-03-07Glencrutchery swimming poolAll information sent
2024-02-20Accident LogsAll information sent
2024-02-13Schools with Specialist ToiletsAll information sent
2024-02-09Data subject access requestsAll information sent
2024-02-08Key Stage 3 - Timetables and Setting PracticeAll information sent
2024-02-08Ambulance call out to schoolsAll information sent
2024-02-06Percentage of looked after children in full time educationAll information sent
2024-01-22Financial Information of DESCAll information sent
2024-01-12Numbers of unqualified teachers in Secondary SchoolsAll information sent
2024-01-08Year 7 Baseline Assessments 2021-2023All information sent
2023-12-12University Destination DataAll information sent
2023-10-10CctvAll information sent
2023-10-10GCSE and A Level Examination Attainment 2023All information sent
2023-09-12Additional Needs training & inclusionAll information sent
2023-08-03Ingredients in Primary School Meals from Sept 2023All information sent
2023-07-26University College Isle of Man Annual AccountsAll information sent
2023-06-08Broadway cinema attendanceAll information sent
2023-05-25Setting & Achievement at KS3 (2022-23 Academic Year)All information sent
2023-05-23Expected values and behavioursAll information sent
2023-04-25KS5 attainment and University destination dataAll information sent
2023-03-29Sex Education CurriculumAll information sent
2023-03-28Request of nomination numbers for Isle of Man Sport awardsAll information sent
2023-03-28RSE CurriculumAll information sent
2023-03-17Children in education accessing free school mealsAll information sent
2023-03-07PSHE SyllabusAll information sent
2023-03-02Complaints made about Rushen PrimaryAll information sent
2023-02-23Reports on bullying 2020, 2021, 2022All information sent
2023-02-22Pantomime Productions 2019 - 2022All information sent
2023-02-08Financial AccountsAll information sent
2022-12-01Numbers comparisonAll information sent
2022-11-14Internet camerasAll information sent
2022-10-11Assembly hall capacity at RGSAll information sent
2022-10-04RGS - Sex and Relationship EducationAll information sent
2022-10-04Register of Pupils identified with AEN / SENAll information sent
2022-10-03Emotional Behavioural DisorderAll information sent
2022-09-27Gender balance of Primary school teachers.All information sent
A request was made for statistics on the gender balance of primary school teachers in the Isle of Man as of September 2022 and details on any schools lacking male teachers. The authority responded by sending all requested information, including a 2019 Equal Opportunities Employee Handbook, though the specific statistical data is not visible in the provided text excerpt.
2022-09-26GCSE results for each subject and secondary school for 2022All information sent
2022-08-18Northern Schools Capacity and RolesAll information sent
A request was made for the maximum pupil capacity and anticipated September 2022 roll numbers for six specific schools in the Isle of Man. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested data, providing full capacity and enrollment figures for each institution.
2022-07-25Additional Complex Needs FundingAll information sent
The request sought data on additional complex needs funding for primary schools in the Isle of Man, including approval rates, budget breakdowns, and application criteria. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested information, providing statistics on funding requests and a detailed financial breakdown for the 2021/22 year.
2022-07-13No. of Children attending Primary and Secondary Schools and capacity.All information sent
2022-07-07Primary school class sizesAll information sent
The request sought current Year 5 and expected Year 6 class sizes for Scoill Phurt Le Moirrey and Rushen Primary Schools, including breakdowns for combined year groups. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested data, detailing specific pupil counts for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic years.
2022-06-21Eligibility breakdown for Free School MealsAll information sent
The request sought the number of children eligible for free school meals and a breakdown by specific parental benefits. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed the total number of students in receipt of meals and the number of applicants eligible under three specific benefit categories as of May 2022.
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