The head of a state-funded single-school trust has become only the second academy chief executive to earn over £300,000, Schools Week reports.
The publication reports that the pay of Sir Kevin Satchwell at Thomas Telford School in Shropshire rose to between £300,001 and £310,000 in the year to last September. It makes head him the second academy trust boss to pass the £300,000 mark.
Satchwell’s salary is second only to that of Sir Dan Moynihan who earns £450,000 a year at the 51-school Harris Federation.
In addition to running a single-school trust, Satchwell also oversees the five-school Thomas Telford Multi-Academy Trust as an “executive adviser” without extra pay.
Dr Mary Bousted, co-general secretary of the NEU, said: “For every charismatic, wonderful leader, it’s important to remember evidence shows it is good teachers who deliver excellent results.
“I believe in leaders being paid well, but there has to be moderation. You can’t have their [teachers’] pay held at 2 or 3 per cent and CEO pay go through the roof.”
Emma Knights, from the National Governors’ Association, which is launching a salary benchmarking tool, said:
“A very small minority of outlier trusts paying excessive salaries have been distorting the public perception of how the sector uses public money for some time,” said NGA chief executive Emma Knights.
“Data that lets governors compare pay for “similar-sized organisations working in a similar context” will help the sector to “manage executive pay responsibly”.