Ashlawn head's six-figure salary compared with other Rugby schools

Publicly available documents on the schools' websites reveal Ashlawn's headteacher earns £100,000 more than the highest paid member of staff at Rugby School - and £150,000 more than the highest paid member of staff at Lawrence Sheriff School.

Some branded the pay cheque Lois Reed receives as ‘obscene’, while others defended Mrs Reed on the basis the school performs well and the trust that is forms part of – and Mrs Reed leads – has expansion plans to open more local schools.

The story was also picked up by other news outlets in the wider area.

As well as being Ashlawn School’s head, Mrs Reed is acting chief executive officer and accounting officer for the Transforming Lives Education Trust.

The trust consists of Ashlawn School, Ashlawn Teaching School and the Henry Hinde Infant school – which joined the trust in September 2017.

The trust runs the academies, and receives Government funding to do so.

David Gadsby, chair of the Ashlawn School Governing Body and a founding member of Transforming Lives Educational Trust, previously told the

Advertiser Mrs Reed’s salary is justified by her performance. He said: “We are one of the largest schools nationally (in the top 10 per cent for pupil numbers) and in 2017 we were in the top five per cent state schools in the country according to Tatler. Our Progress 8 is 0.45 which is well above average.”

The Rugby Advertiser looked at the top pay handed out by various schools and educational trusts or charities in the town.