A multi-academy trust has been criticised for using public money to send staff including its chief executive to a spa break at a hotel for an “overnight wellbeing conference”.

An investigation into the finances of the Learning Academy Partnership (South West) has revealed that trust funds were used to book a midweek spa break at a Dartmouth hotel for 10 people, which included bed and breakfast, a three-course dinner and two 30-minute spa treatments each.

A report from the Education and Skills Funding Agency said: “The ESFA has significant concerns in respect of value for money being demonstrated by spending a total of £2,482.50 of public money on this activity, which includes £330 being spent on additional treatments.”

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The report said that the staff attending included the trust chief executive and the current chief finance officer.

The ESFA report said its investigation also found that non-contractual or non-statutory redundancy payments had been made without evidence of a business case or evidence that the trust had sought legal advice.

The Learning Academy Partnership (South West), which runs eight schools in the Devon area, said it was an “unfair misrepresentation to say staff had been on a wellbeing spa break at the expense of the taxpayer”.

A trust statement said: “There was an organised conference as part of professional development and there was no additional or separate expenditure on any treatment.

“An investigation carried out by the ESFA in June 2019 related to historical matters between 2016-2018, during a period of growth and during the introduction of new systems, processes and software.

“The Trust acknowledges that in common with all trusts, there will always be areas for continuing improvement and has already addressed or acted upon any recommendations. The trust looks forward to continuing to work positively with all partners to continue to provide the best possible education for our children.”

The ESFA report says the overnight wellbeing conference at a hotel in Dartmouth was “poor value for money when using public funds”. It also said that the invoice presented to ESFA officers and the trust’s auditors was not a VAT invoice.

The ESFA report says that the hotel had provided the trust with a booking confirmation outlining that they had booked “a one-night midweek spa break.”

The report also states that £330 of public money was spent on “extra spa treatments over and above the hotel’s spa break package rate”. 

The ESFA report also raised concerns over governance arrangements. At the time of the investigation, the trust had three members while the Department for Education’s “strong preference is for trusts to have five”. 

The trust told the ESFA that it was taking steps to address this.

The investigation report also highlights “a lack of independence between the board and the finance/audit committee”.

Other key findings include identifying two invoices between £10,000 and £75,000, which were not compliant with procurement rules on obtaining three quotes.