Isle of Man: Covid review backs up teachers' concerns at time - union

Schools on the Isle of Man were closed for three different stints during the pandemic

A review of the Manx government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has backed up the concerns expressed by teachers at the time, a union has said.

Kate Brunner KC's report said schools did not get enough notice of closures and remote learning was a lottery.

Rob Kelsall from National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said teachers had been working "against a backdrop of a lack of support".

The government said it would digest the report before responding.

Ms Brunner's report noted that teachers were given only one day's notice of school closures in March 2020 following consistent messaging that the island's facilities would not be closed.

'Postcode lottery'

Although closures were a "reasonable response" there had been "insufficient consideration of the impact" at the time and children's views were not considered, the review found.

It said schools were given insufficient notice and teachers had to "work extremely hard" to set up remote schooling and hubs for those who could not stay at home.

Provision of remote learning was a "postcode lottery at first" but had greater consistency in subsequent lockdowns, it added.

There was "insufficient planning" in relation to vulnerable children and "weaknesses in the IT estate" and island infrastructure that "exacerbated inequalities", but the "schools and government mitigated effectively", the report said.

Ms Brunner made recommendations, including having a written plan for school closures and assessment of remote learning provision.

The unions had been in a dispute with the department and the "deeply fractured relationship" was highlighted in a review by Beamans, which was commissioned shortly before the pandemic began and published in September 2020, Ms Brunner's report said.

Mr Kelsall said: "It is particularly good to see many of the concerns NAHT and school leaders raised at the time backed up here, from the government's lack of communication to risk assessments.

"School leaders did excellent work throughout Covid against a backdrop of a lack of support and planning from the then education department and the leadership in place at that time."

Responding to the report on Tuesday, Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said: "This is an important report and it is crucial that we have a comprehensive understanding of its findings and recommendations."

He added that as it was over 3,600 pages it would take "some time to digest" and he appreciated the "public's patience" as that process began.

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