E

Education 'otherwise'

The Education Act requires parents to present their children for education at school or to make arrangements for their education ‘otherwise’. This can be at home or at a private school etc. With effect from 1 September 2009, parents who educate their children at home or send them to a school other than a Department-run school are required by law to advise the Department via the Home or Private Education form, downloadable on this page.

The Department of Education and Children administers several endowment funds for the support of education/individuals in certain areas of the Island. Further details can be obtained from:

The policy of the Department is to provide professional psychological advice from chartered psychologists with interventions consistent with good practice in order to implement Manx legislation and the policies of the Department of Education and Children. Further details can be obtained from: 

The Department issues a comprehensive policy on all off-site activities, which must be followed by all Department employees and voluntary instructors. An approval system for all off-site activities is in place and an outdoor education advisory panel monitors the policy. Further information and hard copies of the Policy for Overnight Visits and Educational Stays and the accompanying guidance booklet Safety in Outdoor Education are available to download on this page or from:

The Department of Education and Children endeavours to be a reasonable and caring employer to its staff and seeks to negotiate to ensure that all staff are treated fairly and consistently. To allow consultation within the various groups of employees, the following committees have been formed:

• Joint Negotiating Committee for Education Support Staff
• Joint Negotiating Committee for IOM College Lecturers
• Primary Headteachers' Executive
• Secondary Headteachers' Executive
• Joint Unions
• Staff Consultation Group for Play and Youth Service staff
• Primary School Administrators Group

Further information regarding these bodies may be obtained from:

The Department has a duty under the Education Act 2001 to oversee the implementation of legislation relating to the employment of children. A copy of the Employment of Children Regulations 2018 can be found on this page along with guidance notes for employers and parents.  For employers, a blank register for use is provided.

Further details may be obtained from the Department of Education:

Entry for external examinations is governed by the principle that each pupil should be given the opportunity to demonstrate his or her achievement. There should be no charge made to pupils for their first entry to sit an examination, although any subsequent resits should be charged for.

Level 1, 2 and 3 external examination results are analysed by the Department each year, based on the number of pupils on roll at each school. Results relate to 'in age' Year 11 or Year 13 pupils only. Following results days a preliminary analysis of the results is undertaken by the Department and fed back to schools at whole school and subject level. Results at the whole school level are published by the Department.

This document details the Department of Education, Sport and Culture's policy on covering the cost of examinations for private candidates who are of compulsory school age and undertaking Key Stage 4 examinations.