Digging around in the undergrowth of schools reform in England
Warwick Mansell's news and analysis site
by Warwick Mansell
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Multi-academy trusts, the government’s favoured structure for organising schools in England, are wasting millions of pounds on high salaries for their managers, new analysis reveals today.
The largest trusts are spending eight times more per pupil on salaries of £130,000 and above than are England’s largest local authorities, which oversee non-academy schools, my investigation for the Campaign for State Education has found. Yet there is no definitive evidence that the academies sector has provided higher quality to pupils as a result.
Analysis of the accounts of 561 multi-academy trusts, and accounts and freedom of information responses from England’s 10 largest local authorities (LAs), revealed huge disparities in spending on highly-paid administrators.
The 50 largest academy trusts had 167 people paid £130,000 or more, compared to only 24 within the 10 LAs – even though the two groupings had roughly the same number of pupils under their oversight.
Those 50 academy trusts had 26 people paid at least £200,000, compared to only two among the LAs, with a highest salary figure within the academies sector of £455-£460,000, compared to one of £202,000 among the 10 local authorities.
Six of these 10 largest LAs had only six people between them paid £130,000 or higher, whereas the 19 largest academy trusts, together responsible for the same number of pupils as were the six LAs, had 106 people above this benchmark.
The research, which featured one of the largest ever investigations of academy accounts data, shows how the academies policy has created a new tier of highly-paid overseers of schools.
Such a highly-remunerated structure did not exist when schools were entirely overseen by local authorities, research I did at the outset of this website in 2017 showed. And it does not exist in the LA sector now, with education officials working for the largest councils generally not paid six-figure salaries. This is despite local authorities still being responsible for more than half the schools in England, and the largest LAs still being much bigger, in terms of pupil numbers, than are the largest academy trusts.
But with academies said by the government to be funded at the same level as LA maintained schools, the extra pay for managers in the trust sector must be funded from lower spending in the classroom, the report published today concluded – backing the concerns of MPs who had raised this issue in 2018.
The 10 largest LAs, which as of 2021-22 oversaw non-academy schools educating nearly 900,000 pupils, have very few education officials paid in six figures. Lancashire, the largest in England that year with 142,000 pupils in its schools, had only one education official paid £100,000 or more: its Executive Director of Education and Children’s Services, on £175,925.
By contrast, England’s three largest academy trusts – United Learning, the Harris Federation and Ormiston Academies Trust – which together educated 126,000 pupils, had 36 people between them paid at least £130,000 a year; six people paid more than £200,000 and average pay for their chief executive of around £310,000.
On average, England’s largest 50 academy trusts spent £80 per pupil on six-figure salaries for their leaders in 2021-22, compared to only £28 per pupil among the 10 largest local authorities. And those academy trusts spent £32 per pupil on salaries for administrators on £130,000 or more, compared to only £4 per pupil among the LAs.
It is sometimes claimed that economies of scale will kick in as academy trusts get larger. But the research echoes an earlier study (https://tinyurl.com/2h9hyapr) in finding the opposite, in relation to highly-paid managers. That is, spending on high salaries for managers tends to rise per pupil as academy trusts get larger.
The investigation concluded that, if England’s schools were to be organised with their spending on highly-paid managers following the pattern of the 10 largest LAs, rather than that of the 50 largest academy trusts, there would be savings across England of £439 million per annum on six-figure salaries, including a £240 million saving on salaries of £130,000 or higher.
In addition, a government proposal put forward last year to have all state-funded schools in academy trusts of at least 7,500 pupils by 2030 stands to cost £78 million a year in extra six-figure salaries for managers, including £49 million for those on £130,000-plus a year.
Much of the analysis in the report focuses on pay from £130,000 upwards, as this is just above the level of remuneration recommended in the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document as the top of the scale for payment to headteachers in England. Anyone paid more than that, then, is either a highly-paid headteacher or working at a level beyond that of individual school headteacher.
The investigation also found that government attempts to regulate high pay within the academies sector have essentially come to nothing, with the salaries of the leaders of the top 10 largest trusts rising at four times the rate of experienced teachers over the period 2009-10 to 2021-22.
And it revealed that the current oversight structure for academies, introduced by the government in 2014 under its Regional Schools Commissioners – now called Regional Directors - is employing 555 officials in 2022-23, at a projected cost of £34 million.
The report makes a string of recommendations, including the introduction of a national pay structure for people working above the level of the individual school, as the absence of such a regime has contributed to the high wages currently seen in academy trusts; a detailed review by government of the cost-effectiveness of the multi-academy trust model; and a review from first principles of the academies policy as a whole.
I intend to follow up on aspects of the report on Education Uncovered, as well as continuing to investigate and write about implications on the ground.
The report, entitled “Systems matter: the cost to classrooms of the academies programme,” can be viewed here.
