Pay recommendations discriminate against school leaders, say ASCL

The ASCL had called for a pay award above one per cent to address the erosion in teachers’ pay since 2010, which has seen salaries drop by more than 12 per cent in real terms. It had also called for a return to pay awards being funded by the government – rather than them falling as an extra cost on already stretched school budgets.

However, the STRB has recommended a pay award of only one per cent for most salary levels, and none at all for the maximum pay ranges for senior leaders – meaning a pay freeze for those at the top of these ranges. Additionally, the STRB has accepted the Department for Education’s position that the pay awards can be managed without any more funding – effectively meaning a further cut to school budgets.

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the ASCL commented: “Although the monetary value is small, the message that it sends is that the contribution that some staff make is not valued. As many of them may be nearing retirement, there is a risk they will decide not to continue in the profession, thereby further exacerbating the retention problems in the leadership group.”

An ASCL survey recently revealed the growing scale of the teacher recruitment crisis with most respondents reporting difficulty in recruiting in both core and non-core subjects.

Sara Ford, ASCL’s Pay, Conditions and Employment Specialist, said: “Despite the strong consensus of evidence presented to them, the recommendations in the STRB’s 25th Report will do nothing to address the teacher shortages facing schools. What is needed is a fully funded pay award that addresses the erosion in teachers’ pay since 2010 otherwise the recruitment crisis facing schools will only worsen.”

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