RGS School Farm

Summary

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.

Key Facts

• The Rural Science budget for 2018/19 was £1,150, with £621.56 attributable to the Animal Unit.
• The farm's budget represents 0.00013% of the total school budget.
• Funding comes entirely from the school budget with the aim of the Animal Unit being self-funding.
• Two full-time teachers deliver Rural Science, one of whom manages the farm.
• Rural Science is taught once a week in KS3 and three times a week in KS4.

Data Disclosed

• £1150
• £621.56
• 0.00013%
• 2018/19
• 2 full time teachers
• 1 lesson per week
• 3 lessons per week
• 137 entries (KS3)
• 13 entries (KS4)
• 21 achieving level 6+
• 92 achieving level 5+
• 132 achieving level 4+
• 7 Distinction*
• 2 Distinction
• 2 Merit
• 2 Pass

Original Request

What is the annual budget for running the RGS school farm? What percentage is this of RGS's annual school budget? Does the Department of Education, Sports and Culture provide any additional funding for RGS's school farm, on top of the standard secondary school allocation? Does the 1) Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture or 2) the Manx National Farmers Union make any contribution to RGS's school farm? How many teachers and other staff are employed at RGS 1) teaching rural and agricultural science, 2) managing the farm? How many buildings and classrooms are 1) used exclusively by the farm, 2) shared with other subjects? How much area do the non-classroom buildings occupy? How many rural and agricultural science lessons are taught at RGS in each year, broken down by year group? How many students have gained an agriculture qualification 1) at KS3 (GCSE or equivalent), 2) at KS4 (A level or equivalent)? Please provide figures for each of the last 5 years?

Data Tables (2)

Full Response Text

Corporate Services Division Department of Education, Sport and Culture Hamilton House Peel Road, Douglas IM1 5EZ Telephone: (01624) 685808 Website: www.gov.im/dec Email: dec@foi.gov.im Our ref: 896561 17 September 2019

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 22 August 2019 and which states:

"What is the annual budget for running the Ramsey Grammar School (RGS) farm? What percentage is this of RGS's annual school budget? Does the Department of Education, Sports and Culture provide any additional funding for RGS's school farm, on top of the standard secondary school allocation? Does the 1) Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture or 2) the Manx National Farmers Union make any contribution to RGS's school farm? How many teachers and other staff are employed at RGS 1) teaching rural and agricultural science, 2) managing the farm? How many buildings and classrooms are 1) used exclusively by the farm, 2) shared with other subjects? How much area do the non-classroom buildings occupy? How many rural and agricultural science lessons are taught at RGS in each year, broken down by year group? How many students have gained an agriculture qualification 1) at KS3 (GCSE or equivalent), 2) at KS4 (A level or equivalent)? Please provide figures for each of the last 5 years?"

Following guidance provided by the Information Commissioner that Freedom of Information (FoI) requests should be kept simple, specific and focused we invited you to simplify the request for information and to notify us which specific questions you would like us to focus on, in order to identify and locate the information that you asked for. You advised: I seek information about the RGS school farm. Please provide information on budgets, resourcing and the benefit to students. * Budget: annual budget (as an absolute number and as a percentage of RGS budget), source of funding (e.g. from main budget or top-up from DESC, DEFA, MNFU etc.).

• Resourcing: staffing requirements (split by teaching and farm management), use of RGS classrooms and other buildings.
• Benefit: Lessons provided (split by school year), exams results at KS3 and KS4 Our response to your simplified request is as follows: Budget Based on the financial year 2018/19 Rural Science had a budget of £1150, which £621.56 was attributable to the Animal Unit. This equates to 0.00013% of the whole school budget. The source of the funding is entirely from the school budget and the aim is that the Animal Unit is self-funding. Resourcing Rural Science is taught by 2 full time teachers, one of whom has responsibility for the running of the school farm. Rural Science is taught in school classrooms and on the school farm. Benefit Rural Science is taught in 1 lesson per week in key stage 3 (KS3) and 3 lessons per week in key stage 4 (KS4). The end of year results for the academic year 2018/19 are as follows: KS3 Rural Science Entries No. achieving level 6+ % achieving level 6+ No. achieving level 5+ % achieving level 5+ No. achieving level 4+ % achieving level 4+ 137 21 15.3 92 67.2 132 96.4 KS4 BTEC Agriculture Entries No. achieving Distinction* No. achieving Distinction No. achieving Merit No. achieving Pass 13 7 2 2 2 Please quote the reference number 896561 in any future communications.

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I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

Freedom of Information Coordinator