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CH4 Dispatches on Academies - Unbalanced reporting?

2 replies

catupadrainpipe · 26/07/2016 18:53

I'm no auto-defender of academies, but I do know one-sided reporting when I see it.

Last night's Channel 4 Dispatches about Academies might have managed to unearth a few dodgy expenses but it completely failed to mention all the school fraud and expenses scandals that go on, and have always gone on, in maintained schools.

For me the real question is whether these sorts of things become more common in academies, and whether they're less likely to be uncovered when the schools are regulated by central government rather than local authorities. That's still unproven, though there's no shortage of people who'll tell you its "inevitable", because they're so politically biased that they think anyone involved in running academies must be a crook.

Just for fun, here are a few non-academy examples that I unearthed in just 10 minutes of Googling ....

www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/local-news/crooksbarn-primary-school-heads-5000-3715233

www.standard.co.uk/news/top-headteacher-held-over-500000-cuba-trip-expenses-6740813.html

www.somersetlive.co.uk/teacher-denies-school-expenses-fraud-claim/story-27580638-detail/story.html

metro.co.uk/2009/08/06/heads-sun-holiday-on-school-expenses-326355/

www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/education/camden_superhead_racks_up_1_300_travel_expenses_in_10_days_1_4235508

www.camdennewjournal.com/Jo-Shuter-appeal

www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/8155388.Swindled_his_school_out_of___17_000/

www.questia.com/newspaper/1G1-208633945/school-head-s-pounds-5-000-claims-guidelines-may

www.sloughobserver.co.uk/news/13435771.Headteacher_signed_off_more_than__pound_600_expenses_to_husband/

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/8188049.stm

www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/13424111.Swindon_primary_school_headteacher_in_court_on_fraud_charges/

www.nottinghampost.com/stapleford-school-office-manager-sandra-mayo/story-28648032-detail/story.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11573715/Head-teacher-tried-to-steal-30000-from-school.html

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-32531464

indexwiltshire.co.uk/former-primary-school-head-teacher-pleads-guilty-to-two-counts-of-fraud/

www.standard.co.uk/news/deputy-head-fired-over-school-fraud-hits-back-at-council-chiefs-6804583.html

www.standard.co.uk/news/former-school-head-and-his-deputy-arrested-over-16m-fraud-scandal-6572506.html

www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/two-in-court-over-primary-34105/

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/retired-dromara-school-principal-stanley-poots-denies-25-fraud-charges-34519187.html

www.theguardian.com/education/2011/mar/01/head-arrested-in-fraud-case

schoolsimprovement.net/former-headteacher-charged-with-five-counts-of-fraud/

www.banbridgeleader.co.uk/news/banbridge-news/ex-head-faces-string-of-fraud-charges-1-7094260

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catupadrainpipe · 26/07/2016 19:12

... "because they're so politically biased that they think anyone involved in running academies must be a crook" .... and believe Local Authorities to be bastions of competence and efficiency, which unfortunately is just naïve.

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ReallyTired · 27/07/2016 08:07

Fiddling expenses is currently common across the public sector. We had the MP expenses scandal but expenses claimed by civil servants, councillors, senior NHS staff or senior teachers have never been looked at.

There is also a lot of completely honest finanical mismanagement. Schools often do not understand the contacts the sign. IT is a good example where schools gets poor value for money.

No one is who works in a school would dare to be a whistleblower. Headteachers are very effective at ruining an innocent person's career.

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