{"id":244917,"date":"2026-04-16T22:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=244917"},"modified":"2026-04-16T22:41:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:41:39","slug":"academy-bosses-salaries-are-on-the-way-up-but-women-are-missing-out-at-the-top","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/academy-bosses-salaries-are-on-the-way-up-but-women-are-missing-out-at-the-top\/","title":{"rendered":"Academy bosses\u2019 salaries are on the way up, but women are missing out at the top"},"content":{"rendered":"

Almost 100 academy trust bosses are paid eye-watering salaries of more than \u00a3200,000, prompting calls from governors for an NHS-style executive pay framework.<\/p>\n

Schools Week<\/em>\u2019s annual investigation into chief executive pay \u2013 which analysed almost 1,100 trusts \u2013 also found 90 per cent of those above the \u00a3200,000 threshold were given rises and that six trust chiefs were paid more than \u00a3300,000 last year.<\/p>\n

Only a quarter of the top earners were women.<\/p>\n

Sam Henson, the deputy chief executive of the National Governance Association, said the findings reflected a \u201cstubbornly entrenched\u201d gender pay gap at the top, and a \u201cwidening disparity\u201d between the earnings of CEOs and their workforces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is not just an optics problem but a bigger, as yet unanswered question lurking over the sector \u2013 does the current approach to MAT exec pay really reflect the values of equity and organisational culture we need it to reflect?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the answer is no. Both boards and executives should be asking what their own pay trajectories signal to the teachers and support staff on whom every trust depends.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u00a3300,000 club grows<\/h3>\n

There are now six members of the \u00a3300,000 club, according to our analysis, up from four last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Harris Federation\u2019s Dan Moynihan topped the pay charts \u2013 as he has done since Schools Week<\/em> started its annual audit.<\/p>\n

He earned between \u00a3530,000 and \u00a3535,000 in 2024-25 following a \u00a315,000 rise. He is the only leader to earn more than \u00a3400,000.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dan Moynihan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moynihan was followed by Leigh Academies\u2019 Simon Beamish and Brampton Manor\u2019s Dayo Olukoshi. They received at least \u00a3380,000 and \u00a3350,000 respectively.<\/p>\n

Accounts for the Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust suggest Hugh Hegarty, its former chief executive, pocketed between \u00a3320,000 and \u00a3330,000 last year, an increase of \u00a3105,000 (49 per cent). All trusts were approached for comment.<\/p>\n

In all, 88 trusts paid their chief executives more than \u00a3200,000 last year, 24 more than 12 months earlier. On average they each had 17 schools on their books.<\/p>\n

Analysis by the Kreston group of accountancy firms earlier this year showed the average salary of an executive running large MATs \u2013 those with more than 7,500 pupils \u2013 crossed the \u00a3200,000 mark \u201cfor the first time\u201d.<\/p>\n

Those in the biggest chains received an 8.2 per cent hike.<\/p>\n

But Kreston noted the \u201coverall movement and range\u201d in pay across all trust types was \u201cnot significantly different to previous years\u201d.<\/p>\n

Our investigation found 27 (31 per cent) of the trusts paying their executives more than \u00a3200,000 had 10 schools or fewer, broadly in line with 12 months ago.<\/p>\n

Single-academy trusts<\/h3>\n

Four were single-academy trusts (SATs). The Flagship Learning Trust was again the highest-paying SAT, with Martin Haworth making between \u00a3280,000 and \u00a3285,000.<\/p>\n

Trust accounts said he “voluntarily rejected an incremental increase to his pay”.<\/p>\n

However, a “cost-of-living increase was applied in accordance with the national school teachers’ review body report”. Flagship declined to comment.<\/p>\n

At the Carlton Academy Trust, which has eight academies, Adrian Kneeshaw was paid \u00a3285,000, up \u00a325,000 on 12 months earlier.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson said the figure had been \u201cdistorted\u201d as it \u201ccontains remuneration for external consultancy and school improvement work\u201d and he had a higher basic wage because he did not belong to the Teachers Pension Scheme.<\/p>\n

The \u201ctrue\u201d number \u201cwould be below \u00a3200,000\u201d, which was \u201cexcellent value considering the high degrees of deprivation facing our schools and outstanding financial and academic performance of the trust\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ninety per cent of the trust chiefs on more than \u00a3200,000 received pay rises.<\/p>\n

Just 27 per cent were women, up from 22 per cent the year before. All members of the \u00a3300,000 club were men.<\/p>\n

Will Jordan, the founder of finance firm IMP Software, said his analysis of more than 400 MATs showed “male and female leaders in comparable roles are paid at broadly similar levels\u201d. But there was a “clear gap in who gets to lead the largest trusts\u201d.<\/p>\n

“Among CEOs, women hold 59 per cent of roles at the smallest trusts but just 25 per cent at the largest.<\/p>\n

“The pay picture is encouraging, but the representation data raises a question the sector should be asking: why does the proportion of women in senior leadership fall as trusts get larger?\u201d<\/p>\n