KWC fees.

[Roger Mexico]

1 hour ago, Harry Lamb said:

5 hours ago, Banker said:

Well actually yes they did, online lessons were available for all and it was mandatory to attend them plus normal homework etc, unlike state schools where most of the teachers & pupils did fuck all and the pupils who have fallen behind with education are suffering.

Why do you keep on making up this nonsense? Are you aware it makes you a figure of fun?

In this case he's pretty much correct.  Certainly KWC did have a back-up plan, because I remember finding it online when searching early in the pandemic[1].  In contrast there was absolutely nothing from DESC and when the then CEO and his chums were questioned by a Tynwald Committee they seemed surprised that anyone would think it was their job (or indeed it was their job to do anything). 

So anything that was provided for the state school pupils now kept at home was very much at the initiative of individual teachers with no central guidance or assistance or documents or curriculum.  Many teachers presumably lacked the required skills or knowledge or even equipment and some must have been worried about doing the wrong thing.  Even among those who were able to do something there would have been a lot of duplication of effort.

The lack of support from DESC was so bad that it eventually cost the CEO his job.  But of course it was a bit late then.

 

[1]  From memory it was dated October or November 2019, so it was prepared before to deal with a range of possible problems.

[The Phantom]

20 hours ago, The Phantom said:

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/almost-400-fewer-pupils-in-islands-schools-this-year/#:~:text=Figures published by the education,with 5%2C832 in secondary schools.

Although wasn't some MHK claiming the schools were already at capacity and Alf's Grand Plan would push them over the edge?  At the same time there are 400 less students. 

Here it is! 

https://www.three.fm/news/isle-of-man-news/migration-putting-strain-on-schools-says-council-of-ministers/

Seems like no one has a grip on the figures (or any agreement on Alf's big plan).

So if there were 400 less students in Schools this year but there were also 325 'unexpected arrivals' at Schools, does this mean we have somehow lost 725 students? 

[Harry Lamb]

Just now, The Phantom said:

Here it is! 

https://www.three.fm/news/isle-of-man-news/migration-putting-strain-on-schools-says-council-of-ministers/

Seems like no one has a grip on the figures (or any agreement on Alf's big plan).

So if there were 400 less students in Schools this year but there were also 325 'unexpected arrivals' at Schools, does this mean we have somehow lost 725 students? 

I think the problem is all the incomers going to the 2 Douglas schools while other schools have capacity.

[The Phantom]

10 minutes ago, Harry Lamb said:

I think the problem is all the incomers going to the 2 Douglas schools while other schools have capacity.

But in the MR 400 less report, it states that the all secondary schools except QE2 have seen a decrease. 

I'm sure I also saw somewhere noting that Balla was a couple hundred over capacity and St Ninians was a similar amount under. 

[Banker]

51 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

But in the MR 400 less report, it states that the all secondary schools except QE2 have seen a decrease. 

I'm sure I also saw somewhere noting that Balla was a couple hundred over capacity and St Ninians was a similar amount under. 

Surprised about QE2 given the number of new houses in area.

[The Phantom]

17 minutes ago, Banker said:

Surprised about QE2 given the number of new houses in area.

You shouldn't be.  Re-read what I wrote.  All secondary schools decreased, except QE2.  So you're correct with all the new houses in 'up and coming' Peel.  

[Roger Mexico]

32 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

But in the MR 400 less report, it states that the all secondary schools except QE2 have seen a decrease. 

I'm sure I also saw somewhere noting that Balla was a couple hundred over capacity and St Ninians was a similar amount under. 

I think the main problem is that a few of the central Douglas primaries such as HBN and St Mary's are crammed (as inevitably is Ballasalla) as most of the increase is in primary school aged children coming into the Island.  Having loads of spare secondary places is no help and of course you'll then need them in a few years.  The central Douglas concentration would presumably feed into too many kids at Ballakermeen because of where its feeder schools are.

Looking at the Report (Tynwald website is now working) this report doesn't seem to be anything new as the information is based on the Population report that was produced in December

As has been noted, the Isle of Man has experienced a relatively large proportion of families relocating to the Island. Whilst this is welcome as contributing to sustainable long term population growth, as many of these children will as adults enter the Island’s workforce, it does place pressures on the Island’s education system in the immediate term.

In the year 2022/23, the Department for Education, Sport, and Culture (DESC) noted 325 ‘unexpected’ new arrivals at the Island’s primary and secondary schools, some of whom also had Additional Educational Needs (AEN).

You'd have thought that someone might have tried to find out if the situation was the same for the now completed school year of 2023-24, if more 'unexpected' children had arrived or if the arrivals hadn't stayed or whatever.  But who wants to find out facts when you can babble on about strategy.

[The Phantom]

1 hour ago, Roger Mexico said:

I think the main problem is that a few of the central Douglas primaries such as HBN and St Mary's are crammed (as inevitably is Ballasalla) as most of the increase is in primary school aged children coming into the Island.  Having loads of spare secondary places is no help and of course you'll then need them in a few years.  The central Douglas concentration would presumably feed into too many kids at Ballakermeen because of where its feeder schools are.

