Academy leaders have received pay rises of up to £100,000 in a year, a TES investigation into trusts’ financial accounts has revealed.

This follows the publication last November of Department for Education figures showing that 111 academy trustees - including chief executives and principals - were paid more than £150,000. The report did not identify the individuals or their trusts, but the DfE gave TES the names of the trusts after a Freedom of Information request, allowing pay information to be extracted from their financial accounts.

Most academy accounts give pay levels in bands of £5,000 or £10,000. In 2014-15, two-thirds (75) of the 111 trustees listed by the DfE moved into a higher pay bracket.

Leadership is among they key drivers of our success

Six trustees had pay rises of at least £50,000, and the salaries of a further 22 went up by at least £20,000. In six cases, the leaders’ remuneration fell into a lower pay bracket.

Bev Williams, of the Legra Academy Trust in Essex, had the biggest rise - from £90,000-£95,000 in 2013-14 to £185,000-£190,000 in 2014-15.

By way of explanation, Legra chair Robin Marcus pointed to “a significant increase in [her] responsibility and accountability” as two schools - one primary, one secondary - were joining the trust. He said that Ms Williams’ “contribution in promoting excellence through visionary leadership cannot be underestimated”, and added that the trust was “clear about its responsibilities in prudently spending public funds”.

Undisclosed sums

The TES investigation also revealed that one school’s accounts were qualified by its auditor because “governors have decided not to disclose the remuneration of the principal and staff governors as required by the Academies Accounts Direction 2014 to 2015”.

The accounts for Hayes School in Bromley show that three members of staff were paid £70,000 or more during that academic year, with one paid £140,000-£150,000. But they do not reveal who was paid what. Principal Steve Whittle said that this was to avoid discouraging “committed and skilled” staff from applying to voluntary roles.

One of the six trustees whose pay went down, Seamus Oates, executive head of the London-based TBAP Multi-Academy Trust, saw his salary fall from £190,000-£195,000 in 2013-14 to £165,000-£170,000 in 2014-15. The trust was approached for comment.

The DfE figures also confirmed that Sir Dan Moynihan, chief executive of the Harris Federation, has the highest salary of any academy leader, receiving £395,000-£400,000 in 2014-15.

A Harris Federation spokesman said all 30 of its academies that had been inspected by Ofsted had been rated “good” or “outstanding”. He added: “Our board recognises that leadership is among the key drivers of our success, and leaders throughout our federation are rewarded for their contribution.”

The second-highest-paid academy trustee was John Tomasevic, chief executive of the Nottingham-based Torch Academy Gateway Trust, which includes four secondary and two primary schools. He received £270,000-£275,000 in 2014-15, up from £205,000-£210,000 the year before. The trust said that no one was available for comment.

In the future, the highest-paid academy staff will be named and have their earnings published in the DfE’s annual accounts.

Click here for a full list of academy trusts where trustees are paid more than £150,000, according to the DfE

@geomr