Pay levels of school business leaders may lead to mass exodus

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The pay levels of school business leaders may lead to a mass exodus from the profession with half considering leaving their role in the next three years, a survey from the Association of School and College Leaders warns.

The survey, of 728 members of staff employed across a range of business leadership roles in schools and colleges in England and Wales, found that:

88% respondents are members of the senior leadership team (SLT)
70% of respondents feel that their pay is below that of senior leadership colleagues
50% of respondents are considering leaving their role in the next three years

Emma Harrison, Business Leadership Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Business leaders play vital roles in the running of schools and colleges, often holding major responsibilities and having a significant workload that is particularly complex in nature. Despite this, there is a real sense that business leaders feel undervalued compared to other members of leadership teams. Business leaders have specialist knowledge that is not easily replaced and the fact that so many are considering leaving their role represents a real risk for the sector.