Heating in Schools

Summary

The request sought details on heating status, temperatures, internal communications, and parent complaints for Isle of Man high schools during the first week of January 2025. The Department of Education confirmed heating was operational with specific temperature ranges, disclosed summaries of complaints, and provided internal communications with some redactions for personal data.

Key Facts

• All high school heating was on during the week commencing 6th January 2025.
• Temperature set points ranged from 19° to 21°.
• Castle Rushen High School experienced a temporary boiler issue lasting approximately 2 hours.
• St Ninian’s High School (Lower School) had a system fault affecting some areas until the end of the week.
• Two parental complaints and one comment regarding heating were received during the first week of term.

Data Disclosed

• 6th January 2025
• 14 January 2025
• 19° - 21°
• 2 hours
• two parental complaints
• one comment
• 4371057

Exemptions Cited

• Section 25(b)(i) & (ii) of the Act (absolutely exempt personal information)
• Data Protection (Application of GDPR) Order 2018 Article 5

Original Request

I seek confirmation of which of the island's high schools had heating on during the first week of January after the Christmas holidays, please confirm for each school if the heating was on each day and what temperature this was set to. Furthermore, I seek public of all written internal communications in the department about heating in the island's high schools for the first week of term in January. Finally I seek confirmation over how many complaints or comments were received from parents/guardians during the first week of term and their publication.

Data Tables (1)

Data Tables (reformatted)

Full Response Text

Out of Scope Out of Scope Out of Scope

Policy, Strategy and Governance Division Department of Education, Sport and Culture Thie Slieau Whallian Foxdale Road St Johns IM4 3AS

Telephone: (01624) 685808 Website: www.gov.im/dec Email: dec@foi.gov.im

Our ref: 4371057 6th February 2025

Dear ###,

We write further to your request, received 14 January 2025, which states:

"I seek confirmation of which of the island's high schools had heating on during the first week of January after the Christmas holidays, please confirm for each school if the heating was on each day and what temperature this was set to.

Furthermore, I seek public of all written internal communications in the department about heating in the island's high schools for the first week of term in January.

Finally I seek confirmation over how many complaints or comments were received from parents/guardians during the first week of term and their publication."

Our response to your request is as follows:

I seek confirmation of which of the island's high schools had heating on during the first week of January after the Christmas holidays, please confirm for each school if the heating was on each day and what temperature this was set to.

All high school heating was on week commencing 6th January 2025.

The temperature set points range from 19° - 21°.

Castle Rushen High School During the week commencing 6th January 2025 there was a temporary issue with the working of one boiler, which was reported and remedied very quickly. During the approximately 2 hours of school time when this boiler was not functional, the school deployed heaters into the affected part of the school.

St Ninian’s High School (Lower School)
During the week commencing 6th January 2025 there was a fault with the lower school’s system which meant some areas of the school were not up to the set

temperature. The school contacted the Department of Infrastructure immediately who sent engineers to the school. The system was operating fully by the end of the week.

Furthermore, I seek public of all written internal communications in the department about heating in the island's high schools for the first week of term in January.

Please find enclosed a copy of the information held. Finally I seek confirmation over how many complaints or comments were received from parents/guardians during the first week of term and their publication. Complaints One of the Secondary Schools received two parental complaints regarding heating during the first week of term. Please see the below summaries: - Parent asked if the heating was on or turned down in school. Parent shared their child was cold and they are wearing appropriate clothing.
- Parent shared their child had told them there is no heating in school and it’s cold. They referenced seeing a social media post referring to the heating. Parent was concerned and asked if there is a legal minimum temperature required.
Comments One of the Secondary Schools received one comment from a parent during the first week of term regarding heating. Please see below a summary: - Parent requested if the heating is not functioning coats should be allowable in the classroom.
Redacted Content
s25(b)(i)&(ii)
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information included within the information you have requested because it is absolutely exempt under section 25 of the Act (absolutely exempt personal information). The reasons why that exemption applies are that: • The Department of Education, Sport and Culture is satisfied that the information amounts to personal data of which you are not the data subject; and
• The Department of Education, Sport and Culture is satisfied that disclosure of the information would contravene one of the data protection principles as set out at Article 5 of the General Data Protection Regulation as it applies in the Isle of Man pursuant to the Data Protection (Application of GDPR) Order 2018, namely that the Department of Education Sport and Culture can only disclose the information where it would be fair, lawful and meet one of the conditions for lawful processing in Article 6 and in this case, none of those conditions have been met.

Out of Scope Information Some of the information included within the enclosed document is out of scope of the request, by way of assistance the information has been redacted in grey.
Please quote the reference number 4371057 in any future communications.

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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.
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I will now close your request as of this date.