The headmaster of Britain’s most prestigious school has been awarded a 40 per cent pay rise ahead of Labour’s VAT raid on private school fees.

       The pay package of Simon Henderson, the head of Eton College, shot up to between ￡370,000 and ￡380,000 in 2022-2023, an increase of about ￡100,000 from the previous year, according to The Times.

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       The news came as parents at Eton were preparing for fees to rise from ￡52,749 to around ￡63,000 in January, VAT on private school fees comes into effect.

       Fees include tuition, board, lodging and the cost of most activities, but not extras such as uniform, school trips or music lessons.

       Eton College previously criticised the Government’s VAT policy in a letter announcing the 20 per cent rise in August.

       Lord Waldegrave of North Hill, the outgoing provost, wrote: “While this news was not unexpected, the provost and fellows regret that the Government has chosen to tax education in this way.

       “Furthermore, we are disappointed that the introduction of VAT will take place part-way through an academic year and at short notice. We recognise the concern that will be felt by many parents following this announcement.”

       Pupils on 100 per cent bursaries will not be affected by the change.

       Labour says the changes will help fund 6,500 new teachers by raising up to ￡1.5 billion for the Treasury.

       But critics worry the move will lead to a mass exodus of students from fee paying schools to state ones.

       Some teachers at Eton have received a 14 per cent pay rise and 62 staff now earn more than ￡100,000, according to the Times.

       The ￡300k club

       Mr Henderson’s increase means he is now part of an exclusive club of five other headmasters whose pay is in excess of ￡300,000.

       Other schools in the “￡300,000 heads club” are Wellington College in Berkshire, St Paul’s School in Barnes, south-west London, Hampton School near Twickenham, south-west London, and Harrow in north-west London.

       The average head teacher earns ￡73,335, according to the Office for National Statistics.

       Twenty of Britain’s 58 prime ministers were educated at Eton, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

       A spokesman for Eton College told The Times: “Senior salaries at Eton College are set by the senior salaries committee of the provost and fellows.

       “In 2022, following a benchmarking exercise, the total package for one employee, including pension contributions, was restructured which accounts for the rise in the salary as reported in the published financial statement.”