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| Teachers' pay rises to be based on performance, Michael Gove confirms | Teachers' pay rises to be based on performance, Michael Gove confirms |
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| Teachers will have their pay decided on the basis of perceived performance rather than length of service from this September, the education secretary, Michael Gove, has confirmed. | Teachers will have their pay decided on the basis of perceived performance rather than length of service from this September, the education secretary, Michael Gove, has confirmed. |
| In December Gove said he was minded to accept recommendations from the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) that headteachers be given more freedom on deciding pay, something he argued would reward good staff and help schools in disadvantaged areas recruit and keep good staff. The idea was cautiously welcomed by headteachers but condemned as divisive by unions representing ordinary teachers. | In December Gove said he was minded to accept recommendations from the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) that headteachers be given more freedom on deciding pay, something he argued would reward good staff and help schools in disadvantaged areas recruit and keep good staff. The idea was cautiously welcomed by headteachers but condemned as divisive by unions representing ordinary teachers. |
| Following a consultation period Gove has written to Dame Patricia Hodgson, the chair of the STRB, to confirm the change, which will affect schools in England and Wales. | Following a consultation period Gove has written to Dame Patricia Hodgson, the chair of the STRB, to confirm the change, which will affect schools in England and Wales. |
| He wrote: "I am clear that these changes will give schools greater freedom to develop pay policies that are tailored to their school's needs and circumstances and to reward their teachers in line with their performance." | He wrote: "I am clear that these changes will give schools greater freedom to develop pay policies that are tailored to their school's needs and circumstances and to reward their teachers in line with their performance." |
| There was, he added, "further work to be done" in deciding the best way to implement the recommendations. | There was, he added, "further work to be done" in deciding the best way to implement the recommendations. |
| The new system will end teachers' automatic progression to new national pay points according to length of service, linking it instead to annual appraisals, as happens already with some senior staff. | The new system will end teachers' automatic progression to new national pay points according to length of service, linking it instead to annual appraisals, as happens already with some senior staff. |
| While the wider pay bands will be maintained as a general reference the set points between them will be abolished, with heads given the power to choose where within the scale a teacher is paid. Higher pay bands for London and surrounding areas will be kept in place. | While the wider pay bands will be maintained as a general reference the set points between them will be abolished, with heads given the power to choose where within the scale a teacher is paid. Higher pay bands for London and surrounding areas will be kept in place. |
| The STRB's report followed a Department for Education commission to look at ways pay could be changed to improve teaching performance and help schools in some areas attract and keep staff. | The STRB's report followed a Department for Education commission to look at ways pay could be changed to improve teaching performance and help schools in some areas attract and keep staff. |
| Its recommendations were condemned by the NUT and NASUWT unions, which between them represent around 90% of teachers. They argue that predictable pay scales are one of the main attractions for new entrants to the profession. | Its recommendations were condemned by the NUT and NASUWT unions, which between them represent around 90% of teachers. They argue that predictable pay scales are one of the main attractions for new entrants to the profession. |
| In her union's formal submission to the STRB after its report, the general secretary of the NASUWT, Chris Keates, called the proposals "quite simply reckless", arguing there was no evidence change was needed and that without extra funding the new scheme was likely to be used to reduce salaries so heads could balance budgets. | |
| In their responses the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) gave a qualified welcome to the plan but warned that it needed considerable planning and should not be rushed through, with the NAHT's general secretary, Russell Hobby, calling some of the STRB's ideas "too far, too soon". | In their responses the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) gave a qualified welcome to the plan but warned that it needed considerable planning and should not be rushed through, with the NAHT's general secretary, Russell Hobby, calling some of the STRB's ideas "too far, too soon". |
| He said: "We accept that basing pay progression on performance would bring classroom teachers into line with both headteachers, where it already operates, and with most other sectors. | He said: "We accept that basing pay progression on performance would bring classroom teachers into line with both headteachers, where it already operates, and with most other sectors. |
| "To get the best from the new system, however, it must be introduced sensitively and contain a strong emphasis on professional development. For teachers to understand that this is a constructive process that works in their interest as well as pupils', it must not be based on crude targets. Nor should it be implemented in a rush without adequate training being given to school leaders and governors who will be monitoring staff progress and sometimes having to make difficult decisions and judgments." | "To get the best from the new system, however, it must be introduced sensitively and contain a strong emphasis on professional development. For teachers to understand that this is a constructive process that works in their interest as well as pupils', it must not be based on crude targets. Nor should it be implemented in a rush without adequate training being given to school leaders and governors who will be monitoring staff progress and sometimes having to make difficult decisions and judgments." |