Department of Education, Sport and Culture
617 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 38.1%
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 (617)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-18 | MT Buyout | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester asked for all correspondence held by Minister Daphne Caine regarding Manx Telecom's offer for a government buyout. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture released some information but withheld personal data under an absolute exemption. | ||
| 2024-11-12 | Student loans | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought detailed statistics on student loan debt, awards, and repayment rates for Manx students since 2014. The Department of Education provided comprehensive data on outstanding debt and full repayments for the years 2021 to 2024 but did not disclose information regarding student awards or debts registered with credit reference agencies. | ||
| 2024-11-12 | Secondary School Pupil Absence Data & Analysis Part 3 | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought detailed analysis and reports on secondary school pupil absence reasons and attendance trends for the academic years 2021-2024. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided partial information, including specific attendance percentages and roll numbers, but withheld some data due to exemptions. | ||
| 2024-11-11 | Costs associated with Soundcheck - DESC | All information sent |
| The request sought the average monthly staff costs and under-18 attendance figures for Soundcheck sessions at Kensington Arts for the 2023-2024 school year. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed both figures, noting that the programme is currently under review. | ||
| 2024-11-07 | AEDs in Schools | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester asked for a detailed breakdown of AEDs in schools, including counts, locations, and models. The authority partially fulfilled the request by citing a previous Tynwald answer for general data, noting a specific update for Ramsey Grammar School, and listing the two AED models currently in use. | ||
| 2024-11-05 | New CRHS plans | All information sent |
| The request sought a total breakdown of costs for the new Castle Rushen High School plans since 2016, including design and consultancy fees. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided year-by-year totals for feasibility, pre-contract, and post-contract stages but withheld a detailed cost breakdown citing commercial interests. | ||
| 2024-11-04 | Secondary school teacher sickness absence | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought detailed sickness absence data for secondary school teachers in the Isle of Man for the last three academic years. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided aggregate statistics on absence days, percentages, and averages but withheld specific reports and data by reason of absence due to privacy exemptions. | ||
| 2024-10-24 | Expenditure on the medical retirement of high school staff | Information not held |
| The requester asked for annual expenditure data on lump sum payments for medical retirement of teaching staff over the last five years. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded that the information is not held because no such lump sums are paid by the department, with staff instead accessing pensions through the Teachers' Pension Scheme. | ||
| 2024-10-23 | Query of current numbers | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the current number of home-educated children on the Isle of Man. The authority responded by disclosing that 193 children were registered as home-educated as of October 24, 2024. | ||
| 2024-10-17 | KS2 and KS4 attainment by gender | All information sent |
| The request sought KS2 and KS4 attainment data by gender for the last five years, including subject-specific breakdowns and trend analysis. The authority provided KS2 expected attainment statistics for 2020-2024 and some KS4 data for Ramsey Grammar School, but withheld KS4 data for other schools and all requested commentary due to lack of records or the burden of creating new analysis. | ||
| 2024-10-16 | Secondary School Pupil Absence Data & Analysis Part 2 | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2024-10-01 | SPCs Quality and Inclusion | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for information regarding the management structure, quality assurance, and inclusion policies of Specialist Provision Centres (SPCs). The Department of Education disclosed details on reporting lines and responsibilities but withheld the quality assurance framework citing a policy formulation exemption. | ||
| 2024-10-01 | NSC Swimming Pool | All information sent |
| The request sought details regarding damage to the NSC Swimming Pool, including the cause, repair timeline, and funding source. The authority disclosed the date and nature of the damage but withheld information on who is paying for repairs citing commercial interests, while directing the requester to Hansard for other details. | ||
| 2024-09-30 | GCSE and A level results 2024 | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought email communications, analysis reports, and policy guidance regarding 2023-24 GCSE and A-level results in the Isle of Man. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture partially disclosed the information, providing specific guidance on the 'Results Lite' process and criteria for excluding certain pupils from aggregate statistics. | ||
| 2024-09-25 | Commitees, Board, Agencies and Offices | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester asked for a list of committees, boards, and agencies linked to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture, along with their terms of reference and delegated powers. The Department disclosed details for the Arts Council, Religious Education Advisory Committee, IOM Sport Committee, Education Council, and School Governing Bodies, while citing Section 20 to withhold information already reasonably accessible online. | ||
