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) ·
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-06-13 | School numbers | All information sent |
| 2019-06-12 | KS1 Attainment & Cohort Data 2015-2018 | All information sent |
| The request sought Key Stage 1 attainment percentages and cohort sizes for Isle of Man primary schools for academic years 2015-2018. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested information, providing detailed data tables for 2015 and 2016 covering reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, and science. | ||
| 2019-06-10 | Training Handover from DfE | All information sent |
| The request sought details on the budget and staff transferred from the Department for Enterprise to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for training services, along with spending breakdowns for 2018/2019. The authority disclosed that £1,795,346 and five staff members were transferred, and confirmed the entire budget was spent on specific vocational and skills schemes. | ||
| 2019-04-02 | Education data | All information sent |
| A request was made for statistics on educational enforcement actions (Notices to Satisfy, School Attendance Orders, and fines) between 2011 and 2019, separated by home education and school register status. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed that while 4 Notices to Satisfy were issued to home educators and 63 fines to school-registered children, no School Attendance Orders were issued to either group. | ||
| 2019-03-18 | Northern Swimming Pool Lighting | All information sent |
| The requester asked for all correspondence between the Northern Swimming Pool and the Department of Education, Sport and Culture regarding LED lighting changes since January 1, 2015. The authority responded by releasing extracts of the relevant correspondence, with redactions applied to remove personal and third-party information. | ||
| 2019-03-05 | Setting & Achievement at KS3 (2018-19 Academic Year) | All information sent |
| The requester asked for updated 2018-19 data on Key Stage 3 assessment methods, setting policies, and pupil achievement levels across Isle of Man secondary schools. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded by releasing all requested information via enclosed documents. | ||
| 2019-02-28 | Student numbers taking GSCE and A Level foreign language | All information sent |
| The request sought student numbers for modern foreign languages at GCSE and A Level across Isle of Man schools from 2011 to 2019. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested data, providing breakdowns by school and year for GCSE, AS, and A Level qualifications. | ||
| 2019-02-04 | Home education in the new Education Bill 2019 | All information sent |
| 2019-01-17 | DESC GCSE Analysis by Subject | All information sent |
| 2019-01-10 | Achievement at KS4 Against Prior Attainment at KS2 2018 | All information sent |
| The Department of Education, Sport and Culture released KS2-4 value-added performance data for 2018, detailing progress percentages and averages in English and Maths for all Island secondary schools. The response included specific cohort statistics for each school alongside overall Isle of Man figures. | ||
| 2019-01-07 | Secretary | All information sent |
| A request was made for data on primary school secretaries and non-teaching headteachers in the Isle of Man. The Department of Education disclosed that there are 38 administrators with a total cost of £728,000, but clarified that no headteachers are classified as non-teaching. | ||
| 2018-10-18 | Key Stage 1&2 Attainment Averages 2018 | All information sent |
| The requester asked for exact Island-wide average attainment figures for Key Stage 1 and 2 students in 2017-18 across five subjects. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested data, providing specific percentages for Level 2+ and Level 3+ (KS1) and Level 4+ and Level 5+ (KS2) achievements. | ||
| 2018-09-24 | Year 11 GCSE/iGCSE results 2017-18 | All information sent |
| 2018-09-20 | End of 2017-18 Academic Year Pupil Numbers | All information sent |
| The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided full disclosure of pupil numbers for all island primary schools at the end of the 2017-18 academic year, covering Reception, Year 2, and Year 6 cohorts. | ||
| 2018-09-06 | Student Awards - Post-Graduate Study | All information sent |
| The requester asked for the number of students funded for post-graduate qualifications in the last three years who had previously received similar funding. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture confirmed that no such students received financial support during this period. | ||
| 2018-08-30 | Capacity of Victoria Road Primary School and Castle Rushen High School | All information sent |
| A request was made for the current enrollment and full capacity figures for Victoria Road Primary School and Castle Rushen High School in Castletown. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed the specific pupil numbers on roll for the 2018/19 academic year and the official capacity limits for both institutions. | ||
| 2018-08-23 | A-Level results for each subject and secondary school for 2018 | All information sent |
| A request was made for 2018 A-Level grade distributions across six Isle of Man institutions, and the Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided all provisional results for the specified schools and subjects. | ||
| 2018-08-22 | Primary School assessment guides | All information sent |
| The requester sought the latest assessment guidance documents for Literacy, Mathematics, and Science in Isle of Man primary schools. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture confirmed that all requested information was provided via 7 attached documents totaling 108 pages. | ||
