Call for end to ‘fat cat’ pay for some academy executives
SHADOW EDUCATION Secretary Angela Rayner has hit out at “fat cat” salaries for some academy executives on a visit to Yorkshire, arguing it comes as parents are asked to donate for textbooks.
Official accounts, published this week by the Department for Education, detail the 125 academy trusts across the country that paid at least one member of staff more than the Prime Minister in 2016/17, earning over £150,000.
Buried in the consolidated accounts, she argued, was confirmation overfunding at the Wakefield City Academies Trust, which failed earlier this year.
Speaking at a visit to an afterschool club in Morley in Leeds, Ms Rayner said: “The Tories have thrown money at an academy and free school programme that isn’t working, while individual schools have teaching budgets cut year after year. Meanwhile, some executives at large academy chains are earning fat cat salaries from taxpayers’ money, even as parents are asked to donate for textbooks and stationery.
“With the academy sector as a whole now in deficit for the first time ever, there are serious questions to answer about runaway remuneration, pay-offs and consultancy costs.
“The Tories’ academy system is simply not fit for purpose. Labour will restore both funding and accountability to schools, stop fat cat pay and focus on delivering what works to get the best results for pupils.”
The data shows consultancy costs have risen, she said, while there has been a nearly 10 per cent rise in the value of exit packages given to staff.
A Department for Education spokeswoman last night said: “All Academy Trusts have to be more transparent than maintained schools, and are subject to financial and governance-related scrutiny by the Department and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (EFSA). This government introduced the publication of the annual academy sector accounts – including publishing salaries over £150,000 – to ensure more transparency and scrutiny for Academy Trusts.”
She said EFSA had taken sustained action since December 2017 to challenge 213 academy trusts on awarding high salaries, asking them to justify paying wages of more than £150,000 or paying two or more people above £100,000 each.
As of the end of October, 45 out of the 213 academy trusts were no longer awarding those high salaries, she added.