| 2024-09-24 | Gifts | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester sought policies, training materials, and records of gifts declared by teachers from students and families for the 2021/22 to 2023/24 financial years. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided a partial response including a specific register of accepted gifts and a conflict of interest procedure document, while noting that some information was exempt. | ||
| 2024-09-20 | Breakdown of School Maintenance Issues and Faults | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request was made for a breakdown of maintenance issues and faults in secondary schools over the last three academic years, to which the Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded with partial disclosure of specific fault logs from St Ninian's Lower School. | ||
| 2024-09-19 | School validation report | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| A request was made for the external validation report for Rushen Primary School and an explanation for its absence from the school website. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture refused to disclose the information, citing that it is held for future publication and that the public interest in withholding it outweighs the interest in disclosure. | ||
| 2024-09-18 | Secondary School Pupil Absence Data & Analysis | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought detailed secondary school pupil absence data for Years 7-11 across three academic years, including breakdowns by category and persistent absence rates. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture partially fulfilled the request by providing specific data for QEII High School and Approved Educational Activities for other schools, while citing Section 20 to withhold general attendance metrics already available via public links. | ||
| 2024-09-16 | BHS Suspensions | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| A request was made for the number and reasons of 10-day student suspensions at Ballakermeen since a specific headteacher's appointment. The Department of Education disclosed data for the 2023/24 academic year but withheld information for 2022/23 and 2024/25 due to privacy exemptions. | ||
| 2024-09-09 | Temporary Workers Employed via Agencies | Not required to fulfill request |
| The requester asked for a breakdown of temporary agency workers by grade for 2023 and 2024, but the Department of Education, Sport and Culture stated it was not required to perform the necessary analysis under the FOI Act. Despite refusing the specific breakdown, the department voluntarily disclosed that 17 temporary workers were employed via agencies between January 2023 and August 2024. | ||
| 2024-09-05 | Cost of supply teachers | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture regarding the number, pay rates, and total costs of supply teachers in the Isle of Man. The authority disclosed the number of registered teachers and pay structures but stated it does not hold the requested data on total taxpayer costs for the last five academic years. | ||
| 2024-09-05 | Unauthorised Absences from Schools | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| A request for unauthorised school absence data since 2018 was partially fulfilled, with historical data deemed reasonably accessible via a Tynwald link, while specific 2023/24 statistics for primary and secondary schools were provided. | ||
| 2024-09-04 | Special Educational Needs numbers | All information sent |
| A request was made for Special Educational Needs (SEN) pupil numbers at Isle of Man high schools from 2018 to the present, and the Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed the data for all four high schools. | ||
| 2024-09-02 | FoI Costs | Information not held |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the costs of providing Freedom of Information responses over the past three financial years. The authority responded that the information is not held, though they noted that two Information Governance Officers handle FOI duties as part of their broader roles. | ||
| 2024-08-29 | NSC Gym memberships | All information sent |
| The requester asked for the number of active NSC Gym memberships and single visit purchases for July 2024. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed that there were 751 active memberships as of September 2024 and 690 single visit purchases in July 2024. | ||
| 2024-08-01 | IOMFA Funding | Information not held |
| A request was made for information regarding funding provided to the Isle of Man Football Association between 2020 and 2024. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded that they do not hold this information because funding is allocated by the IOM Sport Committee. | ||
| 2024-07-23 | University Graduate Leaving Statistics | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought statistics on higher education enrollment, graduation, and graduate emigration from the Isle of Man between 2018 and 2023. The Department of Education provided enrollment and graduation data for UCM but confirmed it does not hold information regarding the number of graduates who have left the island. | ||
| 2024-07-15 | Divisions and Sub-Divisions of DESC | Information not held |
| The requester asked for the names of all Sub-Divisions within the Department of Education, Sport and Culture, but the authority responded that the information is not held because the department does not have formal subdivisions. | ||
| 2024-07-12 | QEII School Budget 2024/2025 | All information sent |
| A request was made for the full budget breakdown of QEII High School for the 2024/2025 academic year, and the Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all information including detailed expenditure by department and cost centre. | ||
