Some more highly paid charity workers

The pay of top executives of development charities, such as Save the Children, has come under attack in the Daily Telegraph and from the chair of the Charity Commission for England and Wales, William Shawcross. However they were rather quiet about pay in another charitable sector.

Fact Service has looked at the accounts of 33 top public schools — all of which benefit from charitable status. Charities are required to detail the pay of employees receiving more than £60,000 in pay bands of £10,000. At the 33 public schools analysed, 101 members of staff were paid at least £100,000 in 2012 — the latest year for which accounts are available on the Charity Commission’s website.

Eton, whose old boys include Shawcross and prime minister David Cameron, tops the list with 40 members of staff receiving £100,000 a year, including one who received over £230,000 a year and another on at least £180,000.

The less well known Tonbridge School also had one employee who was paid over £230,000 in 2012.

Meanwhile, at chancellor George Osborne’s old school — St Paul’s — one member of staff was on at least £200,000 a year.

At the next level down, there were three members from the 33 schools on over £190,000 a year. There were four members of staff who received at least £180,000, another four were on over £170,000 and a third tranche of four were on at least £160,000.

Further down the pay scale, there were three employees on at least £150,000, four on over £140,000 and six on at least £130,000.

The numbers increased in the final three pay bands with 17 on at least £120,000; 18 on £110,000 or more and 35 earning between £100,000 and £109,999.

No school could come near Eton in terms of the number of highly paid staff. The second rated — Harrow — had seven members of staff earning £100,000 a year. One was on at least £190,000, a second on over £160,000 and a third got at least £140,000 year.

The table over details the fees received by the 33 schools along with the numbers at each school earning over £100,000 in 2012. The total fees received in 2012 by the 33 schools came to almost £665 million.

Unfortunately, the 2012 accounts of a number of public schools, including Westminster, the old school of deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, have been received by the Charity Commission, but are not yet available online. Even more unfortunate is the fact that in Scotland accounts are not available from the Office of Scottish Charity Regulator, so how many big earners there are at former prime minister Tony Blair’s old school Fettes isn’t known.

www.charitycommission.gov.uk/find-charities