Looking at the Report (Tynwald website is now working) this report doesn't seem to be anything new as the information is based on the Population report that was produced in December

As has been noted, the Isle of Man has experienced a relatively large proportion of families relocating to the Island. Whilst this is welcome as contributing to sustainable long term population growth, as many of these children will as adults enter the Island’s workforce, it does place pressures on the Island’s education system in the immediate term.

In the year 2022/23, the Department for Education, Sport, and Culture (DESC) noted 325 ‘unexpected’ new arrivals at the Island’s primary and secondary schools, some of whom also had Additional Educational Needs (AEN).

You'd have thought that someone might have tried to find out if the situation was the same for the now completed school year of 2023-24, if more 'unexpected' children had arrived or if the arrivals hadn't stayed or whatever.  But who wants to find out facts when you can babble on about strategy.

This is at the same time that they were claiming a few weeks ago that closing 8 'inefficient' primary schools would save the noted. Half of these schools are in Douglas. 

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/closing-eight-inefficient-primary-schools-would-save-3-6-million-a-year/

I can tell you that in my kids' primary school with small class sizes, there have been more families leave (the Island) than have arrived in the last year.  That school isn't on the list (luckily).   One of  the teachers retired at the end of this school year, it was known about since around Christmas and they still don't appear to have come up with a plan or replacement. 

It's abundantly clear that no one in DOE has got a clue what's going on.  "Too many kids, not enough kids, lets close some schools."

 

[Ringy Rose]

3 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

This is at the same time that they were claiming a few weeks ago that closing 8 'inefficient' primary schools would save the noted. Half of these schools are in Douglas. 

In fairness, DESC said they weren’t going to follow the recommendation and that no schools would close.

It was the walking lobotomy Julie Edge who said this was wrong and started demanding that schools be closed.

[The Phantom]

5 minutes ago, Ringy Rose said:

In fairness, DESC said they weren’t going to follow the recommendation and that no schools would close.

It was the walking lobotomy Julie Edge who said this was wrong and started demanding that schools be closed.

Yeah I know.  It makes you wonder what the point of this independent report is (or any other independent reports that Govt commissions) if they are just going to ignore the recommendations. 

My kids' school already has mixed year groups due to the small class sizes and also shares a Headmaster with another School, so seems it is probably relatively efficient hence not on the list. 

To keep her busy, they really should just give Julie some of the colouring-in projects some of the Reception Classes have.  Although someone would probably have to supervise her to stop her eating the crayons. 

 

[Roger Mexico]

1 minute ago, The Phantom said:

Yeah I know.  It makes you wonder what the point of this independent report is (or any other independent reports that Govt commissions) if they are just going to ignore the recommendations. 

The real problem was that it a pretty poor report.  The recommendations for closures didn't even consider what future demand would be (and those 325 'unexpected' arrivals weren't taken into account).  They just applied mechanical formulas.  The Report's main use was that (yet again) it exposed how poor and disorganised the internal procedures of IOMG were - not just DESC, but generally and especially in shared services such as accounting and HR.  And there's a firm determination to keep things that way.

[A fool and his money.....]

36 minutes ago, Ringy Rose said:

In fairness, DESC said they weren’t going to follow the recommendation and that no schools would close.

It was the walking lobotomy Julie Edge who said this was wrong and started demanding that schools be closed.

So the natural next question is, why waste God knows how much on consultants if you're not going to accept their recommendations?

I agree it's good these schools are staying open, just seems like a huge waste of money on these consultants though.

[Ringy Rose]

6 hours ago, A fool and his money..... said:

So the natural next question is, why waste God knows how much on consultants if you're not going to accept their recommendations?

Beamans, often the consultants of choice, have David Killip as their lead consultant. His bio on their website says:

Prior to joining Beamans, David was a career public servant culminating in the role of Chief Executive, Department of Health, Isle of Man Government. In this role David was responsible for the later stages of the development, and the commissioning, of a new hospital, which opened in 2003

I can only presume a similar thing applies this time?

Edited August 8 by Ringy Rose

[Whiskey]

The people who did the schools report spend a lot of time in England creating multi academy trusts. So they probably find it easy to recommend merging. https://www.mlgeducationservices.co.uk

[Max Power]

On 8/7/2024 at 1:47 PM, La Colombe said:

That's just made up bollocks. 

No it isn’t, KWC pupils had an online curriculum to follow throughout lockdown.

On 8/7/2024 at 2:04 PM, HeliX said:

Someone with a spare 2 grand a month doesn't sound particularly "squeezed", middle or otherwise.

I know people who may appear wealthy because they work hard to put their kids through KWC, the reality is that they are squeezed, but want the best for them.

i can see how that might appear alien to left leaning politicians and their rabid supporters.