| 2024-07-03 | Staff turnover at Rushen School | All information sent |
| A request was made for staff turnover data at Rushen Primary School between 2017 and 2024, but the Department of Education, Sport and Culture could not provide data for the 2017-2018 period due to storage format issues and withheld specific details on small numbers of staff to protect personal privacy. | ||
| 2024-07-02 | dyslexia | All information sent |
| The requester asked for details on Dyslexia courses funded by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) and their associated costs. While the department identified one specific course, it stated it could not provide the cost information as it was not held or could not be found. | ||
| 2024-06-19 | Minutes from an RGS School Governors meeting | All information sent |
| The requester sought minutes from RGS School Governors meetings regarding the shortening of the school day. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided the minutes from the 26th March 2024 meeting but redacted specific information under Section 35 to protect the free and frank exchange of views. | ||
| 2024-06-19 | Home schooling numbers | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for 10 years of home schooling statistics and assessment details was partially fulfilled, with data provided for 2022-2024 and a link to Hansard for 2018-2022, while older records and specific proportions were withheld due to retention limits or lack of holding. | ||
| 2024-06-18 | Statistics | Not upheld |
| The requester asked for statistics on the number of Department of Education, Sport and Culture staff who work from home, but the authority confirmed it does not hold this specific data. The subsequent internal review upheld the refusal, noting the diversity of working practices across the department and providing a link to general homeworking guidelines instead. | ||
| 2024-06-17 | Quest Curriculum at CRHS | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought documentation on lesson planning, assessment, and evaluation of the 'Quest' curriculum at Castle Rushen High School for the first half of the 2024 Summer Term. The authority released 439 pages of materials, including teacher guides and success criteria for various student showcase formats, though the response was partially exempt. | ||
| 2024-06-03 | IG 2029 Bid Document | Upheld - partial |
| A request was made for the Isle of Man's 2029 Island Games bid documents, drafts, and internal feedback, resulting in a partial disclosure of venue capabilities and technical official statistics. | ||
| 2024-05-29 | List of courses | All information sent |
| The requester asked for a list of specific courses for which the Department of Education, Sport and Culture paid grants during the most recent available financial year. The authority responded by disclosing a comprehensive list of over 100 approved course titles that received funding. | ||
| 2024-05-23 | dyslexia training | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought details on formal dyslexia training for 11 teachers, but the Department of Education clarified that only 6 teachers received such training and could not provide CPD points for any course. The authority disclosed course names, lengths, providers, and modes of delivery for the six confirmed cases while noting the original count of 11 was an error. | ||
| 2024-05-21 | recruitment benefits | All information sent |
| The request asked for the total number of unique individuals who received recruitment benefits from the Department of Education, Sport and Culture since the 2017-2018 financial year, and how many remain employed. The authority disclosed that 172 individuals benefited and 124 are still employed. | ||
| 2024-05-14 | Tribal Validation of Schools Spring Term 2024 | Not upheld |
| A request was made for all documents, costs, and participation data regarding the Tribal validation of five schools in Spring 2024, but the Department of Education, Sport and Culture refused to disclose the information. | ||
| 2024-05-09 | Pupil Behaviour Management and Allied Issues | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought detailed data on vandalism costs, staff feedback, and disciplinary actions under the Education Act 2001 for Isle of Man secondary schools, but the response primarily disclosed a 'Ready to Learn Refresh' policy document outlining behavioral expectations and mobile device rules. | ||
| 2024-05-07 | 2024-25 Support for Sport programme | All 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. | ||
| 2024-05-07 | NSC non-transferable non-refundable bookings policy | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought the start date, meeting records, and no-show statistics for the National Sports Centre's non-transferable, non-refundable booking policy. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed the current policy document but stated that historical meeting records and specific no-show statistics are not held due to the policy's age and system limitations. | ||
| 2024-04-29 | QEII changes - Bus Vannin adaptation | Information not held |
| 2024-04-23 | Suspension Rates | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2024-04-23 | Dyslexia | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester asked for data on dyslexia training for teachers, diagnosis rates, funding, and literacy outcomes in Isle of Man primary schools between November 2019 and May 2024. The Department of Education disclosed limited statistics on teacher training but refused to provide diagnosis numbers citing a practical refusal under the Freedom of Information Act. | ||
| 2024-04-23 | No of primary school teachers between academic yr 2014-2015-2019/2020 | All information sent |
| 2024-04-19 | Contents of Appendix 1 of Isle of Man Schools Wellbeing Survey 2022 | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2024-04-18 | Fire Alarm Activations in Schools | All information sent |
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