[Education For Tomorrow: No 102, 2009]And even more corruption . . .‘As more and more schools hand over their breakfast clubs and after-hours activities to private companies, should head teachers be allowed to have a personal stake in the companies using their premises?In Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, the local authority stepped in to investigate the Schools Out club at Stubbings Infant School. The club is advertised on the school’s website as “completely self-funding and relies on fees paid to run”. According to Companies House, School’s Out’s only directors are Stubbing’s headteacher Sarah Collins and her husband 2Kevin. Collins is also listed as a 50 per cent shareholder in the firm. The internal row over the situation was hinted at in an Ofsted report back in February, which noted “the governing body and the headteacher are at present not working effectively as a team. Unresolved disagreements over a number of issues are unfortunately distracting their attention from further school improvement.” But the inspectors provided no detail about the nature of the disagreements, which it has now emerged were over the firm’s lack of a proper rental agreement for using school premises. School’s Out was paying just £300 a term in rent, and Calderdale Council’s investigation has also uncovered concerns about whether the firm had even appropriate insurance for the club. The after-school club is now being run by volunteers and Mrs Collins is currently off sick. Since Ruth Kelly announced in 2005 that the “extended schools” scheme would use charities and private organisations to keep schools open from 8am to 6pm, without compelling teachers to provide clubs, hundreds of such out-of-hours club companies have been set up, ranging from single-school firms to large chains.’ Private Eye, Educashun Newz, 16/10/09 |