A 16-school academy trust has defended the decision to provide six of its central team staff with £40,000 Tesla company cars.
Aspirations Academies Trust has paid around £90,000 over three years for the leased vehicles, putting the issue of MAT benefits back under the spotlight.
A former staff member, who did not want to be named, said “eyebrows were raised by headteachers about central team staff arriving in the cars and whether it was appropriate with so many conversations about money and budgets”.
Despite being commonplace in the private sector, company cars are rare among schools who are “aware of the negative public perception and keen to avoid that”, Sharon O’Ryan, boss of benefits adviser firm Pay in Education, said.
