THE education department is not abandoning nurture provision, the Minister in charge has insisted.
Tim Crookall was quizzed in the House of Keys and in a Tynwald scrutiny committee over his department’s plans to reorganise nurture provision in schools.
As part of the shake-up, stand-alone nurture groups led by teachers are to be replaced with a ‘whole school’ model using education support staff instead. Eleven posts are at risk.
A number of schools have already changed to the new model. Only three of the DEC’s five secondary schools and six of its 34 primary schools now have teacher-led nurture groups.
In the Keys, Brenda Cannell (Douglas East) asked Mr Crookall why his department is ‘abandoning’ nurture groups in schools – and what consultation had been undertaken in determining this policy change.
Giving a written reply, the Minister insisted: ‘The department is not abandoning nurture provision, all schools which currently have provision are keeping it.’
He explained that nurture provision is in place in some of the island’s primary schools and three secondary schools but in recent years, three schools have asked to give up their nurture groups as they were struggling to find pupils who could benefit.
At the same time, two new groups were opened, one in an area of relatively high deprivation.
Their whole purpose is to give children the emotional stability and social skills to rejoin their class and successfully reintegrate as quickly as possible, he said.
Mr Crookall said there is very little evidence to show that a model using two education support officers is less effective - and, indeed, the link with the mainstream class can be even stronger.
He reassured MHKs that Manor Park, Jubilee, Ballacottier, Peel Clothworkers, Victoria Road, Auldyn and Ree Gorrey Primary schools will continue to have two members of staff devoted to emotional and social well-being as will Ballakermeen High School, Ramsey Grammar School and Castle Rushen High School.
The Minister admitted there was small saving to be made from this change but that this money will remain, in full, in the Special Needs’ budget which he stressed has not been reduced in any way.
He said: ‘This change should be seen as a modernisation of our approach but we are still offering a high level of support for children who need it. In short then, all schools who have nurture keep it. It will be staffed properly albeit differently.’
Appearing before the Social Affairs policy review committee, Mr Crookall was asked by former MLC David Callister: ‘Are you backing away from properly protecting the vulnerable?’ He replied: ‘Definitely not’.
Chief executive officer Stuart Dobson, who has announced he is to retire at the end of August after heading the department since January 2011. hit out at ‘sensationalist’ headlines about the changes to nurture provision.
Headlines stating ‘Special nurture groups to close’ appeared on a radio station’s website on March 14.
‘They are not closing,’ Mr Dobson said.
He said it was hoped that almost all of the 11 nurture teachers would redeployed.
He said a freeze had been put on recruitment in primary schools and there were vacancies already. He accepted that those who hadn’t been redeployed by August could face being made redundant.