A HEADTEACHER has explained why he splashed out on bottles of champagne for staff who have helped to turn around a South Yorkshire school.
Roger Burman, headteacher of Winterhill School, Rotherham, said no public money was used to treat his staff after a glowing report from education watchdogs.
Staff were given champagne and chocolates, costing about £1,000, after Ofsted rated the school ‘satisfactory’ and its capacity for sustained improvement ‘good’ – three years after it was put into special measures.
Mr Burman said he used money generated from certain teachers’ work outside of the school – such as giving lectures and talks – which they are allowed to take as personal income but instead opt to put back into a pot of cash.
The gesture was designed to reward the efforts of those who have helped the school’s continued improvement.
Mr Burman said: “To get that result is an outstanding achievement.
“We are a massive success story for the community.”
Winterhill School, which has 1,240 pupils, formed when Old Hall Comprehensive School and Kimberworth Comprehensive School merged in 2004.
It was served a notice to improve from Ofsted in 2009.
After the report was published, Mr Burman gave more than 100 employees the choice between champagne and chocolates.
He said: “It was to congratulate a job well done.
“This did not come out of any money we use to educate children and I have receipts to prove it. There are pots of cash already in place for improvements to the school. This money could have been taken by individuals, but they have put it back.”
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