Isle of Man teachers to get specialist sex education training

Lessons are currently suspended but are expected to be reintroduced in early 2024

Specialist training will be given to teachers delivering relationships and sex education lessons, the education minister has said.

The move was a recommendation in an independent review of the delivery of the subject in Isle of Man schools.

The review rejected concerns about the age-appropriateness of materials, but called for better training.

Julie Edge said professional training would be introduced to standardise lessons across schools.

A previous phase of the investigation, which was published in March, found some claims from parents about "graphic" teaching were inaccurate.

It also addressed allegations that a guest speaker dressed in drag sent a student out of the classroom and taught pupils "obscene" information, finding neither to be true.

'Equality of training'

In the second part of the review, which was published on Wednesday, investigators said the content had been age appropriate and lessons should resume with "improved parental communication", but more training was needed.

Responding to the findings, Ms Edge said that recommendation would be addressed when schools returned in September.

"We want to make sure we have a core group of people that are trained to do the delivery, and we'll have to make sure that fits in with our school timetables," she said.

"We need to make sure that the teachers that are delivering it are comfortable in that delivery, but also that they've got that professional training and guidance on that."

She said the department would "encourage the teachers that wish to have any specialist training to come forward".

"It's equality of training for our teachers but also equality of delivery down to our students throughout the island, and not just do it in one place," she added.

The timescale for a third phase of the investigation has not been announced, but lessons are due to resume in early 2024.