School governors should review headteachers’ and management staff salaries, especially if school numbers are falling, an education chief said.

The salary paid to headteachers is based on the number of pupils who go to that school.

This is known as the Individual School Range.

In recent years, school rolls have been falling, but this has not necessarily been reflected by wage reductions.

Powys County Council director of education Ian Budd said: “There’s been a big demographic change especially in secondary schools which has reduced the ISR.

“Not all schools have undertaken a leadership review or structural staffing decision which are commensurate with the ISR ranges.

“I acknowledge it’s not easy to deal with setting the appropriate salary ranges for colleagues you’re working very closely with.”

FRG chairman and school governor Graham Taylor responded: “The salary would be protected if governing bodies decided to reduce the pay of a leadership team.

“They would still have to fund them at that level for a certain length of time.

“They would have to find savings in other parts of the budget.”

The consequences of reducing the salary of deputies and headteachers would be to make it more difficult to entice quality headteachers in to Powys.

“One has to be aware of the consequences of these decisions,” he added.

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