[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22577069

A former London head teacher of the year spent almost £7,000 of school money on her 50th birthday party, a report has found.

Jo Shuter, head of Quintin Kynaston Community Academy, in St John's Wood, was suspended over financial issues in 2012 but was later reinstated.

A Department for Education report has found the school's spending amounted to "misuse of public money".

Ms Shuter could not be contacted for comment.

The report, which looked at spending between January 2011 and August 2012, downgraded the school's self-assessment of its own financial performance from "good" to "inadequate".

The academy's performance, when it came to proper and regular use of public funds, was also judged "inadequate" instead of "good".

And the school's assessment of its own financial controls was downgraded as well.

Examples of financial irregularities highlighted by the investigation included £6,957 spent on Ms Shuter's 50th birthday party, which was held at the academy.

That included costs for staff time, catering, alcohol, food, party lights and "landscaping".

There was a cash advance to Ms Shuter of £1,000 for musicians and other expenses on the night.

The report said: "The practice in the academy is to purchase flowers and birthday cakes for [senior staff members'] birthdays.

"We identified that since becoming an academy £3,474 has been spent on flowers."

A £300 Selfridges gift voucher was purchased using the academy credit card when one staff member left in April 2012, although £220 of that sum was then contributed by senior staff.

The report also detailed how senior staff members held off-site meetings at exclusive hotels.

An overnight meeting held in January 2012 at the Grove Hotel, in Chandlers Cross, cost £8,269.

Meanwhile another meeting at the Landmark Hotel - where the cost of rooms was up to £323 a night - set the school's finances back £4,410.

The report authors said: "All the costs for these stays are paid for by the academy and the cost of these meetings has to be questioned on value-for-money grounds."

In another incident which caused the report authors concern, the academy bought chairs to the value of £1,579, which were delivered to Ms Shuter's home.

She then brought different chairs into the academy she had previously purchased - which she claimed were more expensive.

However, evidence to support this claim was apparently not provided by Ms Shuter.

Was this Shuter woman having a mid-life crisis .....