The trust board is accountable
The trust board has ultimate responsibility for reviewing, setting and effectively scrutinising CEO pay.
You should be able to justify how the CEO's salary represents good value for money in relation to trust performance, size and complexity.
It's typical for a remuneration committee (a sub-committee of the trust board) to lead the process, reporting back to the full board for approval.
You'll need to comply with statutory requirements
The Academy Trust Handbook (ATH) 2026 sets out a number of requirements.
Follow a robust evidence-based process Make sure there are detailed minutes of all meetings – you’ll want to demonstrate you’ve provided enough challenge Make sure you have clear documentation of the process you've followed. Get more help with this in our articles on using GovernorHub to demonstrate great governance and evidencing good trust governance Are a