A HULL school earmarked for closure has spent £100,000 on new facilities including toilets that play classical music to pupils.

Kingswood College of Arts in Wawne Road, Bransholme, has used taxpayers’ money to refurbish the nine-cubicle block and claims they are among the finest around.

The cubicles at the 1,063-pupil school, which is due to close in four years, include sensor flushes, lockers and all-in-one hand wash-and-dry units.

They also pipe in classical music, supposedly to protect pupils’ “privacy” when using them.

But the spend has been slammed as excessive by Hull City Council leader Carl Minns, who told the Mail the move had rendered him speechless.

He said: “I’m gobsmacked. I don’t understand or comprehend why they would do it. I’m utterly speechless.

“I think many parents of children who go to Kingswood College will think spending that sort of money is a bit bonkers and I must admit I have some sympathy with that view.

“If the toilets needed fixing, I don’t think anyone would have a problem with making sure they are good quality, but I think piped music in there is a bit random.”

“Spending money piping classical music into school

The school has one of the worst educational records in the city, with just 13 per cent of pupils gaining the benchmark of five A* to C grades including maths and English at GCSE in the latest results.

Last month it was told by Ofsted inspectors it was making inadequate progress in raising attainment.

The money spent on the toilets is from its capital budget, which means it must be spent on school buildings rather than staff or equipment.

Capital funding is allocated to all schools in April for work on building projects.

Once the money has been allocated, it is up to the individual schools to decide how to spend it.

Today the school defended the spend, saying the decision to pipe music into the toilets was in response to pupils requesting more privacy.

Tony Hammond, the school’s director of resources said: “You have to remember the £100,000 includes the re-flooring of the communal area, student lockers and conversion of the room above to a dance studio and changing rooms.”

The school will be demolished in 2012 and a new one built under the £400m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative.

Councillor Mike Ross, portfolio holder for education said: “I’m sure when people across the city hear about expenditure like this they would want to question why it is spent on things like piping music.

“While I have no problem about toilets being refurbished when they need it, there clearly have to be efficient ways of doing that which serve the interests of the pupils.”