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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-20 | IoM Schools Pupil Statistical Data 2019-20 | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester sought detailed pupil statistics and class structure information for Isle of Man schools for the 2019-20 academic year. The Department of Education provided most data directly but directed the requester to existing public documents for school roll numbers and class size policies under Section 20 of the Act. | ||
| 2020-03-18 | Suspension related to mobile phone use | All information sent |
| The requester asked for suspension figures related to mobile phone misuse in Isle of Man secondary schools for the last two years. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided a breakdown of these figures per school for the 2018/19 and 2019/20 academic years. | ||
| 2020-03-18 | Funding to attend any Performing Arts school/course in last 5-10 years | All information sent |
| The request sought details on funding provided by the Isle of Man Department of Education, Sport and Culture for students attending performing arts schools off-island between 2011 and 2020. The authority confirmed that funding was granted for various courses and listed the specific number of students funded at numerous institutions, noting that most recipients were aged 13 to 19. | ||
| 2020-03-09 | Decision to publish EIS moderation reports for all schools | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester sought documentation regarding the Department of Education's decision to publish Education Improvement Service moderation reports for all schools. The authority disclosed internal emails confirming the decision to publish redacted reports from the last three years but withheld specific names and details under redaction. | ||
| 2020-03-05 | Number of staff working in the Dept | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought the number of administrative staff, the latest Ofsted report, and teacher salary scales for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture. The authority disclosed the staff count but directed the requester to public websites for the report and salary scales, citing that the information was already reasonably accessible. | ||
| 2020-03-02 | Half term holidays | Information not held |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture regarding Isle of Man schools traveling to Italy during the February half term and subsequent quarantine measures. The authority confirmed that no schools from the Isle of Man traveled to Italy on a school holiday during that period, rendering the requested information not held. | ||
| 2020-02-24 | Villa Gaiety | All information sent |
| 2020-02-20 | Primary School Assessments data. | Information not held |
| The requester asked for details on primary school assessment practices and data storage, but the Department of Education stated it does not hold the specific information as recorded data under the FOI Act. Despite the formal refusal, the Department provided advisory answers explaining that assessments are continuous, data is held by individual schools, and aggregate performance data is retained by the Department. | ||
| 2020-02-20 | Children unable to attend school data and Home Education data | All information sent |
| The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed the number of home-educated children and those unable to attend school due to health or refusal issues in the Isle of Man as of March 2020. The response provided specific counts for primary and secondary levels, noting that attendance data was based on partial school responses. | ||
| 2020-02-20 | Secondary School Assessments & data | Information not held |
| The requester asked for details on secondary school assessments and data retention, but the Department of Education stated the information was not held as recorded data under the FOI Act 2015. Despite the formal refusal, the Department provided advisory answers explaining that assessments are continuous, individual data is held by schools, and aggregate data is retained by the Department for monitoring trends. | ||
| 2020-02-20 | KWC & Buchan Assessments | Information not held |
| The requester asked if the Department of Education, Sport and Culture conducts annual assessments on children at King Williams College and Buchan School, and where such data is held. The authority responded that no such assessments are conducted, meaning no data exists, though they provided advice that King Williams College must submit annual examination returns. | ||
| 2020-02-17 | Pay increase teachers | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| A request was made for correspondence regarding teacher pay offers and union demands, but the Department of Education, Sport and Culture withheld all information. | ||
| 2020-02-10 | Education Improvement Service Moderation Reports - primary | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester sought recent Education Improvement Service moderation reports for reading, writing, and mathematics for eleven specific primary schools. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture withheld all information under section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015, citing that the reports are held for future publication after redaction. | ||
| 2020-02-06 | Re: previous reference number 1126625 | All information sent |
| The requester asked for anonymised details of special leave exceeding 5 days granted to teachers and senior leadership at the Department of Education, Sport and Culture over the last three years. The authority responded by providing a full dataset of 26 leave instances, including dates, durations, and reasons, totaling 1664.5 days. | ||
| 2020-02-04 | FSM, SEN, Pupil Attainment & Pupil Premium | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought detailed raw data on FSM and SEN pupil attainment across schools and research regarding a Pupil Premium scheme. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded with a business case paper discussing social equity funding and the validity of FSM as a poverty measure, noting that not all requested data was held. | ||
