Some of Birmingham’s council-run schools have spent £1.5 million on a programme of alternative therapy techniques, including massages for children and teachers, it can be revealed.

A Birmingham-based company specialising in stress-relief methods for children, parents and teachers received £488,000 from city nursery, primary and secondary schools in 2008-09, £497,000 the following year and £453,000 in 2010-11. In the first three months of this financial year schools parted with £81,000 for the calming sessions.

The size of the sum being spent by schools with the firm Herriots & Millward has been questioned by Sion Simon, who is campaigning to win the Labour nomination to stand as mayor of Birmingham.

Mr Simon said the large amount of money for the services would seem controversial to some taxpayers.

It has emerged Herriots & Millward’s programme of relaxation strategies is a regular feature of life in the city’s classrooms and at schools across the country. Birmingham City Council paid 439 separate invoices to the firm on behalf of schools between April 2008 and June this year.

The largest bill run up by a single school was for £42,900 this April. The second largest, £38,137, was paid in December 2010. In addition, the firm has been paid almost £300,000 since 2008 to run sessions at council-run children’s centres aimed at helping parents from deprived backgrounds find confidence to get back into work.

The figures were released following a Freedom of Information Act request by the Post. The sessions to combat stress and build confidence are in line with the Government’s Every Child Matters agenda. Many of the children benefiting from the therapy have special needs and the outcomes are monitored at the school, with the massage sessions winning praise from Ofsted, according to Herriots & Millward managing director Dev Herriots.

Mrs Herriots, a former special needs teacher, said: “A lot of the children we help have challenging special circumstances. We are teaching them how to cope with raised levels of stress and feel better about themselves.”

The company, based in the Jewellery Quarter, was founded in 2003 and has a turnover of £4 million a year with schools clients in London, Manchester, Norfolk, Coventry, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. It is also running BTEC courses in health an beauty at schools.

Mrs Herriots added that the company is currently running summer schools for about 500 children from the most deprived parts of Birmingham. The aim was to promote a culture of learning, to address issues of bullying, promote self-esteem and social literacy, she said. Relaxation techniques for staff are designed to reduce absence through illness and should save schools money in the long term.

Mrs Herriots added: “A lot of teachers feel isolated if they are feeling stressed because they usually have no other avenues to go down than occupational health.”

But Mr Simon said: “I can’t be sure whether this money was well spent. Schools make their own spending decisions but they do not operate in a vacuum. And this is a huge amount of money on services that will seem controversial to some council taxpayers.

“At the very least, if Birmingham schools are spending this kind of cash with one company, who is leveraging the potential economies of scale? Who is getting value for money for the city?

“What’s wrong in this city is that nobody is asking these questions. Nobody takes responsibility. Nobody is in charge.”

Herriots & Millward website states: “Our programs offer children healthy choices, calming strategies and the chance to grow in a safe environment.

“Teachers work alongside us giving our projects sustainability. Parents can join us on a journey of self discovery and raised self esteem, reducing isolation and promoting socialisation with their peers.

“We aim to transform the abilities of people in an empowering way by improving their life chances.”

The website has several enthusiastic testimonials from the schools and the council, including Mary Higgins, senior adviser in the city’s school effectiveness division. She said: “The little touches of candles and throws, which totally enhanced the otherwise bleak learning environments of the Martineau Centre, were all exemplary.”

Teachers have praised the company, particularly for its efforts to help children with learning difficulties.

Tony Lacey, head teacher at Arden Primary School in Sparkhill, thanked the company for running 14 workshops including one specialising in aromatherapy.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said: “It is for individual schools to make decisions on expenditure, within the context of achieving the best value for money.”