Hundreds of English academy heads paid over £150k, as number ‘on gravy train’ doubles in five years

School leaders attacked as an unaccountable elite' after years of below-inflation pay rises for teachers

A record 775 heads of school academies in England were given pay packages worth more than 150,000 in 2022-23, sparking allegations of an unaccountable gravy train".

Figures published last week by the Department for Education (DfE) reveal that nearly a third of academy trusts (30.8%) rewarded at least one staff member with a pay deal worth in excess of 150,000, including pension payments and benefits. This compares with just 12% in 2018-19.