| 2020-01-29 | Professor Barr letters | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the total postage cost of letters sent to teachers over the Christmas holidays. The authority disclosed that the total cost for letters sent on 2nd January 2020 was £51.30. | ||
| 2020-01-29 | KS4 Attainment in Level 1 & 2 Qualifications 2019 By School | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2020-01-29 | KS5 Attainment in Level 3 Qualifications 2018 by School | All information sent |
| A request was made for 2018-19 Level 3 qualification attainment data for Year 13 pupils across all Isle of Man secondary schools, which was fully disclosed by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture. | ||
| 2020-01-29 | staffing level | All information sent |
| The request sought data on staff departures and complaints against the University College Isle of Man (UCM) since September 2016. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed that no staff were dismissed, while providing specific counts of resignations and complaints received by both UCM and the Department. | ||
| 2020-01-22 | Information on UCM Server Hosting | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for details on IT service tenders and storage costs for UCM since September 2019. The Department of Education confirmed no new tenders were issued in that period but disclosed the cost per GB for GTS storage hosting. | ||
| 2020-01-20 | Education Consultant Fees / Impact | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought the costs of education consultant Dave Harris's visits to Manx schools over five years and the resulting reforms. The authority disclosed detailed cost breakdowns for most visits and described the nature of the work undertaken, but noted that specific ancillary expense data for some dates could not be located. | ||
| 2020-01-14 | Tutor absent days UCM Isle of Man | All information sent |
| The requester asked for the average absence days and attendance percentage for University College Isle of Man tutors for the year 2019. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed that the average absence was 7.5 days and the average attendance rate was 96%. | ||
| 2020-01-08 | Sabbatical for teachers | Information not held |
| A request was made for records of teacher sabbaticals from January 2012 onwards, but the Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded that the information is not held. | ||
| 2020-01-06 | Government Funded Private Education | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester asked for annual data on the number of privately educated individuals and associated taxpayer costs over the last five years. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture refused to provide the information directly, citing that it is already reasonably accessible via a Tynwald written answer. | ||
| 2020-01-06 | 2018-19 Year 11 GCSE Attainment and Allied Data | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for detailed 2018-19 GCSE attainment data across Isle of Man state secondary schools, including breakdowns by Free School Meals status and specific grade distributions. The Department of Education provided partial data containing subject-specific entry numbers and grade counts for various qualifications, though the response was cut off before covering all requested schools or metrics. | ||
| 2019-12-31 | Primary School Pupil Attainment Levels for academic year 2018-19 | All information sent |
| The requester asked for primary school pupil attainment data for the 2018-19 academic year broken down by individual school. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture confirmed that all requested information was released in the format it is held. | ||
| 2019-12-04 | Cost of School Meal | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for the breakdown of school lunch costs in Manx primary schools was partially fulfilled, disclosing the total average cost and raw ingredient cost, while the specific cost of cooking was withheld as it is not held in the requested format. | ||
| 2019-11-28 | Communication relating to the Christian Institute | All information sent |
| The request sought all emails between the Department of Education, Sport and Culture and the Christian Institute, as well as related correspondence with the Attorney General's Chambers from August 2019 to November 2019. The Department disclosed five emails in total but redacted personal data such as names and contact details under absolute exemptions. | ||
| 2019-11-27 | national curriculum levels for key stage 2 children | All information sent |
| The request sought Key Stage 2 national curriculum attainment levels for all Year 6 pupils at Rushen Primary School from the start of Key Stage 2. The Department of Education released the data for English, Maths, and Science but redacted individual names and specific attainment levels to protect personal data. | ||
| 2019-11-25 | Dyslexia in Education | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for data on dyslexia training for teachers, diagnosis rates, funding, and literacy outcomes in Isle of Man primary schools. The Department of Education refused to provide specific statistics on teacher training and diagnoses due to lack of records but promised to follow up on teacher data by January 2020. | ||
| 2019-11-22 | Student Climate 'Strike' - Information on Internal communications | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought internal communications and sanction details regarding student climate strikes, resulting in the partial disclosure of four specific email extracts while withholding personal data and parent letters due to exemptions. | ||
| 2019-11-18 | Primary School Attainment 2018-19 | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester sought 2018-19 primary school attainment figures for the Isle of Man, including percentages for Good Level of Development and specific curriculum levels for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils. The Department of Education provided the GLD percentage but exempted percentage data for Year 2 and 6 as it was already publicly accessible, while refusing to aggregate raw curriculum level data due to the lack of a legal requirement to create new information. | ||
