Two of the country’s top three highest salaries for a school head-teacher are in East London, it has emerged. The Executive Principal of Bethnal Green Academy, Mark Kearny, is paid £220,220 a year, the third-highest in Britain, according to a survey by the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
The second highest salary is paid to the head teacher at Robert Clack School in Dagenham, who gets £278,000.
Top salary in the country is at Birmingham’s Metropolitan College whose principal notches up almost £300,000, while more than 1,000 salaries in schools and colleges are above £100,000 and 110 salaries above £150,000, the survey found.
Taxpayers would not begrudge an inspiring headteacher a good salary if they produced great results and motivated students, the Alliance ‘think tank’ pressure group points out.
“But too often this is not what we find,” its chief executive Jonathan Isaby said.
“There is clearly a serious problem where institutions fail, but financial rewards continue regardless.
“Taxpayers have every right to be concerned. The pay and perks enjoyed by those working at our schools and universities and across the public sector must reflect how well they’re doing in their jobs.”
However, latest GCSE exam analysis puts Bethnal Green Academy—paying the third-highest salary to its head—as one of Britain’s top-performing schools.
It had a record-breaking 90 per cent of its pupils getting five or more A* to C grades including English and Maths, last summer, according to Department for Education statistics issues last week.
It is now among the top one per cent of schools for ‘expected progress’ in English, top two per cent in maths, 4pc for five or more A*-C grades including English and Maths and top 8pc for the EBACC.
Principal Mark Keary, also chief executive of Green Spring Education Trust which runs the school, said: “These figures place us among some of the most successful schools in the country and show the talent and ambition we foster.”
Ciaron Constable was one of the outstanding pupils last summer, getting seven A*s including Latin, Triple Science, English Literature and Maths. He hopes to complete a PhD in Natural Science to be a university lecturer.
Mithila Sharmin, who joined just 10 months before taking her exams, received six A*s, 3As and 2 Bs including five different languages.
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