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This is my daughters school, The mrs had to book the friday off to look after our daughter..
Got to school this morning and there where tv crews and people signing petitions.. lol
A headteacher who flew with his staff to Barcelona for a weekend training trip has been heavily criticised by a local councillor.
Adrian Guy and 20 teachers from Whitegate End primary school in Oldham, visited the Spanish city last weekend.
The £5,691 cost of the trip was paid out of the school's training budget and staff contributions.
Oldham councilor Dave Hibbert, who represents Chadderton South ward for Labour, criticised the school's decision.
He said: "I can understand the need for training, but I don't see why this could not have been done locally - it would have benefited the local economy.
"It's a cavalier decision that is going to antagonise people and certainly sends out the wrong message.
"It makes them look like they are being careless about spending money that does not need to be spent and is not their money."
Last week a similar training trip to Marbella, Spain, for up to 80 staff at Edensor Technology College in Longton, Staffordshire, was cancelled at the last minute.
The college's headmaster, Richard Mercer, called off the two-day conference because of "pressure from media interest" over such trips in the current economic climate.
But the Oldham headteacher justified his school's trip to Spain on the grounds that it tied into a school cultural programme, as well as the school's development plan.
He said: "The timing of the visit coincided with the launch of our second whole school cultural awareness month, which will see many visitors come to the school and several educational visits for our pupils throughout October.
"Barcelona was chosen because the artists Miro and Picasso have been studied in school, and the city exemplifies how to celebrate and embrace culture."
Guy added: "Our work for last year's cultural awareness month was celebrated as a model of good practice at the council's community cohesion conference in September."
The headteacher said the excursion, part of four days set aside for staff training and curriculum planning during the term, had the full backing of the school's governing body, including parent and council representatives.
He also claimed that the possibility of running the training programme in the UK was explored, but the Catalonian capital proved to be the cheapest option – at just £271 per teacher.
Oldham Council's service director for children, young people and families, Janet Doherty, commented: "How school employees are professionally developed is down to each individual school and its governing body to decide within its own budgets."
Head under fire for teachers' trip to Barcelona | Education | guardian.co.uk
Got to school this morning and there where tv crews and people signing petitions.. lol
A headteacher who flew with his staff to Barcelona for a weekend training trip has been heavily criticised by a local councillor.
Adrian Guy and 20 teachers from Whitegate End primary school in Oldham, visited the Spanish city last weekend.
The £5,691 cost of the trip was paid out of the school's training budget and staff contributions.
Oldham councilor Dave Hibbert, who represents Chadderton South ward for Labour, criticised the school's decision.
He said: "I can understand the need for training, but I don't see why this could not have been done locally - it would have benefited the local economy.
"It's a cavalier decision that is going to antagonise people and certainly sends out the wrong message.
"It makes them look like they are being careless about spending money that does not need to be spent and is not their money."
Last week a similar training trip to Marbella, Spain, for up to 80 staff at Edensor Technology College in Longton, Staffordshire, was cancelled at the last minute.
The college's headmaster, Richard Mercer, called off the two-day conference because of "pressure from media interest" over such trips in the current economic climate.
But the Oldham headteacher justified his school's trip to Spain on the grounds that it tied into a school cultural programme, as well as the school's development plan.
He said: "The timing of the visit coincided with the launch of our second whole school cultural awareness month, which will see many visitors come to the school and several educational visits for our pupils throughout October.
"Barcelona was chosen because the artists Miro and Picasso have been studied in school, and the city exemplifies how to celebrate and embrace culture."
Guy added: "Our work for last year's cultural awareness month was celebrated as a model of good practice at the council's community cohesion conference in September."
The headteacher said the excursion, part of four days set aside for staff training and curriculum planning during the term, had the full backing of the school's governing body, including parent and council representatives.
He also claimed that the possibility of running the training programme in the UK was explored, but the Catalonian capital proved to be the cheapest option – at just £271 per teacher.
Oldham Council's service director for children, young people and families, Janet Doherty, commented: "How school employees are professionally developed is down to each individual school and its governing body to decide within its own budgets."
Head under fire for teachers' trip to Barcelona | Education | guardian.co.uk
