New government academy supervisor had one of the fastest-growing salaries of any trust executive in recent years, new analysis shows

Vanessa Ogden, formerly of the Mulberry Schools Trust and now overseeing academisation across London, had package worth around £300,000 in 2024-25.

A former school leader, who has started this month overseeing academisation across London for the government, had one of the fastest-rising salaries of any well-remunerated academy trust executive in recent years, Education Uncovered can reveal.

Vanessa Ogden, formerly chief executive of the Mulberry Schools Trust, saw her salary in that position rise by around £83,000, or 54 per cent, over the three-year period 2021-22 to 2024-25. Her remuneration last year was £230-£240,000, plus employers’ pension payments of £65-£70,000, making her total package in the region of £300,000, to oversee eight schools.

The trust pointed out that Mulberry has grown from four schools to 13 since 2021, though five of those academies were taken on only this year, so after the 2024-25 year, on which the salary comparison is based. It added that Dr Ogden’s salary had been rigorously benchmarked, with an external consultant employed to “establish the appropriate pay range for the CEO role”.

The revelation may underline the entrenchment of high executive pay within England’s new education establishment, putting into context the government’s intention, as stated in its recent schools white paper, of ensuring that pay rises are not “excessive”.

Other than Dr Ogden, the other leading pay increases over the past three years, as seen in this league table of £200k-plus salaries in the sector, were awarded to organisations which have already featured in detail on this website.