| 2018-08-07 | Annual school budgets | All information sent |
| A request was made for annual school budgets, student numbers, and full-time equivalent staff counts for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 academic years. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded by providing all requested information in an attached table. | ||
| 2018-07-24 | Salary Increase Teachers | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture regarding the cost of a 3.5% salary increase for all teachers. The authority responded by disclosing the total annual cost of this increase. | ||
| 2018-07-23 | supply rates of pay | All information sent |
| A request was made to determine the pay rates for supply teachers working half-days in Isle of Man primary schools. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed that daily rates range from £118.00 to £173.00, calculated pro-rata based on hours worked. | ||
| 2018-07-23 | Gender of primary school teachers. | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for gender and employment status breakdowns of primary school staff in the Isle of Man. The authority disclosed all requested data covering teachers, TLR positions, deputy heads, and headteachers as of the end of the summer term 2018. | ||
| 2018-07-23 | Pubic funding provided for off Island Sports Competition | All information sent |
| A request was made for detailed public funding data for off-island sports competitions across three financial years, broken down by age and role. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided total travel funding figures by sport but stated they do not hold data subdivided by age or specific administrative roles. | ||
| 2018-07-17 | Royal Hall hire costs for community church | All information sent |
| The request sought annual revenue and per-event hire costs for Living Hope Community Church using the Royal Hall at Villa Marina. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed detailed billing records for events between 2015 and July 2018, including room hire, equipment charges, and applied charity discounts. | ||
| 2018-07-02 | Primary School Out of Catchment Requests | All information sent |
| The request sought the number and reasons for successful primary school out-of-catchment applications since January 2017. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed that 118 applications were successful and listed the specific criteria and reasons used for approval. | ||
| 2018-06-22 | Free school meals | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the number of children receiving free school meals in primary and secondary schools. The authority disclosed a complete breakdown of student counts for each school for the 2017/18 academic year. | ||
| 2018-05-14 | Rental paid at St Thomas school | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture regarding rental payments for the St Thomas school site, including the building, parking, and playgrounds, over the last three years. The authority confirmed that no rent has been paid for any of the specified areas during that period. | ||
| 2018-05-08 | KS2-4 Value Added Data - Academic Years 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 | All information sent |
| The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided KS2-4 value-added data for Isle of Man secondary schools covering English and Maths progress for academic years 2013-2017, excluding 2015 due to a data system switch. | ||
| 2018-03-26 | Yearly Heating costs for Cronk -Y-Berry Primary School | All information sent |
| 2018-03-15 | Children in the Buchan and King William's College that the government is paying for | All information sent |
| The request sought details on government-funded students at the Buchan and King William's College, specifically regarding exclusions from other schools. The Department of Education disclosed that only one student at King William's College receives a historical scholarship, which is not linked to any exclusions. | ||
| 2018-02-26 | Service Delivery Plan 2016-2021 details | All information sent |
| The requester asked for details on Key Stage 2-4 value-added performance measures in Isle of Man secondary schools following a missed target in the 2016-2021 Service Delivery Plan. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded that schools evaluate performance against developed IOM benchmarks and provided attached guidance on achievement against prior attainment. | ||
| 2018-02-21 | Examination boards for Island secondary schools 2015-16 and 2016-17 | All information sent |
| A Freedom of Information request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for details on which examination boards were selected by Isle of Man secondary schools for GCSE subjects in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years. The authority responded by providing the complete requested data in attached tables for schools including Ballakermeen, Castle Rushen, Queen Elizabeth II, and Ramsey Grammar School. | ||
| 2018-02-20 | Annual rent of land adjacent to Nobles Hospital | All information sent |
| The requester inquired about the annual lease cost of land adjacent to Nobles Hospital leased to the Ballafletcher Sports Council to compare subletting rates. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed that the annual rent is £4.00, assigned in 2012 to support sports participation. | ||
| 2018-02-14 | Public Notice regarding co location of St Thomas with Scoill Vallajeelt. | All information sent |
