Teachers Pay

A brief overview of the main provisions of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document.

  1. Introduction

1.1.Governing bodies have responsibility for the pay and conditions of staff in their schools.

1.2.The mechanism for determining how much your teachers are paid will be dependent upon the type of school you govern in – a local authority maintained school (community, foundation, voluntary aided or controlled) or an academy (including free schools, studio schools and university technical colleges).

1.3.This document looks specifically at those teachers whose pay is covered by the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD).

NB: throughout the rest of the document academy should be taken to include: free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools.

1.4.The pay for teachers in all local authority maintained schools is governed by the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD). The STPCD sets out the over-arching pay arrangements for teachers as well as their terms and conditions of employment.

1.5.Academies are free to set their own terms and conditions of employment, including pay. Academy staff who worked in the school pre-conversion may have a contractual entitlement through the TUPE[1] regulations to be paid in accordance with the STPCD. Some other academies have chosen to use the STPCD as a framework for their own terms and conditions.

1.6.There are a number of pay ranges for teachers, as one would expect as someone moves up the career ladder.

1.7.The STPCD splits pay for teachers across four geographical areas (England (excluding London), Inner London, Outer London, and fringe).

  1. Main pay range teachers

2.1.On first appointment, usually as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT), teachers are paid on the main pay range. There is a minimum and maximum of the main pay range, but it is for governing bodies, as part of their pay policy, to determine how many steps there will be between the two. It is for governing bodies to determine where on the school’s range a new entrant will be paid.

2.2.From September 2014 progression up the range will be based purely on performance.

2.3.The expectation in the STPCD is that teachers will move up the scale as their careers progress, but only if their performance meets the criteria set in the school’s pay and performance appraisal policies.

2.4.Schools’ pay policies need to make clear how performance and pay interact.

  1. Upper Pay Range

3.1.This is a higher level of pay and teachers must submit an application to the headteacher to be paid on this range.

3.2.A teacher may move to the upper pay range providing that s/he can demonstrate s/he is highly competent in all elements of the teacher standards and her/his achievements and contributions to an educational setting or settings are substantial and sustained. Teachers can apply for advertised UPR posts in other schools and use the evidence from their existing/previous school(s) to support the application.

3.3.Governing bodies must set out in their pay policies what criteria will be used to assess whether a teacher has met the requirements set out above. The pay policy should also stipulate when during the year teachers can apply (i.e. by a single fixed date or throughout the year).

3.4.The STPCD places no restrictions on when a teacher can apply to move up the upper pay range (i.e. unlike previously a teacher does not have to be at the top of the main pay range). It is for governing bodies to set out in their pay policies what if any restrictions apply. .

  1. Leadership Pay

4.1.This is a separate pay range for those in the senior leadership team (Assistant headteachers, deputy headteachers and headteachers). Each school is placed in one of eight groups for the determination of the headteacher’s pay, based on the number and ages of its pupils. Each group covers a number of spine points on the leadership range (e.g. Group one covers spine points L6-L18). Governing bodies must then determine an Individual School Range (ISR) consisting of seven points on the spine for their school from within the relevant group range. This ISR is then the pay range for the headteacher. In certain circumstances governing bodies may pay headteacher’s above the limit for their ISR. The issues covered are: residential duties, responsibilities relating to school improvement at other schools, the school is a school causing concern; the governing body thinks without offering additional pay it would have substantial difficulty recruiting to the post or retaining the existing post-holder; the headteacher is acting a temporary headteacher of one or more additional schools. Such additional payments should not exceed 25% of the amount that equates to the headteacher’s point on the leadership pay spine. In very exceptional circumstances this can be exceeded, but the governing body must seek independent external advice before exceeding the 25% limit. The governing body would need to consider any award above the standard ISR range very carefully and following professional HR advice

4.2.The pay on appointment of other members of the senior leadership team is determined with reference to the school’s ISR and the pay of other members of the teaching staff in the school. Deputy and assistant heads will have a pay range consisting of five consecutive spine points on leadership range.

4.3. Members of the leadership team can move up their pay range subject to annual performance review. The STPCD stipulates that there must not be any movement up the pay spine unless there has been a sustained high quality of performance throughout the year.

  1. Allowances

Teacher and Learning Responsibility Points (TLRs)

5.1.TLRs can be awarded to teachers on the main and upper pay ranges. There are three types of TLR – simply named TLR1, 2 and 3. The first two are permanent awards for ongoing responsibilities. The third, introduced from September 2013 – is to enable schools to reward teachers for time-limited school improvement projects or one-off externally driven responsibilities. It is possible for teachers in receipt of a TLR 1 or 2 to be awarded a TLR3, although this would need to be justified and the expectation is that it would only be in exceptional circumstances.

5.2.The STPCD sets out a minimum and maximum level for each TLR. Governing bodies need to determine what individual TLRs in their schools will be worth.

5.3.For TLR1&2 the key criteria is that a classroom teacher is undertaking a sustained additional responsibility for the purpose of ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality teaching and learning and for which the teacher is made accountable (e.g. maths lead in a primary school)

5.4.Individual pay policies need to make clear the basis on which TLRs are awarded in that particular school. It is important that both the definition in the STPCD and the school’s pay policy are followed in awarding any TLRs as otherwise the governing body will be open to challenge.

5.5.TLRs 1-2 can be removed or reduced following a review of staffing structure and proper consultation. As with any review that will affect the terms and conditions of staff it is important to take HR advice before starting and throughout the process. Under the current STPCD Teachers affected by such a review would be entitled to salary protection for up to three years following any reduction in salary as a result of a review.

5.6.TLR3s should only be given for time-limited periods.

SEN Allowances

5.7.Special educational needs (SEN) allowance (currently between £2,022- £3,994) must be paid in certain circumstances – these are to teachers:

  • in any SEN post that requires a mandatory SEN qualification;
  • in a special school;
  • where a teacher teaches pupils in one or more designated special classes or units in a school;
  • or where a post:
  • involves a substantial element of working directly with children with SEN;
  • requires the exercise of a teacher’s professional skills and judgement in the teaching of children with SEN; and
  • has a greater level of involvement in the teaching of children with special educational needs than is the normal requirement of teachers throughout the school or unit within the school.

5.8.It is for the governing body to decide what the specific value of any SEN allowance should be between the two values set out in the STPCD - taking into account the requirements of the post and the qualifications/experience of the teacher.

5.9.SEN allowances can be held simultaneously with other allowances.

  1. Leading Practitioners

6.1.As of September 2013 two previous designations for teachers, Advanced Skills Teachers (ASTs) and Excellent Teachers (ETs) were abolished. A new designation of leading practitioner has been created. A leading practitioner post is one which has the primary purpose of modelling and leading improvement of teaching skills.

6.2.If governing bodies employed ASTs and/or ETs prior to September 2013 then they should have gone through a process of determining whether these posts should be designated as leading practitioner posts and if not how, or if, the member of staff should be redeployed. If you have not already done this then you need to seek advice from your HR provider and take action as soon as possible.

6.3.It is for governing bodies to determine whether a leading practitioner post should be made available in their school. There is a separate pay range for leading practitioners and governing bodies will need to decide an individual range within the over-arching minima and maxima for any post it creates. .

NB: This document is intended to provide an over-view of teachers’ pay as governed by the STPCD – it is not intended to replace the detailed guidance included in that document. Where changes to teachers’ (including headteachers’) pay are being considered, the full document should be used and where necessary appropriate professional HR advice obtained.

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[1] Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations