The pound;100K head is an exotic bird now, but the rise of business-backed city academies apparently means they’ll be as common as sparrows within the decade. There’s no question - to quote the shampoo ads - that many heads are worth it. But the great irony is that every extra pound trousered by heads is a pound less for them to spend elsewhere in school. Businesses may be happy to pay fatcat leaders, but governing bodies, with a limited pot of public money to spend on their school, will resent market-led pay hikes for heads.

The current emphasis on heads and leadership also risks overlooking teachers, the people who actually improve results but too rarely get the glory. Classroom union leader Mary Bousted is right to worry about a trend to consult heads rather than teachers on possible changes (page 9).

Policymakers please note: teachers are worth it too.