Academies pay bosses 7 times more than old school leaders

FAT cat academy bosses have added millions to the cost of schools’ senior management because of their soaring six figure salaries, analysis suggests.

Comparison of academy bosses’ pay with that of the old local authority leaders suggests a sevenfold increase in those paid more than £150,000 over six years.

Academies are independent and have freedom to set staff pay – meaning there is no cap on senior leaders’ salaries.

Under the Conservatives, schools have been encouraged to leave the constraints of local councils and become academies, leading to a huge system overhaul. Many academies are now organised in chains, with a leadership team at the helm.

According to analysis by news website Education Uncovered, the scheme could be adding millions to the cost of school management – with the taxpayer picking up the bill. Researchers compared the accounts of England’s 127 largest academy trusts from 2015-2016 with those of 15 local authorities from 2010.

They found the total cost in of paying those earning more than £150,000 at academies is more than seven times what was paid to heads and council officers under the old system. Academies had 69 staff on more than £150,000, with a total bill of £12.6 million, while local authorities spent £1.7million on only 24 individuals who fell in this salary bracket.

The bill for academy staff earning £200,000 or more is also almost seven times that of similar staff in 2010, at £3.6 million compared with just £542,000.

On average, the top-paid person at each trust received more than nine times as much per pupil as the old children’s services directors. The highest paid school chief is Sir Daniel Moynihan of the Harris Federation on more than £400,000.

The Department for Education said: ‘Academy trusts are free to set their own salaries for staff, but we would expect this to reflect the size and complexity of the trust, as they must deliver value for money. Trusts must disclose senior staff pay annually ... and the Education and Skills Funding Agency follows up where non-compliance is identified.’