Education Hustings # 2: Arbory, Castletown and Malew

by Max KellySeptember 14, 2021September 15, 2021

The Isle of Man General Election takes place on Thursday 23rd September 2021 with all seats in the House of Keys in contention. In the run up to the General Election, the Isle of Man Branch of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has organised a series of hustings around several of the island’s constituencies which will focus on schools and education. NAHT IOM want to shine a spotlight on education throughout the election to ensure it sits with prominence on the agenda of all prospective MHKs seeking election. The branch has produced its own “manifesto for education” and has challenged the candidates to “pledge” their support to their cause. As the Branch Secretary for NAHT IOM, Max Kelly will be present at each of the four hustings events over the course of the week.

The candidates standing in the Arbory, Castletown and Malew constituency are: Graham Cregeen, Steve Crowther, Tim Glover, and Jason Moorhouse.

Pictured L>R: Steve Crowther, Jason Moorhouse, Tracy Willoughby (NAHT, Chair for Hustings Event), Graham Cregeen, and Tim Glover.

The second education-focussed hustings organised by the Isle of Man Branch of NAHT took place on Tuesday 14th September at Arbory School. All four constituency candidates standing for election to the House of Keys took part in the hustings and faced a variety of questions on a range of topics all under the theme of education.

The hustings showed the positive engagement of candidates with the topic of education and certainly helped put this key area front and centre of the upcoming General Election.

The following clips set out a flavour of how the hustings event unfolded, beginning with the candidates’ opening statements:

Opening Statements

The evening began with the candidates drawing lots to determine the order of the speakers. Charing the event was NAHT member and Isle of Man President Tracy Willoughby . She began proceedings by inviting each candidate to make an opening statement.

Teachers’ pay

The question of teachers’ pay was raised from the floor, acknowledging that other key workers deserved consideration for uplifts too, and probed whether the candidates agreed and asked how they would fund it.

Funding for Special Needs

An emotive question about the funding model for special educational needs in the Isle of Man was asked. The questioner felt that the model, and indeed level of funding, was insufficient to meet the needs of children and challenged the candidates to give their views and offer possible solutions.

NAHT National President

The NAHT National President, Tim Bowen, travelled over to the Isle of Man and was in attendance for the hustings event. Earlier in the day Tim was interviewed alongside NAHT National Secretary Rob Kelsall to give their thoughts on the education system in the Island and outline why the union membership in the Isle of Man was engaging with the General Election.

The Isle of Man Branch of NAHT has organised a series of hustings events focused on education. It is an opportunity for school staff, parents, governors and anyone else interested in the future of education on the island to hear from the candidates. Hustings # 3 will be held on Wednesday evening (15th September 2021) in the Douglas East constituency. You can see the NAHT’s manifesto for education in the Isle of Man here ⬇️