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

Wright Robinson college in Manchester, whose executive headteacher Martin Haworth has seen his pay package rise by more than 30% in two years. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA

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.