A Yorkshire head teacher is under investigation after it emerged that he was being paid for consultancy work in Harrogate on top of his £130,000 teaching salary.
Michael Wilkins received almost £100,000 for consultancy work at schools in Doncaster and Harrogate in addition to the salary he was being paid as head of Outwood Grange Academy (formerly Outwood Grange College) in Wakefield.
Wakefield Council told Harrogate News that the £130,000 salary was approved by governors in recognition of Mr Wilkins’ position as full time head at Outwood Grange College, with some recognition of additional responsibility connected with consultancy work.
A full investigation is now underway into how much of Mr Wilkins’s head teacher’s pay was linked to consultancy and the extent to which Mr Wilkins fulfilled his full time role whilst undertaking additional work at schools in Harrogate and Doncaster in 2009.
Bernadette Livesey, Wakefield Council’s Service Director for Legal and Democratic Services, said: “Prior to Outwood Grange College achieving Academy Status on 7th September 2009, our internal auditors became aware of these external payments and carried out a detailed review of what they related to. The findings from this review were reported to the Council’s Audit Committee on 29th November 2010 and an approach was agreed to bring this matter to a conclusion. We have done, and are doing, all that we should to pursue this issue. As a responsible Council, we strongly believe that the use of public money should be open and transparent.
“The District Auditor was also made aware of the findings and is being kept up to date with the situation. The Council has been in regular contact with representatives of the Outwood Grange Academy and it is hoped that the matter will be finalised in the near future. At this stage of the process the Council is not in a position to make further comment on the status of the review.”
