| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Financial Mismanagement at Cardinal Wiseman School | |
| Posted by: | Neville Patterson | |
| Date/Time: | 09/02/10 15:22:00 |
| Eric - I'm with you on this one. The report was commissioned by the Governors and was carried out by the LEA. It is a public document and copies are available from the school. The ‘ financial irregularites’ involve much more than £225k. The report found that the Headteacher alone spent £120k of the school’s money on for first class flights and accommodation for himself in Cuba. The school’s money was also used to pay for 38 non staff to go to Cuba as well as 100 teachers. The number of pupils fortunate enough to benefit from the school’s links with Cuba was only 136 - out of a school population of approximately 2000 - and was vastly outnumbered by the numbers of teachers and non-staff adults who got to go. Pupils appear to have paid for their trips while teachers and non staff mainly went for free. A £10k bursary supposed to help students travel to Cuba was used to pay for staff hotel accommodation and travel expenses instead. A £2.4 million contract for the school’s ICT hardware and related services was awarded without competitive tendering/value for money process to two companies; the Director of both was a full time member of the school’s staff whose interests seem never to have been declared. He left the school’s employ in March 2009 and his companies ceased trading. At that time he was paid £52k for services the school never seems to have received. In addition to his salary and over a two year period the Headteacher claimed £176k in expenses - much via cheques made payable to ‘cash’. From 2007- 2009 he claimed £49k in respect of leadership duties (NCSL) he had performed. This income belonged exclusively to the school and expenditure set against it should have been subject to approval by the Governing Body. It appears it was claimed without this approval and was not supported by receipts etc… This was public money. It should have been spent on pupils at Cardinal Wiseman School. Someone should be answerable |