Education in the Isle of Man

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Education in Isle of Man
Department of Education, Sport and Culture
Minister for Education, Sport and Culture Julie Edge
National education budget (2017-18)
Budget£96.8 million [1]
General details
Primary languagesEnglish [2]
Enrollment (2017)
Total11,710 [1]
Primary6,492
Secondary5,218

Education in the Isle of Man is compulsory for children aged between 5 and 16. As a Crown dependency the Isle of Man parliament and government have competence over all domestic matters, including education; however the structure and curriculum are broadly in line with that of UK schools and particularly the English national curriculum. Education is overseen by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture and regulated by the Isle of Man Education Act 2001. As of September 2017 there were 6,492 pupils in primary schools, and 5,218 pupils in secondary education. [1]

Contents

History

The Old Grammar School, Castletown, used as a school from 1701 until 1930 The Old Grammar School, Castletown - geograph.org.uk - 124105.jpg
The Old Grammar School, Castletown, used as a school from 1701 until 1930

Before 1675 there were no schools in the Isle of Man and any education was provided by the church. This changed with the arrival of Bishop Isaac Barrow, who established a school in every parish.[ citation needed ]

Education system

The education system in the Isle of Man is similar to the system used in England. Primary school consists of seven years, and secondary school of seven years. All five secondary schools in the Isle of Man have a sixth form centre.

Schools

The Department of Education operates 32 primary schools and 5 secondary schools. [3] Among the primary schools, Bunscoill Ghaelgagh is the only school in the world where children are taught mainly in Manx. Independent schools include King William's College and its junior school, The Buchan School.

Further and higher education

See also

Related Research Articles

Education in England is overseen by the United Kingdom's Department for Education. Local government authorities are responsible for implementing policy for public education and state-funded schools at a local level.

Education in Northern Ireland differs from education systems elsewhere in the United Kingdom, although it is relatively similar to Wales, and the Republic of Ireland in sharing in the development of the national school system and serving a similar society with a relatively rural population. A child's age on 1 July determines the point of entry into the relevant stage of education in the region, compared to 1 September in England and Wales. Northern Ireland's results at GCSE and A-Level are consistently higher than those in England and Wales; Scotland uses a different examination system.

Douglas, Isle of Man Capital of the Isle of Man

Douglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 27,938 (2011). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of two miles. The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour and main commercial port.

Castletown, Isle of Man A town in the Isle of Man

Castletown is a town in the Isle of Man, geographically within the historical parish of Malew but administered separately. Lying at the south of the island, it was the Manx capital until 1869. The centre of town is dominated by Castle Rushen, a well-preserved medieval castle, originally built for a Viking king.

State schools or public schools are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all children without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation. State funded schools exist in virtually every country of the world, though there are significant variations in their structure and educational programmes. State education generally encompasses primary and secondary education.

A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis of selection criteria, usually academic performance. The term is commonly used in relation to England and Wales, where comprehensive schools were introduced as state schools on an experimental basis in the 1940s and became more widespread from 1965. With the Blair educational reforms from 2003, they may be part of a local education authority or be a self governing academy or part of a multi-academy trust.

King William's College is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference organisations. The College operates at two sites in or near Castletown: a main senior school campus on the shore of Castletown Bay, and a prep school in the Westhill part of Castletown, two miles from the main campus. The College was originally for boys only, but became co-educational in the 1980s. It has roughly five hundred pupils, many from beyond the British Isles.

Culture of the Isle of Man

The culture of the Isle of Man is influenced by its Celtic and, to a lesser extent, its Norse origins, though its close proximity to the United Kingdom, popularity as a UK tourist destination, and recent mass immigration by British migrant workers has meant that British influence has been dominant since the Revestment period. Recent revival campaigns have attempted to preserve the surviving vestiges of Manx culture after a long period of Anglicisation, and significant interest in the Manx language, history and musical tradition has been the result.

St John's is a small village in the sheading of Glenfaba in the Isle of Man, in the island's central valley. It is in the House of Keys constituency of Glenfaba & Peel, which elects two MHKs.

University College Isle of Man is the primary centre for tertiary, vocational education, higher education and adult education on the British Crown dependency of the Isle of Man, located in the Manx capital Douglas.

The Centre for Manx Studies is a department of the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology in the University of Liverpool whose focus is the study of the Isle of Man, the Manx language, and Manx culture and history.

The Manx are an ethnic group originating on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea in northern Europe. Their native culture has significant Norse, Gaelic and English influences. The Manx language descends from Middle Irish.

Phil Gawne Manx politician and language activist

Philip Anderson Gawne, better known as Phil Gawne, is a former Member of the House of Keys for Rushen, a constituency in the Isle of Man. He also served in a number of ministerial posts on the island and is therefore a former member of the Council of Ministers.

Queen Elizabeth II High School is a mixed comprehensive school in Peel, Isle of Man.

Mooinjer veggey is the Manx for little people, a term used for fairies in Gaelic lore. The equivalent Irish and Scottish Gaelic are Muintir Bheaga and Muinntir Bheaga.

Bunscoill Ghaelgagh Manx language primary school in St Johns, Isle of Man

Bunscoill Ghaelgagh is a government-run Manx-language primary school in St John's, Isle of Man that has enabled 170 children to learn fluent Manx. As of 2011 it is the only school in the world where children are taught their lessons solely in Manx and which allows children to learn the language fluently. Pupils may then go on to Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel or to their catchment area's high school, where General Certificate of Secondary Education Manx is offered from the age of 12.

St Ninian's High School is a secondary school located in Douglas and Onchan, on the Isle of Man. The School is set over two different sites, catering for different year groups.

Ballakermeen High School is a coeducational comprehensive secondary school based on a single site in Douglas, on the Isle of Man.

Atlantic Academy Portland, formerly known as the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy, is a coeducational all-through school and sixth form for children aged 3 to 19. The school is located on two sites on the Isle of Portland in the English county of Dorset.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Isle of Man Government - Media Centre" . Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  2. Manx is the primary language at one primary school: Bunscoill Ghaelgagh
  3. "Isle of Man Schools and Colleges". Gov.im. Retrieved 19 July 2019.