Isle of Man education minister reveals cost of schools inspections
The education minister has reversed a decision not to reveal how much it was costing to send external inspectors into Isle of Man schools. Daphne Caine had previously declined to say how much money was being spent on the external validators despite concerns raised by MHKs about value for money.She has now confirmed that it costs between £150,000 and £250,000 for the validators to undertake visits of up to eight weeks, observe and speak to staff and pupils and decide what could be improved. In an email to Tynwald members, Caine said she had been "reflecting" on matters raised in the House of Keys on Tuesday and noted many felt it was acceptable to provide a cost range for the three-year contract.
'Provide assurance'
She would not provide the exact figure having argued that it could impact commercial sensitivity and the government's ability to get "best value for money" in future.During this week's House of Keys sitting, Lawrie Hooper estimated that based on information made public by the UK government, the cost of the contract was between £150,000 and £250,000. Kate Lord-Brennan said there was "political support" for a cost range to be provided and Jason Moorhouse questioned whether the department was paying "too much" for the service.Confirming the price bracket, Caine said it included costs of travel, accommodation and expenses of the external validation team . It also covered the compilation of the information gathered and annual overviews, she told members."I hope this will provide reassurance as to the value for money obtained through the contract to enable independent external validation of all schools and educational services", she said.She added there were plans to improve the information provided to parents and carers after the validation visits to schools.
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