| 2019-11-14 | Equality in Sport or Physical Education | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture's stance on gender equality in school sports and discrimination based on sport type. The authority responded by detailing the broad range of sporting opportunities available to both genders, citing specific examples from Castle Rushen School, and explaining that curriculum breadth is necessary for exam success, though some health and safety constraints exist. | ||
| 2019-11-14 | Issues with NSC water slides | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| A request was made for details regarding delays, responsibility, costs, and contractor experience for the NSC water slides, but all information was withheld under a commercial interest exemption. | ||
| 2019-10-30 | Off Rolling in Schools | Information not held |
| A request was made for data on pupils 'off-rolled' from Isle of Man schools over the last five years, but the Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded that the information is not held because the practice of off-rolling does not exist in the jurisdiction. | ||
| 2019-10-28 | 2019 Primary School Attainment and Value Added Data | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought 2018-19 primary school attainment data and instructions on publication for schools that had not released results. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed Early Years Foundation Stage GLD percentages and Key Stage 1 subject level data for all schools, but did not provide information on KS2 progress or publication instructions. | ||
| 2019-10-18 | Ballakermeen High School Budget | Some information sent but not all held |
| A student requested Ballakermeen High School's budget breakdown and specific staff salaries for the past four academic years. The Department of Education provided general budget data and teacher pay scales but withheld individual salary information due to data protection exemptions. | ||
| 2019-10-14 | Content of Primary School Reports | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought information on how primary schools communicated attainment levels to parents in 2018-19 and any related Department policy. The Department disclosed guidance letters sent to schools but confirmed it holds no specific policy mandating what information schools must send home. | ||
| 2019-10-09 | Teaching Staff Sickness | All information sent |
| The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided a breakdown of teaching staff sickness and non-attendance days by school for the period 2016 to 2018 in response to a Freedom of Information request. The response included detailed statistics on full-time and part-time teacher absences due to sickness, maternity, and other leave types across various primary and secondary schools. | ||
| 2019-09-23 | Head teachers pay | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the average pay of head teachers. The authority disclosed the average basic pay figure as of August 2019. | ||
| 2019-09-11 | School Plastic Bottles | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2019-09-04 | Primary & Secondary Schools Pupil Data - Academic Year 2018-19 | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought detailed pupil statistics for Isle of Man schools for the 2018-19 academic year, including FSM and EAL percentages. The authority provided raw numbers for most categories but could not supply the specific percentages requested for FSM and EAL as they were not held in that format. | ||
| 2019-08-27 | Primary Headteachers salary | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| A request was made for the salary and pension scales of primary headteachers, but no information was sent as the data was deemed reasonably accessible via public web links. | ||
| 2019-08-22 | RGS School Farm | All information sent |
| A request was made for details on the budget, staffing, and student outcomes of the Ramsey Grammar School (RGS) farm. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed that the farm is self-funded from the school budget, employs two teachers, and provided specific lesson frequencies and exam results for the 2018/19 academic year. | ||
| 2019-08-13 | Education fee increases at UCM | All information sent |
| A request was made for meeting notes, calculations, and rationale regarding 2019 tuition fee increases at University College Isle of Man (UCM). The Department of Education, Sport and Culture released fee policy documents and board meeting extracts but withheld specific personal data under absolute exemption. | ||
| 2019-07-31 | New Education Bill Consultation responses, analysis and weighting | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought a full Excel summary of New Education Bill consultation responses, including freehand comments, decision-making explanations, and response weighting. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded that some information was sent but not all was held. | ||
| 2019-07-15 | DESC Minister's Trips | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details of all off-Island trips and associated expenses for the Minister of Education, Sport and Culture from September 2016 to August 2019. The authority disclosed a partial list of trips with specific costs for travel, accommodation, and other expenses, noting that daily subsistence allowances were not claimed. | ||
| 2019-07-12 | Students with a special diet | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the number of secondary school students with coeliac disease on the Isle of Man for the 2018-19 academic year. The authority disclosed the specific counts for five secondary schools, totaling 17 students. | ||
| 2019-06-24 | Education Improvement Service reports - Primary School | Not upheld |
| The requester sought the most recent Education Improvement Service reports for Reading, Writing, and Mathematics for ten specific primary schools. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture refused the request, citing that disclosure would inhibit the free and frank provision of advice and prejudice the effective conduct of public business. | ||
| 2019-06-13 | Mobile Classrooms | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture for the number of mobile classrooms currently in use across the island's primary and secondary schools. The authority responded by disclosing that there are a total of 37 mobile classrooms in use. | ||
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