Salary of top-paid person, at academy chain poised to be taken over by England’s largest, soared by £60,000 last year, to £250,000-plus

Unnamed senior employee at modestly-sized Authentic Education Group Limited saw pay rise by at least 30 per cent last year.

The salary of the top-paid person at a modestly-sized academy trust, which is poised to be taken over by England’s largest chain, rose by at least £60,000 or more than 30 per cent last year, Education Uncovered can reveal.

Authentic Education, a 13-school trust educating just over 6,000 pupils in and around Bournemouth, paid someone £250,000-£260,000 last year – much more than either the Prime Minister or the lead officer at England’s largest education authority, to run an organisation the size of six average-sized secondary schools.

The salary was a step-change increase on the £180-£190,000 pay received by the top-paid person in 2023-24, with the rise being in the range 32 to 44 per cent.