NUT SUBMISSION TO SCHOOL TEACHERS’ REVIEW BODY

SEN ALLOWANCES AND LEADERSHIP POSTS

December 2009

The NUT has submitted evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) in respect of proposed changes to the current system of special educational needs (SEN)allowancesand on revised criteria for posts paid on the leadership group pay spine.

Pointing out that the NUT has a greater history of involvement and expertise with SEN than any other teacher union, the NUT submission says that:

  • The SEN allowance system should be retained. Payment should be mandatory for teachers who meet the criteria. Attempts to change the basis of payment - teachers’ specific involvement with SEN teaching, including those who teach in ‘ordinary’ classes in mainstream schools - should be rejected.
  • The present SEN criteria should, however, be changed to provide equitable pay for similar SEN teaching in a variety of settings in which pupils with special needs are educated, including mandatory payment of SEN allowances for teachers in Pupil Referral Units, and extend the number of teachers receiving the allowances.
  • The SEN allowance system and TLR payments should be retained as a separate and distinct element of the teachers’ pay structure.
  • If the current two-tier structure of SEN payments is kept, the values of the SEN allowances should be no lower than those at present.

The STRB has also been given a remit to examine the criteria for paying posts on the leadership group pay spine. The Unionhas said that it shares concerns over the reasons for the recent increase in the number of leadership group posts and acknowledges that there are issues that need to be examined.

The Union has argued, however,that this should form part of the promised much wider STRB review of leadership group leadership pay and structures to be conducted later in 2010. The NUT has also pointed out thatthese issues are traceable in large part directly to the introduction of TLR payments, which have reduced the number of teachers receiving payments for additional responsibility, and has called for the TLR payment system to be reviewed at the same time.

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