A chart, setting out per pupil spending on £130k+ managers in local authorities and MATs, is below:
Tables:
| Trust name | Pupil nos | 130+ | 130-150 | 150-200 | 200+ | Spend per pupil on £130k+salaries |
| UNITED LEARNING TRUST | 54,252 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | £25.16 |
| HARRIS FEDERATION | 38,965 | 20 | 4 | 12 | 4 | £97.01 |
| ORMISTON ACADEMIES TRUST | 33,207 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | £33.28 |
| OASIS COMMUNITY LEARNING | 31,893 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | £34.33 |
| ACADEMIES ENTERPRISE TRUST | 31,816 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | £34.73 |
| ARK SCHOOLS | 29,586 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | £53.07 |
| OUTWOOD GRANGE ACADEMIES TRUST | 29,176 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | £16.62 |
| DELTA ACADEMIES TRUST | 23,735 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | £22.96 |
| THE KEMNAL ACADEMIES TRUST | 23,198 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | £41.81 |
| LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST | 20,091 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | £58.48 |
| STAR ACADEMIES | 19,564 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | £36.29 |
| REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST | 19,407 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | £28.08 |
| E-ACT | 18,063 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | £46.78 |
| THE CO-OPERATIVE ACADEMIES TRUST | 17,854 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | £23.80 |
| GREENWOOD ACADEMIES TRUST | 17,747 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | £38.32 |
| THE SPENCER ACADEMIES TRUST | 17,015 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | £29.09 |
| GLF SCHOOLS | 16,933 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | £12.11 |
| MERIDIAN TRUST | 15,761 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | £8.57 |
| GREENSHAW LEARNING TRUST | 15,313 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | £29.71 |
| RIVER LEARNING TRUST | 14,597 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | £9.93 |
| CREATIVE EDUCATION TRUST | 14,499 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | £45.52 |
| ASTREA ACADEMY TRUST | 14,492 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £12.77 |
| THE DAVID ROSS EDUCATION TRUST | 14,349 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | £31.71 |
| UNITY SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP | 14,326 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £12.22 |
| WESTCOUNTRY SCHOOLS TRUST | 14,217 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £13.01 |
| NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST | 13,822 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | £44.13 |
| BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST | 13,022 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | £26.11 |
| BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST | 13,013 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £13.45 |
| SWALE ACADEMIES TRUST | 12,914 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | £39.88 |
| DIXONS ACADEMIES TRUST | 12,678 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | £26.82 |
| THE ELLIOT FOUNDATION ACADEMIES TRUST | 12,676 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | £39.05 |
| OUR LADY OF LOURDES CATHOLIC MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST | 12,530 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £15.56 |
| EAST MIDLANDS EDUCATION TRUST | 12,224 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | £26.18 |
| CABOT LEARNING FEDERATION | 12,195 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | £25.42 |
| THE WHITE HORSE FEDERATION | 12,175 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | £49.69 |
| MIDSOMER NORTON SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP | 12,061 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | £27.36 |
| BISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST | 11,797 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | £28.82 |
| REDHILL ACADEMY TRUST | 11,707 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £13.24 |
| HAMWIC EDUCATION TRUST | 11,535 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | £40.31 |
| ACADEMY TRANSFORMATION TRUST | 11,391 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | £25.46 |
| THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST | 11,158 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | £29.58 |
| THE TWO COUNTIES TRUST | 10,965 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | £25.54 |
| THE SIGMA TRUST | 10,944 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | £12.34 |
| CHILTERN LEARNING TRUST | 10,800 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | £13.43 |
| L.E.A.D. ACADEMY TRUST | 10,648 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | £48.37 |
| BOHUNT EDUCATION TRUST | 10,576 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £15.60 |
| THE GORSE ACADEMIES TRUST | 10,460 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | £63.10 |
| BOURNE EDUCATION TRUST | 10,419 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £18.72 |
| THE SHAW EDUCATION TRUST | 10,386 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | £22.63 |
| NOVA EDUCATION TRUST | 10,232 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £18.08 |
| Totals | 852,384 | 167 | 79 | 62 | 26 | (AVERAGE) £32.64 |
Figures are for highly-paid employees within the largest 50 academy trusts, excluding employers' pension contributions. Pay statistics come from trusts' 2021-22 accounts. Pupil number figures are from DfE's January 2022 pupil census.
Figures listed are number of employees in each LA paid £130,000 or more; £130-£150k; £150-£200k; £200k or more; and spend per pupil on £130k+ salaries.
Figures are for highly-paid employees within the largest 10 local authorities, excluding employers' pension contributions. Pay statistics come from LAs' 2021-22 accounts, supplemented by FOI responses from LAs to identify spending on education/children's services officials specially. Pupil number figures are from DfE's January 2022 pupil census.
| LA name | Pupil nos | 130+ | 130-150 | 150-200 | 200+ | Spend per pupil on £130k+ salaries |
| Lancashire | 141,731 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £1.24 |
| Hampshire | 138,257 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | £2.58 |
| Hertfordshire | 95,886 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | £4.35 |
| Kent | 95,263 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | £10.91 |
| Birmingham | 81,985 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £2.10 |
| Leeds | 71,704 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £2.20 |
| W Sussex | 68,814 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £2.22 |
| Surrey | 64,003 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | £13.26 |
| Essex | 62,009 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £2.70 |
| Liverpool | 54,516 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | £2.80 |
| Totals | 874,198 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | (Ave) £4.17 |
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