Get the best experience in our app
Enjoy offline reading, category favourites, and instant updates - right from your pocket.

Case for control of purse strings

5th September 2003, 1:00am

Share

Case for control of purse strings

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/case-control-purse-strings
What’s the connection between grant-maintained status and an outsize string bikini? Followers of the summer’s most entertaining court case know the financial controls of the former allowed the purchase of the latter - plus up to pound;500,000 worth of holidays and fripperies, paid for out of the budget of St John Rigby school in London by its head, ex-nun Colleen McCabe.

Most GM schools were models of financial probity, and most heads are decent individuals who wouldn’t buy an unnecessary ball of string, let alone a string bikini. Yet - unbelievably - McCabe deceived everyone for five years and survived an Ofsted inspection and two independent audits, while the Funding Agency for Schools seems to have been abolished before it could scrutinise the relevant years’ accounts. It was only when the school was returned to its local authority that council auditors unravelled the string of deceit - an argument, surely, in favour of continuing local control of schools.

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read five free articles every month, plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Register with Tes and you can read five free articles every month, plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £4.90 per month

/per month for 12 months

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £4.90 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £4.90 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared