How often does this type of thing take place?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/64333 /Teacher-s-jolly-to-Marbella-cancelled-

After having to use their school for the training programme instead of going on the Marbella jolly, the headmaster stated :

"The reason we didn't choose to train in the school initially is that we did not believe that it raises aspirations among the staff as much as being able to go to an outside facility."

If they wanted an outside facility, what was wrong with the school playground?

Head teacher Richard Mercer defended the trip, saying it represented good value.

I wonder if he would have thought this if it was his own money he was spending? He should be sacked.

[emilia-faye]

This was also during term time, and if the children were to be taken out of school by their parents to be jetted off to Marbella, then there would have been questions asked.

[moonshadow]

If the school does not raise aspirations among the staff not much hope for the children they are teaching then. A case of do as I say not as I do.

[Gromit]

A School Governor admitted: "It seems as if this trip to Marbella would have been the cheapest, but the cheapest is not always the right answer."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/pol itics/education/3122744/Headteacher-cancels-Ma rbella-trip-after-mounting-pressure.html

So now they will spend a lot more money having their conference in the UK. My objection is not about the cost or them using their initiative to save the council tax payers' money, but the fact that the school was closed during term time.

[ludwig]

I heard the mayor on the radio yesterday morning. He said he had asked the headmaster for quotations or other information supporting his assertion that Marbella represented the best value, and that none had ever been forthcoming.

[ludwig]

..I actually feel a bit sorry for the school. I can well believe that it does work out cheaper.

Unfortunately they forgot the golden rule that no-one is allowed to have any fun at the taxpayer's expense. We're quite happy to pay through the nose for them to do things that will make them miserable, like going Stoke-onTrent, but if it looks like they might enjoy themselves, I'm afraid it becomes a jolly, and that's a big no-no.

[Le Chat]

How can it possibly be cheaper? 80 flights, taxi's to and from airport ,40 hotels rooms, cost of conference suite? It beggars belief!

[cazzz1975]

it wasnt cheaper, it was just an excuse for a holiday

[jake-the-peg]

Is it different from the management at my company having an off-site event in Marbella at the shareholders' expense?

[chelle7272]

It wasn't cheaper, they did the sums on bbc news last night and they could have had their conference in uk for �6000 where as marbella was more than double.
I'm disgusted by the money AND doing this in term time, schools are barely open as it is anymore.
My sons school they had two days off as the headmaster has got a second job and they needed to train teachers to cover. not only 2 days education issed (that if I had requested I would have got attitude over) but the school now has a part time headteacher!

[flip_flop]

Jake - yes.

[kempie]

"Is it different to... having an event... at the shareholders' expense?"

Yes - a vast difference.

You choose to be a shareholder. If you disagree with management policy you can also choose not to be a shareholder.

There's very little choice involved when contributing to public coffers.

[jake-the-peg]

So why don't shareholders object to that sort of thing the way tax payers do?

Because shareholders think they get a good return for their money.

Taxpayers never do - they never look at what gets delivered

All they ever do is look in their wallets and bleat about how poor they are

[R1Geezer]

they could have it there own school hall for christ sake, they are a kin school right? Bleeding public sector workers make my bll0d boil.

[flip_flop]

The directors of a company are accountable to their shareholders.

Personally, and I speak as a parent as well as a tax payer, I don't particularly mind the teachers going on a jolly at my expense, but Jake, comparing a private or a public company to this situation simply doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

[jake-the-peg]

Really flip_flop ?

Why should shareholders put up with paying for management jollies any more than tax payers?

It's institutional in the business world so you can't exactly put your money elsewhere.

The simple fact is in the business world it's accepted practice - a cost of attracting and retaining the best people.

Too often the view of public services like education is how cheap can we get away with? and not how can we attract the best people?

[andy-hughes]

This is a local school near me, and the local fallout has been massive.

Regardless of the cost implications, the wider picture should be examined -

the school is failing and due to merge and effectively be absorbed

the Head Teacher does not enjoy a good reputation for academic success or the support of his staff and parents

the simple fact that the school is closing while the staff go to a European resort hotel makes the entire scheme - regardless of any cost implications - a non-starter because of the perceptions of parents and tax payers.

To say it showed bad judgement is putting it very very mildly, and instead of admitting that it was a stupid insensitive idea, the Head is still banging on about 'cost effectiveness'.

If I had to find two days child care for a pupil so the staff could go off for a long weekend, I would be less than impressed.

As a tax payer, I am simply appallled that any individual with such lack of common sense

[andy-hughes]

... could be put, or left, in charge of anything.

[Coobeastie]

A foreign trip was probably in bad taste but don't suppose for one minute they would have all been camped out around the pool. Also if the company you worked for said hey we're taking you abroad who wouldn't want to go so is it any surprise that there were disapointed faces at the gates.

Basically though everybody always thinks that public sector workers are only in it for the jollies.

For what we get council tax is cheap. Try taking a look at public school fees , or getting a private company to dispose of your rubbish then you might realise your not paying through the nose.

Not sure what the figure is for 2008 but in 2005 20% of the uk workforce were in the public sector can't be any less now...all contributing to the tax coffers.

[New Judge]

School teachers get approximately 12 weeks paid holiday per year - more than twice as much as almost anybody else in any other trade or profession.

Whenever this is raised they say "Oh, but during that time, we do lots of preparatory work for the coming term".

This �conference� (or whatever else it may have been) should have been held during the holiday period during which they allegedly do preparatory work.

The schools cannot decry parents for taking their children out of school during term time (which, incidentally, they do not do strongly enough) for various reasons if the teachers themselves see fit to take time out for events which could be held during school closure time.

[tigerlily11]

Several posters on here have pointed out that going to Marbella is less depressing than staying in the uk for their training.
This depends what they are being trained in. Personally I can think of better places to go than Marbella. What are they being trained in. Baking in the sun all day and p*ssing it up all night.