Education bosses allow Scunthorpe schools more freedom

SCHOOLS in North Lincolnshire will from this September get more freedom over how they pay their teachers, Education Secretary Michael Gove confirmed today.

Under the current system for teachers' pay, automatic pay progression means there is a poor link between a teacher's performance and reward. Schools in some parts of the country struggle to recruit and retain good teachers as a result.

From September, a new simpler, more flexible national pay framework for teachers will come into effect. It will:

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• End pay increases based on length of service – currently virtually all full time classroom teachers on the main pay scale automatically progress to the next pay point;
• Link all teachers' pay progression to performance, based on annual appraisals – already the case for some teachers who are on a higher pay scale;
• Abolish mandatory pay points within the pay scales for classroom teachers to give schools greater freedom on how much teachers are paid. They would remain in place for reference only in the main pay scale to guide career expectations for new teachers entering the profession; and
• Retain the higher pay bands for London and fringe areas.

Evidence shows that improving the quality of teaching is essential to driving up standards in schools. Pupils taught by good teachers score nearly half a GCSE point more per subject than pupils taught by poor teachers. The impact is even more significant for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the Sutton Trust. For poor pupils, the difference between a very good teacher and a bad teacher may be a whole year's education.

Dame Patricia Hodgson, Chair of the School Teachers' Review Body, said: "We believe our recommendations will help schools to recruit, retain and reward the best teachers. It will give heads freedom to manage teachers' pay according to pupil needs and local circumstances, within a fair national framework."

Education Secretary Michael Gove said: "These recommendations will make teaching a more attractive career and a more rewarding job. They will give schools greater flexibility to respond to specific conditions and reward their best teachers.

"It is vital that teachers can be paid more without having to leave the classroom. This will be particularly important to schools in the most disadvantaged areas as it will empower them to attract and recruit the best teachers."