Union hits out at ferry pupil supervision changes

Changes to the adult-to-child ratio policy for ferry travel potentially makes school trips away from the Isle of Man "unworkable", a teachers' union has said.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet had previously allowed 10 children to travel with an adult for group travel, but reduced that to five last year.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said it would deprive pupils of "vital learning opportunities", but the firm said its priority was safety and it had liaised with education department.

The Department of Education, Sport & Culture (Desc) has been contacted for a response.

A spokesman for the ferry firm said the adult to child supervision ratio had been revised following a "comprehensive review" of risk assessments "taking into account all factors relating to the carriage of children and the overall safety of everyone on board, including crew".

The Steam Packet's its "first priority" was "always passenger safety", he said.

"It is disappointing that the National Association of Head Teachers did not discuss the issue with the company, to fully understand our commitment to the safety of passengers of all ages."

Calling for a reversal of the policy, the NAHT said as a "taxpayer-owned company" the firm had a "duty" to support the Manx community and "the change was "out of step" with the Desc educational visits guidance "and best practice across the British Isles".

It said school leaders had said they "simply don't have the staffing resources to meet the new requirement" and recruiting volunteers to meet the new requirements was "not a practical solution".

This was due to the "additional costs, administrative burden, and responsibility it places on school leaders", which includes extra travel, accommodation and transport costs, along with "an increase in DBS checks to vet additional adult volunteers", it added.

Rehana Azam from the NAHT said: "We understand the need for safeguarding, but this new ratio far exceeds what is required by educational experts and adds unnecessary barriers to what should be enriching experiences for children."

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