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To be shocked at the dispatches programme tonight about the abuse of funds by academies

53 replies

googlepoodle · 25/07/2016 20:40

Just watched this on channel 4 tonight. Any teachers watched it and can comment?one of our local schools is shortly to become an academy and we have a child with special
Needs. Scary stuff and hard to believe they are getting away with it

OP posts:
cannotlogin · 26/07/2016 09:20

Teachers have been striking on these issues......yet we get shouted down constantly. Maybe start to make the connections?

catupadrainpipe · 27/07/2016 16:52

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

The Dispatches might have managed to unearth a few dodgy expenses, having gathered FOIs from a large number of schools, but it 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.

My advice would be - if you're worried about your own school or academy, look at the accounts (including using an FOI for the expenses details if you have to) and see if you can unearth a scandal. If you do, shout about it, post it to Mumsnet, whatever you like, but if not, stop fretting.

Just for fun, here are a few non-academy examples that I found in just 10 minutes of Googling and you could do a similar exercise for any other area of public life too - (that's why we have auditors, because sometimes people get tempted to do bad stuff, get greedy, make mistakes etc) ....

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

jillybean2008 · 28/07/2016 13:08

The DfE/politicians have put our children are way down the priority list with teachers:(

Shame the programme was only for 30 minutes. They could easily have run an 8 (or more) episode series to this - there are so many issues with academies from SEN, exclusions, "mismanagement of funds" as the DfE like to call it, the disgraceful waste of tax payers money. Academies are unaccountable, undemocratic and they are draining funds, in an irresponsible manner, from existing LA schools that fight for every penny.

Another issue is that the Education Funding Agency is buying up properties at eye-watering prices, they have just spent £33.5mill on a disused building in Islington to open as a secondary next door to two existing and good secondary schools.

I joined Rescue Our Schools facebook page a few weeks ago and it reveals much more than Dispatches has. It was set-up recently by parents who are worried over what the White Papers will entail and what more damage can we expect.

Feel free to check it out: www.facebook.com/RescueOurSchools/

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