A secondary school held a teacher training day at Birmingham’s four-star Hyatt Regency Hotel – and sent the bill for £2,577 to the city council.
Connie McCormack, headteacher at Holy Trinity Catholic Media Arts College in Small Heath, took the decision to book conference suites at one of the city’s plushest hotels best known for accommodating the prime minister and cabinet members at last year’s Conservative conference.
The choice of venue infuriated local MP Roger Godsiff, who said Mrs McCormack and teachers were “living the high life”.
Mr Godsiff (Lab Hall Green) accused Mrs McCormack of “outrageous” behaviour and said the day-long event could easily have been held at the school.
If there had been any real need to hold the training day away from the school, premises could have been found at a fraction of the Hyatt cost, he claimed. Mr Godsiff said: “I can’t see why they couldn’t have had their training day at their own school.
“Or if that wasn’t possible, how about the Small Heath Leisure Centre which is owned by the council and has plenty of meeting rooms and catering facilities?”
The MP said the choice of the Hyatt, which describes itself as a deluxe hotel with luxury rooms and suites, sent out the wrong message at a time when schools and the public sector were shedding jobs and suffering huge spending cuts.
Mr Godsiff added: “I thought we were all living in an age of austerity, but it seems to be austerity for some and the high life for others.
“This really concerns me. Everyone is being squeezed right left and centre at the moment, yet this school has spent £2,577 on one of the most expensive hotels in Birmingham.
“It is quite outrageous. I should think parents of children at the school will be asking some serious questions about wasting money.”
The cost of the training day was revealed by the council in response to a question from the Post under the Freedom of Information Act.
Although the council paid the bill, the money will be recouped from the school’s funds.
Mrs McCormack defended her decision, insisting that she obtained “an excellent deal” from the Hyatt.
She said 100 members of staff attended the event and insisted it would not have been possible to find cheaper accommodation.
Mrs McCormack admitted that training days are often held at the school, but she decided on this occasion to go elsewhere.
She added: “We do hold a lot of sessions in the school. But when staff go off site for training we look for the best venues. I have to say the deal we got from the Hyatt was excellent in comparison to some of the conference centres in Birmingham.
“We are very conscious of spending cuts but this was the right thing to do. We got an excellent deal.”
The Hyatt advertises its three adjoining conference suites as offering ideal accommodation for 70 people “cocktail style” and 30 people “classroom style”.
For a minimum number of 10 delegates the hotel offers two tea and coffee breaks, morning pastries and afternoon biscuits, an executive chef’s business lunch, mineral water during meetings, a projector, screen and flip chart.
A Department for Education spokeswoman said all schools have five teacher training days a year, but no guidance is given about where the sessions should be held.
She added: “It is a matter for the schools to decide.”
Holy Trinity Catholic Media Arts College is one of Birmingham’s specialist secondary schools, with about 600 pupils.
The school’s website describes Holy Trinity as a “thriving, successful and over-subscribed” college.
An Ofsted inspection in 2009 rated the school as good with confident, polite and welcoming students.
