Selected Primary School Improvement Plans #2

Summary

A Freedom of Information request sought School Improvement Plans and related governance details for five specific primary schools on the Isle of Man. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided the requested plans and confirmed that no recommendations were submitted by the governing bodies, though minor redactions were applied to protect personal data.

Key Facts

• The request covered Ashley Hill, Cronk y Berry, Laxey, Onchan, and Willaston Primary Schools.
• School Improvement Plans for the requested schools were provided in full.
• No recommendations were submitted by any of the school governing bodies regarding their plans.
• Minor redactions were made to the documents to preserve personal information.
• The response was issued on 8 September 2017.

Data Disclosed

• 2017-08-14
• 2017-09-08
• 1st May 2013
• 2016-2017
• Jan to July 2017
• 2016-2019
• 2016
• section 25
• 5 schools
• 3-year improvement plan

Exemptions Cited

• Section 25 of the Act (absolute exemption for personal information)

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

8 September 2017

Re: Freedom of Information Request – Reference Number IM99122I

Your Request:-

The Articles of Government for the Island’s primary schools (which came into force on 1st May 2013) each contain an identical Article 6 (School Improvement Plan) namely:

(1) The head teacher shall prepare annually, in such form as may be required by the Department and after consulting the governing body, a 3-year improvement plan specifying the educational, managerial and business priorities for the school.

(2) The governing body shall consider the plan prepared under paragraph (1) and shall submit it, with such recommendations for modification as it thinks appropriate, to the Department.

(3) The Department may approve the plan with or without modifications.

In relation to Ashley Hill Primary School, Cronk y Berry Primary School, Laxey Primary School, Onchan Primary School and Willaston Primary School please provide the following information pursuant to this Article:

The date of the most recent School Improvement Plan submitted by the respective governing body.

The educational, managerial and business priorities detailed therein together with timescales for delivery and details of how performance against these priorities is to be assessed (e.g. KPIs).

What recommendations were submitted (if any) by each school’s governing body to the Department in respect of the latest submitted plan?

Whether the Department accepted or rejected any such recommendations proposed by the governing body.

Department of Education and Children

Rheynn Ynsee as Paitchyn

Department Response:-

The Department is pleased to provide you with the following School Improvement Plans for the schools requested in your Freedom of Information request.

Department Response:-

Part 1 of your request – dates of school improvement plans (SIP):-

We are pleased to provide you with the dates of the most recent School Improvement Plans held by the Department for the 7 Primary schools as shown below.

School Most recent SIP Range of SIP Ashley Hill 2016-2017 2016-2017 Cronk Y Berry 2017 Jan to July 2017- Laxey 2016-2019 2016-2019 Onchan 2016-2017 2016-2017 Willaston 2016 Not stated

Part 2 of your request – educational, managerial and business priorities detailed in SIPs:-

Please see contents of the school improvement plans supplied with this letter. Please note that some minor redaction has been necessary to some of the attached documents for the purposes of preserving data which is classed as personal information and which is therefore subject to absolute exemption provisions under section 25 of the Act.

Parts 3 & 4 of your request – recommendations submitted (if any) by school governing bodies and whether the Department accepted or rejected these:-

I can advise that no recommendations were made by each of the above school’s governing bodies in respect of these plans and therefore, there were no recommendations for the Department to accept or reject.

The information provided within this response letter will also be published on the Government website in due course should you wish to revisit the information.

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 Review/Complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post to:

Mr Andrew Shipley, Legal and Administration Manager, Hamilton House, Peel Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 5EZ.

An electronic version of our Review/Complaint form can be found by going to https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/freedom-of-information/

Your Review/Complaint 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 conducted.

Appeal Process

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; 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 rights to review is on the Information Commissioner’s website at https://www.inforights.im/contact-us/

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

Encl. – copies of requested school improvement plans (5 schools)