Union action

Summary

The request sought data on school days lost to union action and staff absences in 2021-2022, to which the Department of Education responded with partial data covering specific periods while clarifying that no classes were sent home after the school day commenced.

Key Facts

• The Department confirmed it has not sent classes home once the school day has commenced.
• Some year groups were advised in advance to study from home due to staff absence levels.
• Data was provided for three specific periods: 08/09/21-29/03/22, 29/03/22-25/05/22, and 25/05/22-21/07/22.
• Primary schools reported zero days where children were asked to work from home during the period 25/05/22-21/07/22.
• The response included data for five high schools: Ballakermeen, Castle Rushen, Queen Elizabeth II, St Ninian's, and Ramsey Grammar.

Data Disclosed

• 08/09/21-29/03/22
• 29/03/22-25/05/22
• 25/05/22-21/07/22
• 10 days (Ballakermeen Year 9 total)
• 0.5 days (Castle Rushen Year 11)
• 6 days (St Ninian's Year 9 total)
• 4 days (Ramsey Year 9 total)
• 0 days (Queen Elizabeth II High School total for first period)
• 2 days (St Ninian's Year 9 for second period)
• 3 days (Ballakermeen Year 8 for third period)

Exemptions Cited

• Information not held or cannot be found after taking reasonable steps

Original Request

See email

Data Tables (6)

Full Response Text

FOI Reference: 2356725
Number of days High School pupils have been required to work from home as a result of staff absence during the period 8th September 2021 - 29th March 2022

Ballakermeen High School Year group Number of days per month Total number of days Year 7

0 Year 8

0 Year 9 October - 3 January - 2 March - 5

10 Year 10 October - 2 January - 3 March - 3

8 Year 11 December - 2 2 Year 12 January - 3 3 Year 13 December- 2 2

Castle Rushen High School Year group Number of days per month Total number of days Year 7

0 Year 8

0 Year 9 December - 1 January - 1 March - 2

4 Year 10 December - 2 January - 1 March - 2

5 Year 11 December - PM (Games session only) 0.5 Year 12 December: 2 Including 1 x AM only (Non-academic enrichment only – Students were able to stay in school for private study) & 1 x PM only (Non-academic enrichment only – Students were able to stay in school for private study)

2 Year 13 December: 1 1 x AM only (Non-academic enrichment only – Students were able to stay in school for private study) 1 x PM only (Non-academic enrichment only – Students were able to stay in school for private study)

1

FOI Reference: 2356725

St Ninian’s High School Year group Number of days per month Total number of days Year 7

0 Year 8

0 Year 9 January - 1 February - 1 March - 4

6 Year 10 March -4 4 Year 11

0 Year 12

0 Year 13

0

Ramsey Grammar School Year group Number of days per month Total number of days Year 7

0 Year 8

0 Year 9 January -2 March - 2

4 Year 10 January - 1 March - 2

3 Year 11

0 Year 12

0 Year 13

0

Queen Elizabeth II High School Year group Number of days per month Total number of days Year 7

0 Year 8

0 Year 9

0 Year 10

0 Year 11

0 Year 12

0 Year 13

0

FOI Reference: 2452621

Number of days High School pupils have been required to work from home as a result of staff absence during the period 29th March 2022 – 25th May 2022

Ballakermeen High School
Year 7 – 0 days Year 8 – 1 day
Year 9 – 1 day
Year 10 – 1 day
Year 11 – 0 days

Castle Rushen High School
Year 7 – 0 days
Year 8 – 0 days Year 9 – 0 days Year 10 – 0 days
Year 11 – 0 days

Queen Elizabeth II High School
Year 7 – o days Year 8 – 0 days Year 9 – 0 days Year 10 – 0 days Year 11 – 0 days

St Ninian’s High School Year 7 – 0 days Year 8 – 0 days
Year 9 – 2 days Year 10 – 1 day Year 11 – 0 days

Ramsey Grammar School
Year 7 – 0 days Year 8 – 0 days Year 9 – 0 days Year 10 – 0 days Year 11 – 0 days

Policy, Strategy and Governance Division Department of Education, Sport and Culture Thie Slieau Whallian Foxdale Road St John’s IM4 3AS Telephone: (01624) 685808 Website: www.gov.im/dec Email: dec@foi.gov.im Our ref: 2536561 16 August 2022

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 18 July 2022 and which states:

“Please can you provide a breakdown of the number of days that schools have had to send home children as a consequence of Union action through 2021 and 2022. If you need to include absences due to Covid 19 also then so be it.” Our response to your request is as follows: While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find some of the information that you have requested. This is because children have only been asked to work from home when absence levels in the school have required that action. The Department would like to confirm that it has not ‘sent classes home’ once the school day has commenced. Some year groups have been advised in advance to study from home rather than attend school on a particular day, as a result of staff absence. By way of advice and assistance please see the attached copies of the Department’s response to Freedom of Information requests 2356725 and 2452621 which detail the total number of days children were asked to work from home for the periods 08/09/21-29/03/22 and 29/03/22 – 25/05/22. For the remaining period 25/05/22 – 21/07/22 the number of days pupils were asked to work from home was as follows:

Ballakermeen High School Year 7 – 0 days Year 8 – 3 days Year 9 – 1 days Year 10 – 0 days Year 11 – 0 days Castle Rushen High School Year 7 – 0 days Year 8 – 0 days

Year 9 – 1 days Year 10 – 0.5 days Year 11- 0 days Queen Elizabeth II High School Year 7 – 0 days Year 8 – 0 days Year 9 – 0 days Year 10 – 0 days Year 11 – 0 days St Ninian’s High School Year 7 – 0 days Year 8 – 1 day Year 9 – 2 days Year 10 – 0 days Year 11- 0 days Ramsey Grammar School Year 7 – 0 days Year 8 – 0 days Year 9 – 0 days Year 10 – 0 days Year 11 – 0 days Primary Schools Children were not asked to work from home during the period 25/05/22 – 21/07/22. Please quote the reference number 2536561 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.

In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.