| A Freedom of Information request sought details on objections to the co-location of St Thomas and Scoill Vallajeelt schools. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture initially reported three letters and 403 signatures, but later corrected this to four letters and 413 signatures, noting that two letters were rejected for having insufficient signatures. | ||
| 2018-02-12 | 7 responses DESC received by post and email re the new Education Bill | All information sent |
| The request sought copies of seven public consultation responses regarding the new Education Bill, specifically those where consent to publish was given. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed three responses that had consent, while withholding four due to lack of permission, though one referenced document was made available via an external link. | ||
| 2018-01-22 | Free School Meals | All information sent |
| A request was made for annual cost data regarding free school dinners, milk/orange juice, and pre-school nursery payments from 2012 to the present. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture confirmed that all requested information was sent to the applicant. | ||
| 2018-01-21 | Key Stage 4 | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the number of pupils completing Key Stage 4 in 2017 across state secondary schools. The authority confirmed that all requested information was sent to the applicant. | ||
| 2018-01-12 | Meetings between DESC and MHEA | All information sent |
| A request was made for details regarding a meeting between the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) and the Manx Home Education Association (MHEA), including attendees, documents, minutes, and future dates. The authority disclosed the names of DESC representatives, links to some discussed documents, and a future meeting date, but withheld MHEA attendee names, specific draft documents, and minutes due to data protection and policy formulation exemptions. | ||
| 2018-01-11 | Employees disciplined for unauthorised access to PC records | All information sent |
| A Freedom of Information request asked the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the number of employees disciplined for unauthorized access to computer records since 2011. The department responded that no such disciplinary proceedings have taken place. | ||
| 2018-01-03 | 2018 Commonwealth games - DESC attendees | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for information regarding attendees at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The authority confirmed that all requested information was sent to the applicant within one day of receipt. | ||
| 2018-01-02 | KS4 data - Yr11 entries & A-C results | All information sent |
| 2017-12-02 | St Thomas/SVJ catchment area | All information sent |
| The request sought an update on the number of St Thomas' Primary School pupils residing in various catchment areas as of December 2017. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed full data showing the breakdown of pupil residence across multiple school catchment areas. | ||
| 2017-11-30 | Level 3-5 KS2 data | All information sent |
| The requester sought Isle of Man KS2 attainment data for academic years 2012-13 to 2016-17 across five disciplines with gender breakdowns. The Department of Education provided an overview table for the requested years, explaining the calculation method for 'English' data and directing the requester to school-specific websites for detailed individual school statistics. | ||
| 2017-10-19 | Bullying and Harassment in Island's schools 2012/2017 | All information sent |
| The requester asked for a breakdown of formal bullying and harassment complaints in Isle of Man schools from 2012 to 2017, but the Department of Education refused the request citing practical refusal grounds due to the lack of central logs and the substantial effort required to compile the data. | ||
| 2017-10-19 | Suspensions | All information sent |
| The requester asked for a 10-year breakdown of school suspensions by student count and total instances, but the Department of Education refused the 10-year scope due to the FOI Act's 2011 start date and denied the student count data on practical grounds. | ||
| 2017-10-17 | Working hours of DEC staff | All information sent |
| A Freedom of Information request sought data on flexible working hours and work-from-home permissions for Department of Education, Sport and Culture staff across schools and services for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 academic years. The authority disclosed that zero staff in listed schools and the Youth Service held these contractual arrangements, while information for the Music Service was not held. | ||
| 2017-10-11 | Pupil information primary schools academic year 16/17 | All information sent |
| The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided pupil roll numbers, absence data, and free school meal percentages for Isle of Man primary schools for the 2016/17 academic year, while citing absolute exemptions for SEN and first language data as it was already publicly available. | ||
| 2017-10-05 | Survey monkey results - St Thomas' | All information sent |
| A Freedom of Information request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the results of a parent survey regarding the proposed co-location of St Thomas' Primary School. The authority disclosed the full statistical breakdown of responses for three specific questions and confirmed the total number of participants. | ||
| 2017-10-05 | Marown primary roll & OoC enrolments | All information sent |
| The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided the total pupil enrollment numbers by year group for Marown Primary School but refused to disclose the number of 'out of catchment' pupils. | ||
| 2017-09-29 | Secondary school SIPs | All information sent |
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