More needs to be done to bring under control the "seemingly excessive pay awards" in the education sector, according to a new report.

Published by the Public Accounts Committee, the paper says that the Treasury has been "slow" in indentifying and addressing disproportionate salaries enjoyed by "super-heads" for example.

The committee went so far as to say that it was "sceptical" as to whether the government is actually serious about tackling the matter, explaining that these exaggerated salary packages undermine the need for pay restraint in the public sector.

"The Treasury sets the framework for public sector pay but has been slow to exert its direct control over decisions taken by the wider public sector when setting remuneration packages," commented Margaret Hodge, chairperson of the Public Affairs Committee.

In the report, the authors recommend that the Treasury establish clear expectations of appropriate senior level pay and for this to be a standard scale across the board.

A Freedom of Information request revealed last year that 41 headteachers earned more than prime minister David Cameron, who is on £142,500 a year. At least two of these individuals earned £190,000 and eight earned at least £170,000.

Speaking to TES, Russell Hobby, general secretary of the union National Association of Head Teachers, argued that it is wrong to categorise headteacher salaries as being excessive.

"The average headteacher’s salary is £56,000 at the moment, so these eye-catching numbers are at the extreme end and the vast majority of heads are not within that range," he said.

"Heads who are commanding those large salaries are by and large running five or six schools, so perhaps they ought to be judged against different criteria. This government has made the job such high-stakes, with such demanding expectations, that it is struggling to get people to take on the risk."