Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Haringey heads enjoy five-star Oxford
From the Evening Standard...
It's a tough job but someone's got to do it. Bonnes vacances to the Haringey headteachers who are staying at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford for their annual headteachers' conference. The five-star hotel is the favoured spot of former US president Bill Clinton when he is in town and was often used as the backdrop for the Inspector Morse TV series.
Haringey Council, one of the most cash-strapped in the country, is keen to make clear that while it knows "a little bit" about the conference, it has played no part in its organisation and that expenses are down to the teachers and their schools.
A spokesman said: "This event is not organised by Haringey council. It is the annual headteachers’ conference, organised by the headteachers themselves. The conference is designed to improve joint working and share best practice, to continue raising educational standards in the borough."
The budget for the encouragement of sharing "best practice" may come as a surprise. The Randolph is where students at the university get parents to take them for a slap-up tea. The conference runs until tomorrow (30th April) lunchtime. Naturally a stay doesn't come cheap. Rooms cost £131 for a standard room to £260 a night for a suite. Built in 1864, the hotel is described as "the most desirable conference, meeting and events venue in Oxford." Haringey's headteachers clearly agree.
While there have been acres of print expended on how to get state-educated pupils into Oxford and Cambridge, the usefulness of the Randolph Hotel in this process is debatable. What is wrong with jolly old Haringey?
It's a tough job but someone's got to do it. Bonnes vacances to the Haringey headteachers who are staying at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford for their annual headteachers' conference. The five-star hotel is the favoured spot of former US president Bill Clinton when he is in town and was often used as the backdrop for the Inspector Morse TV series.
Haringey Council, one of the most cash-strapped in the country, is keen to make clear that while it knows "a little bit" about the conference, it has played no part in its organisation and that expenses are down to the teachers and their schools.
A spokesman said: "This event is not organised by Haringey council. It is the annual headteachers’ conference, organised by the headteachers themselves. The conference is designed to improve joint working and share best practice, to continue raising educational standards in the borough."
The budget for the encouragement of sharing "best practice" may come as a surprise. The Randolph is where students at the university get parents to take them for a slap-up tea. The conference runs until tomorrow (30th April) lunchtime. Naturally a stay doesn't come cheap. Rooms cost £131 for a standard room to £260 a night for a suite. Built in 1864, the hotel is described as "the most desirable conference, meeting and events venue in Oxford." Haringey's headteachers clearly agree.
While there have been acres of print expended on how to get state-educated pupils into Oxford and Cambridge, the usefulness of the Randolph Hotel in this process is debatable. What is wrong with jolly old Haringey?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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I wonder where Mr Lebedev stays when conferring with other newspaper proprietors? Not the London Shelton, I imagine :)
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Permalink Reply by ElleCarumba on
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The annual get together of London Catholic school headteachers is always abroad- I think it was Malta last year.
Naturally there is nowhere in London suitable for them to gather to share best practice.
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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Sure you've got your facts right, Elle?
I think you'll find much of their meeting happens at places like Twickenham (St Mary's College). Their annual conferences tend to merge business with a bit of spiritual pilgrimage. The March'08 Primary Heads one in Malta was to say Happy Birthday (2000th) to St Paul. The Secondary Heads that same month were in Rome. What's the point in being Catholic if your jollies can't have a bit of history and global jubilee about them? And why can't mere Haringey Heads do a bit of the dreaming spires stuff once in a while?
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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expenses are down to the teachers and their schools.
This seems vague. If its coming out of the schools budget, is this wise? In a time when much of the population is having to tighten their belt (except bankers of course) is this a sensitive idea? How much useful is gained by these Jollies?
As you say Hugh, what is wrong with a location in Haringey? At least The Jolly would have resulted in our taxes kept in local businesses and local wages.
Is such extravagance of itself, an example of Best Practice?
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Not the teachers, Clive. This event was by and for the heads.
(Labour councillor & candidate Tottenham Hale)
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I was quoting from Hugh's reproduction of the ES article. I appreciate this was a Jolly for the Heads.
Do you have any comment on the substance of the wisdom of this choice of location for Haringey Headteachers to discuss Best Practice?
Where is the judgement?
Surely such a location is only fit for Britain's Brass-necked Bankers?
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Remember this is a piece of tut tut populist journalism. We don't know how much the head (teachers) are paying. They may well have negotiated a group discount whereas The Standard just looked at the published tariff. Whatever they are paying, does it include hire of the meeting room and conference facilities ?
Was the cost met out of the Headteachers' Association funds?
We don't know and it's pretty mean-spirited to carp about this without knowing the facts.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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That's a good caveat John. I chose to post it because it was drawn to my attention and it's out there. As you say, we're far from being in a position where we know all the facts, but it warrants scrutiny.
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Does it make much difference if they negotiated a 10% group discount?
Are there no local conference centres that could have hosted the slap-up do? They might also have offered a group discount. Anyway, I'm sure they'd have welcomed the business, if this business really had to be done.
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Are there no local conference centres that could have hosted the slap-up do?
I doubt it. Google doesn't show any.
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John, does a discussion about "Best Practice" really warrant a Conference Centre and a trip out of Haringey?
A local hotel might have sufficed, unless discussion about best practice wasn't really the main object.
Anyway, I am surprised that you should overlook Haringey's premier Conference Centre, a place they describe as "London's most versatile and stylish venue".
Even without the aid of Google, you might have heard of it. Did you not at one time, have some association with Alexandra Palace?
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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[Clive wonders why Alexandra Palace wasn't used ...]
It's bugged by the right wing press according to this source.
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