The results of the public consultation clearly supported a move towards the International GCSE.
Director of education Geoff Moorcroft has responded to criticism from Ramsey Grammar School’s retiring head teacher David Trace, who said changes to the GCSE system ‘had flown in the face of what the public wanted’.
In a letter sent to Isle of Man Newspapers, Mr Moorcroft said: ‘Respondents were asked whether they felt that educational qualifications offered in schools in the Isle of Man should be as politically independent of other governments as possible. Fifty-nine per cent of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that this ought to be the case.
‘Mr Trace seems to draw the conclusion that this means people on the Isle of Man feel that the Minister for Education and Children should not determine educational policy.
‘In contrast, the Minister made his decision in the light of the very wide consultation and reflected the views of the public in the position he took.’
In his final address at the school’s annual prize-giving, Mr Trace said the ability of his successor to control budgets was now ‘all but removed’.
He described the new system as a ‘bureaucratic nightmare’, with collapsing IT systems and a 50 per cent cleaning force.
Mr Moorcroft said: ‘Devolved financial management of schools has not been removed from schools in any meaningful sense.
‘As part of a wider government priority to streamline services, responsibility for a small number of the employees previously directly employed by the Department of Education and Children (in catering, cleaning etc) has been centralised as part of a new shared services agreement. As a result, these budgets have also been transferred over.’
Mr Trace also criticised ‘the data-driven, results-obsessed culture that the Isle of Man appears to have adopted from England’.
The director of education responded that the Isle of Man’s Essentials for Learning curriculum ‘has at its heart the requirement for schools to put in place curricula that fully develop students as rounded individuals whose attitudes are as important as their attainment’.
He said: ‘Much work has been undertaken and this has earned the commendation of numerous international observers for its commitment to developing the whole child.
‘Nonetheless, it is important for all schools to continue to offer learning opportunities that challenge, stimulate and engage pupils and provide pathways to the best possible outcomes for them, whether they are academic, personal or social.’
• To read Mr Moorcroft’s letter in full, see page 22.