School wants refund after scrapping teachers' Marbella trip
UNDER-FIRE headteacher Richard Mercer is trying to get thousands of pounds of school cash refunded after cancelling his staff training trip to Marbella.
Up to 80 teaching staff at Edensor Technology College should have been starting their two-day conference just yards from the beach in sunny Spain today.
But the trip was cancelled as their bus was ready to leave and instead their conference is being held in the hall at the Longton school.
Mr Mercer, cancelled the four-day trip after coming under pressure from Schools minister Ed Balls, local politicians, parents and governors.
Now he is trying to get a refund for the cost of the flights, accommodation and conference room hire booked and paid for a year ago.
He has yet to reveal the full cost of the trip which has come from the school's training budget.
Mr Mercer told The Sentinel: "We are negotiating with the agent to ensure some money, if not all, returns to the school."
Mr Mercer accepts it looks a 'little insensitive in the current climate' to shut the school for two days for a training trip to Spain.
He added: "The training is now taking place in school. It is good for staff morale to move outside the school building. It helps them with team building.
"I understand people are upset and concerned, particularly in the current economic climate, but things were different when we planned and booked the trip.
"Staff are very disappointed, clearly they were looking forward to producing some high quality materials."
Mr Mercer plans to explain the episode to parents and pupils next week, and hopes parents will not lose confidence in his judgement.
Governors had considered nine quotes from the UK and abroad for Edensor's conference.
They picked the Marbella hotel because it was "the best value for money".
The 380-room four-star Andulucia Plaza typically costs £130 per person a night while flights to Malaga, the airport nearest Marbella would set travellers back about £120 each.
At these prices the trip would cost the school £27,200.
Elected Mayor Mark Meredith says lessons must be learnt in the wake of the disastrous cancelled trip, which attracted criticism from the national media.
He added: "If I was the hotel owner I would not be giving a refund on this trip."
Schools minister condemns decision: See Page 2
Comment: Page 10
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by Sam, Jyväskylä, Finland
Sunday, October 05 2008, 5:13PM
“To me it seems that a lot of people are not aware that teacher training and development, regardless of the location, is not an optional part of the job. So, a holiday for teachers? Hardly. Even the conference timetable shows that they would still be working school hours, even on Saturday. As regards half term holidays, that's exactly what they are - holidays. Schools have no jurisdiction over their staff during holiday periods, as much as they do over pupils during that time too.
If it were to happen that teachers' holiday periods were reduced then pupils' would be too. Is that what people want? If organising childcare seems to be such a problem for 2 days out of 1 term, then how about a few extra weeks in the year?!
And teachers' work is not, and will never be restricted only to school hours. The job involves more than the day-to-day contact with pupils and others within the school environment.”
by Peter Twinn, Stoke on Trent
Saturday, October 04 2008, 6:36PM
“So the head and the teachers are upset that their "jolly" has been cancelled. My heart bleeds for them. They have far more holidays than any other profession. All their training days should be carried out in the half term holidays. That would still leave them with at least 10 or 11 weeks holiday a year, far more than any one else. They are also paid far more than the vast majority deserve. If teachers are as good at their jobs as their pay would imply they should be we would not have anyone leaving school unable to read or write.
I agree there are some good teachers but they are so much in the vast minority, most are just a whining bunch of lazy so and so's.
We always hear about them comparing themselves to nurses or police officers or fireman. They are completely different; they work fixed hours, they dont save lives (indeed on more than a few ocasions, endanger lives of their pupils) and do not put their lives on the line every time they go to work.
Respect has to be earned it is not automaticand behaviour likethis does nothing to earn that respect.”
by HB, Nr Stoke
Saturday, October 04 2008, 6:40AM
“The Head says '"Staff are very disappointed, clearly they were looking forward to producing some high quality materials.".
Huh? Can't they still do that without having to go to Marbella?”
by Samantha, Jyväskylä, Finland
Friday, October 03 2008, 11:11PM
“I think that the teaching profession in the UK suffers something of a stigma nowadays and is hardly as well regarded as it once was.
High quality teaching, learning and teacher training/development are prevalent factors in many other European contexts, not just in education but also economical agendas, so maybe this excursion was just what the school¿s staff needed to further their professional development progress to ensure better provisions of education for those they teach¿!!
Not that I disagree that this is a little far fetched, nor am I suggesting that these are reasons behind the plans or trying whatsoever to justify the decisions that have been made, but what I do feel necessary to say is that I think people should try to remember that teachers - and good teachers at that - are a valuable commodity that without, a country and its economy would inevitably fail.
Is this simply a matter of a leadership malfunction? Maybe. But let¿s not forget those involved (particularly the teaching staff) who, in all probability, will suffer significant unrest from this experience.”
by Sam, Jyväskylä, Finland
Friday, October 03 2008, 10:31PM
“8 mistakes?! I make it almost double...
Teachers in the UK get such a bad press and the teaching profession is hardly as well respected as once it was. High quality teaching, learning and teacher training/development are prevalent factors in many European contexts (in education and many other economical circumstances), so maybe it could have been just what the school needed in order to further development... Not that I disagree that the notion is a little far fetched, nor I am suggesting such reasons for planning the excursion or trying to justify the decisions made, but I will say that I think people should try to remember that teachers - and good teachers at that - are a valuable commodity that a country (and economy) would surely fail without.”