New financial accounts have been published showing what the highest-paid figures in academy trusts have been paid.

Tes has compiled figures from the accounts we have seen to date, from larger multi-academy trusts that run more than 20 schools, to show what the highest-paid staff in these organisations have earned.

Exclusive: Seven academy leaders paid salaries of more than £250K

School leaders’ pay: Academy chain pays two members of staff £750K

Leader: Academy leader paid almost double salary of the prime minister

A breakdown of the top earners at some of the country’s largest trusts is shown in the table below.

The figures show that some chief executives or top earners have seen increases to their salary beyond the pay rises given to teachers of 2.75 per cent, and the vast majority were paid an increase of some sort in 2019-20.

However, accounts also show that the leaders of two major trusts, Academies Enterprise Trust and Ark, have seen their renumeration fall during 2019-20.

Tes has also found that there were at least seven senior leaders or heads in academy trusts earning more than £250,000. However, only four of these were actually chief executives of large multi-academy trusts. 

What major multi-academy trusts have paid senior leaders in 2019-20

* The chief executive is not named as the highest earner in the trust accounts.

**The salary figure includes money paid in lieu of pension or alongside a pension deduction. 

The ninth annual Kreston Academies Benchmark Report, published earlier this year, reveals that the average pay increase of trust chief executives and executive headteachers in England was up 4.3 per cent, from £106,823 to £111,448.