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Union outraged by head teacher earning more than PM
Released 14/07/2010
Parents and governors defend head teacher on £230K
The head teacher of a primary school in south London earned a salary of £231,400 last year, prompting "outraged" union GMB to argue teachers' pay should be no more than that of the prime minister.
Mark Elms, head teacher of Tidemill Primary School in Lewisham, earned a total remuneration package, including employers' pension contributions, of £276,523.
Another south London head, Jacqui Vallin, head teacher at Southfields Community College in Wandsworth, received a pay rise of £20,594 to give her a total remuneration package of £226,381 last year.
At present the prime minister receives a salary of £142,500. GMB public services officer, Ted Purcell, said it was "outrageous" that a head teacher in a local community school should earn more money than the PM. "A pay rise of over £20,000 for one head in Wandsworth is a downright disgrace and a slap in the face for GMB members now facing a pay freeze," he added. "There is a complete lack of accountability when schools are opted out of local authority control."
Both schools have expressed interest in becoming an academy and Purcell felt this demonstrated that opposition to academy status is "well-founded as these new schools will be a law unto themselves". "GMB want to see all schools being excellent local schools accountable to parents, the community and locally elected politicians," he said.
However, parents and governors of the Tidemill School rallied in support of the head teacher. Keith Geary, the chair of governors, said in the Guardian Tidemill owed its transformation to the head teacher's hard work and abilities.
"The head teacher's contribution to Tidemill's success [should not] be underestimated," he said. "It is thanks to his skill and dedication that this school has made major strides in recent years, providing a quality education for local children and becoming a beacon for excellence in both Lewisham and throughout London."