The Council of Ministers says that reconciliation between the Department of Education and its frontline workers needs to start straight away.

It has published a formal response to the damning Beamans Report, which was released last month.

While the CoMin response affirms previous comments by Chief Minister Howard Quayle and Education Minister Dr Alex Allinson, accepting the overall conclusions, CoMin wants to put a brake on calls to set up a new education board structure similar to the newly-formed Manx Care, at least for another 12 months.

The CoMin document states: ’A process of reconciliation must start immediately and be strengthened by a clear commitment by all parties to engage in reform.

’This will require the development of better communication, collaboration and ultimately respect.’

It adds: ’The culture that has been allowed to develop within some senior staff at the department and also some head teachers has hampered openness and collaboration.

’Beamans do not seek to apportion blame for this and recognise that whilst some teachers are concerned about actions of Department of Education, Sport and Culture officers, others are equally concerned about the attitude and behaviour of the union leadership.’

However, CoMin rejects the claim by Beamans that head teachers had no access to help or support through the education improvement service.

’This appears to be more of a perception from some of the consultees but again reflects the disrupted relationship between them and the department,’ CoMin says.

Beamans called for changes in governance structure and also proposed the creation of an Education Board to replace the Education Council. Name-checking the newly created Manx Care, the aim of such a board would be to keep operational matters and policy making separate.

But CoMin says the Manx Care concept has ’yet to be tested’.

Echoing a warning already sounded by Dr Allinson, CoMin says: ’The key risk is that such ambitious structural change might flounder due to a lack of resources, political imperative or fatigue from those delivering education on the Isle of Man.

’The process of transformation can be extremely disruptive if not managed carefully and after full consultation.’

It warns: ’To attempt to start this at the very time the education service is facing a potentially disruptive winter with the threat of school closures due to local Covid-19 outbreaks is extremely challenging.’

CoMin says it is ’open to the concept’ of a board structure in the longer term, ’the priority now is to rebuild consensus, cooperative working, commonly held values and respect and cement these within the interim governance and management structure’.

It also points out the abolition of the Education Council is included in the draft Education Bill, which is currently being looked at by a House of Keys select committee - to which Dr Allinson is due to give evidence tomorrow (Wednesday).

The Council of Ministers action plan due to go before Tynwald next week sets out the timescale for change at the DESC.

The implementation of a new structure is pencilled in for April next year, along with a review of the current school inspection regime.

A review of the government bodies’ structures is targeted for next September, which is also the target date for a review of exam boards used - acknowledging complaints about a lack of consultation over the introduction of iGCSEs in 2014 - that will also take cognisance of a House of Commons education committee inquiry into this year’s exam grades fiasco.

Tynwald will be asked to ’receive’ the Council of Ministers response to the Beamans Report next week, with a pledge that Dr Allinson will have a detailed implementation plan by January.

This means members can debate the Beamans report and the CoMin response.

When it was released last month, the Beamans Report received a cautious welcome from teaching unions who have been in dispute over a number of issues, including pay, pensions and working conditions.

The independent review of the Department of Education’s relationship was announced by Chief Minister Howard Quayle in June, amid an atmosphere of increasing conflict.

It was set up to examine the effectiveness of governance arrangements, such as how the DESC provides oversight of schools and the effectiveness of the department’s ’interface’ with schools, including its relationships with governing bodies and leadership teams.