Hull school boss' £1,000 US trip branded waste of public money

An academy trust has been criticised after spending more than £1,000 on flights to send its chief executive to an Apple conference in the US.

Estelle MacDonald, of the Hull Collaborative Academy Trust (HCAT), flew premium economy to the 2022 event together with bosses from other trusts.

Auditors said the cost could be seen as "excessive" while a union official called it "a waste of public money".

In a statement HCAT said it would review its travel policy.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service the cost of the flights - together with the cost of travel and an overnight stay at the airport - were flagged by auditors over whether public money was being spent for the purposes intended by Parliament.

The independent reporting accountant's report said "the upgrade flight costs could be seen as excessive and unnecessary expenditure and may not be in line with the trust achieving the best value for money."

Accounts for the year up to August 2022 show Mrs MacDonald received £205,000 to £210,000 in remunerations.

Tim Toepritz, a national executive member of the NASUWT teachers' union, said unnecessary spending had become more commonplace in education sector.

"Taxpayers' money is for the public good. Flights to the US are a profligate waste of public money.

"During a cost of living crisis, many families struggle even to afford school uniforms.

"It is essential that public money be spent on the most vulnerable children in our society rather than pampering privileged and over-paid trust executives."

According to Schools Week, as many as 200 school leaders were estimated to have attended Apple events, billed as professional development conferences.

HCAT, which runs 16 schools across Hull and the East Riding and one in North Yorkshire, told Schools Week the trip was part of an exercise to see how Apple products could be used in the ICT curriculum.

A spokesperson said: "The trust has spent a lot of time reviewing this with trustees and members and is reviewing all relevant policies in line with this review, the [Department for Education] are aware of this and we consider this matter closed."

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