End the “secret garden of academy finances”, union says

Teachers at the annual NASUWT conference have stated that some academy school leaders are receiving excessive salaries and that there needs to be “greater transparency” on the finances of academy schools and MATs.

Chris Keates, general secretary, NASUWT, has said that millions of pounds of public money are being spent without “detailed and open scrutiny”, and that it’s “time to end the secret garden of academy finances”.

He continued: “At a time when classroom teachers across the country have been denied even a one per cent pay uplift and parents are increasingly being asked by schools to make financial contributions for basic services, the excessive salaries of some academy chiefs cannot be justified.

“Academy finances are a matter of public interest and the present system does not allow parents and the public to have confidence that financial decisions are being made for the benefit of pupils and that public money is being spent effectively and ethically.

“There is a democratic deficit in the operation of academies.

“The scandalous practices which have already been exposed publicly are, in our view, only the tip of the iceberg. The Government’s failure to act is a betrayal of pupils, parents, staff and public interest.”