Recruiting more school governors from the charity and public sector could help put the brakes on big academy CEO pay packages, a governors’ leader has said.
The number of academy trust chief executives paid more than the prime minister has come under an increasingly harsh spotlight, with academy pioneer Lord Adonis calling for a pay cap.
Now, Emma Knights, the chief executive of the National Governance Association (NGA), has told Tes that having more diverse governing bodies could help limit pay levels.
She cited the explanation that Sir Dan Moynihan gave to explain his more-than £400,000 salary as leader of the Harris Federation - that the board members who set it are all business people.
“In the business world, they are probably used to sums like that,” she said, “but this is public money. Our argument is that you need diverse boards because you need people who come in from different places.
“If you had some public servants, and some people from the third sector, they would realise that salaries of more than whatever figure you want to choose - £150,000, £200,000 - are not common.”
Wide-ranging report
Ms Knights reiterated her concerns about the idea that school governors could be paid for their service.
Last week, a wide-ranging report on governance called for the government to pilot payments to governors in an effort to boost recruitment among under-represented groups.
Ms Knights said: “The only piece of research we can find says that, if you pay people, their attendance goes up, but actually the outcomes don’t go up.
“We think it is a bit of a side issue, because it would cost a lot. In fact, volunteering is a very honourable part of British society. I think that’s where school leaders don’t understand that history or ethos, because they are not a part of it.”
She also highlighted a “desperate” shortage of young governors.
“We have had to call under 40 young, because only about 10 per cent of governors are under the age of 40,” she said.
“The arguments we are using for that group are that it’s really useful for your own career, because where else do you get a chance to set the strategy, make important HR decisions and agree budgets?”
This is an edited article from the 22 September edition of Tes. Subscribers can read the full article here. This week’s Tes magazine is available in all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here
Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes on Twitter and like Tes on Facebook
