Exclusive: academy trust has paid �1.6 million in four years for services of married couple running it

A husband and wife were allocated pay and pensions packages worth roughly �400,000 between them in 2016-17 from the multi-academy trust they run together –for the fourth successive year –the chain’s annual accounts reveal.

The disclosure of at least £399,795 of funding in the last academic year for Steve and Paula Kenning of Aspirations Academies Trust means their total level of pay and pensions remuneration from the trust since 2013-14 is more than £1.6 million.

The development comes at the end of 10 days in which this website has revealed:

-The £550,000 remuneration package to the chief executive of the Harris Federation: the first time it has been reported that anyone working in state education in England has cost their employer more than £500,000.

-The fact that Harris had nine other people earning more than £150,000 in 2016-17, with four employees on £200k-plus.