Teaching unions have rejected as ’entirely unfounded’ claims by an education boss that they have hindered the department’s efforts during the coronavirus crisis.

Department of Education, Sport and Culture chief executive Professor Ronald Barr told a Tynwald scrutiny committee that some unions had continued their work to rule.

And he blamed this in part for the disparity in remote learning provided by different schools during the lockdown and for mixed messages sent out to parents.

Both teachers’ union NASUWT and school leaders’ union NAHT have lodged official complaints about Professor Barr’s comments, describing them as ’misleading’ and ’grievously inaccurate’.

Island NAHT official Max Kelly tweeted that it would only strengthen teachers’ feelings that led to their vote of no confidence in the DESC leadership in January.

He tweeted: ’These comments appear to constitute an attempt to hide the inadequacies of the DESC and its senior officers.’

The row could not have come at a worse time, given that the phased return of children to school was due to begin this week. Discussions were also due to take place with head teachers this week about how to bring more age groups back sooner.

Professor Barr and Education Minister Dr Alex Allinson were giving evidence to a special scrutiny session of the Public Accounts Committee which has been examining the government’s response to the Covid emergency.

The committee was told that the NAHT and NASUWT unions had continued with their work to rule during the lockdown while ASCL has suspended all action except one element.

Committee member Jane Poole-Wilson MLC asked about the disparity in education provision and suggested it had been a postcode lottery.

Prof Barr replied: ’The issue we’ve had is we are still dealing with a work to rule across all of education.’

He said some of the teaching unions had not been ’willing to engage with us in terms of setting up new systems to monitor online delivery’.

’I’m not going to tell you I’m satisfied with the quality of online delivery.

’There’s been some excellent online delivery and I think there’s been some areas that have not been to the standard we would have liked.

’But sadly, partly, it’s been mired in the industrial dispute.’

He was asked if teachers could not have been co-opted to work centrally to provide online learning and specified guidance for year groups.

’The issue we’ve had in asking schools to do things is on a number of occasions they would say "well we are not prepared to do that because that’s part of the ongoing industrial dispute with you".

’The department has had to manage that pressure throughout this entire crisis.

’We’ve not had the kind of co-ordinated approach that many, to be fair, in the teaching profession would have liked but as we would also have liked. But because of the on-going dispute we’ve been somewhat stymied in some of this.’

Teaching unions have been involved in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

They had begun a work to rule on February 24 but announced they would work with government during the Covid crisis.

The NAHT said it is seeking an investigation and for the public record to be corrected. Rob Kelsall, national secretary, said: ’It is alarming to learn that the chief executive has made such claims. Indeed, it couldn’t be further from the truth and is at odds with the reality on the ground.

’Since the pandemic struck, NAHT and other education unions have been providing leadership for schools and head teachers in order to fill the vacuum left by DESC, initially in the area of online learning, and then notably in respect of the health and safety of pupils, families and staff.

’The teaching unions have been working tirelessly to ensure that first and foremost, key workers children and vulnerable children were cared for in hubs and that schools were ready to expand wider reopening in a safe and measured way.

’NAHT members have co-operated with all Covid-related requests from DESC.’

Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: ’We reject as entirely unfounded the suggestions that the NASUWT or our members have in any way hindered efforts to support children and young people whose education has been affected as a result of the closure of schools due to the coronavirus.

’Teachers deserve to be congratulated, not criticised, for their hard work and dedication and for going the extra mile to support children’s learning at this extremely difficult and challenging time.

’The comments made by the chief executive are inaccurate and misleading and we will be insisting that appropriate action is taken to set the record straight.’

Dr Roach insisted the NASUWT’s action short of strike instructions did not have any relevance to the provision of online learning.

’The NASUWT was proactive in raising online learning with the DESC to ensure that best practice was followed to make the resources as effective as possible,’ he added.

During the committee hearing, Ms Poole -Wilson suggested there had been a lack of cross-government co-ordination, with Treasury and DfE actively promoting a return to work but there being no provision for the children of these returning workers.

Dr Allinson accepted this was a valid criticism. But he insisted: ’We have not come under pressure to bring children or staff back to school when it was not safe to do so.’

He said there had been some issues about the rate of change.

The Department for Enterprise had been keen to get various economic sectors open again but he said that his department had very much relied on the advice of the senior clinical group and public health in terms of how the return to school was phased.

Dr Allinson said closing the schools had been ’incredibly easy’ but opening them again is ’much harder’.

He said the decision to end social distancing had been ’pivotal’ in getting children back to school.

Prof Barr said he expected a significant number of pupils to return to classes from tomorrow (Wednesday) and another significant number to be back at school from June 22 when years 2,6 10 and 12 return.

Committee member Julie Edge asked about ’mixed and confusing’ messages about the dates when schools would reopen.

Dr Allinson said the DESC had tried to send out really clear messages to parents.

Professor Barr said some head teachers would not do the full amount of information sharing as this fell within the industrial dispute. He said one or two head teachers had been asked to take down inaccurate information they had posted on social media.

Dr Allinson said a full response will be made to the unions’ complaint.

Department of Education, Sport and Culture chief executive Professor Ronald Barr told a Tynwald scrutiny committee that some unions had continued their work to rule.