Performance related pay, a member-led College of Teaching, and sabbatical scheme for teachers were among the recommendations of an Education Select Committee report released today.
The Cross Party Group of MPs said that their inquiry ‘Great teachers: attracting, training and retaining the best’ had made ‘explicit the profound impact that the best—and worst—teachers can have’ and stated that the ‘recruitment and retention of those most likely to be outstanding teachers should be firmly at the top of our education system's agenda’.
The report recommends:
• That all teacher training providers include teaching observation as a key part of assessment before the offer of a training place is made.
- • The development of 'teaching taster' opportunities, for sixth formers and undergraduates to experience first-hand the content, benefits and potential of a career in teaching including actual teaching, and not just observation or being a teaching assistant.
- • That the Government consults on the quality, range, scope and content of a high-level strategy for teachers' professional development, with the aim of introducing an entitlement for all teaching staff as soon as feasible.
- • The creation of a National Teacher Sabbatical Scholarship programme, where outstanding teachers can apply for a substantial period of sabbatical, supported by the Government and closely linked to their professional activities.
- • The introduction of new, formal and flexible career ladders for teachers, with different pathways for those who wish to remain as a classroom teacher or teaching specialist, linked to pay and conditions and professional development.
- • The creation of a new, member-driven College of Teaching, independent from but working with Government. The College could play important roles in accrediting CPD and developing teacher standards, amongst others.
- • That the DfE develops proposals for a performance related pay system, which rewards those teachers adding the greatest value to pupil performance.
In addition, the MPs supported the Government's new bursary scheme, which offers financial incentives for trainees with higher class degrees but said that there was a need to identify which additional personal qualities make candidates well-suited to teaching and questioned the use of degree class as the determinant of bursary eligibility for primary teacher training. They also welcomed the greater diversity of training routes for teachers and the nationwide expansion of Teach First.
The Committee’s report said that they had been consistently struck by the passion, expertise and skill of the vast majority of teachers, and by the commitment with which they tackle a vital and often challenging role in society.
"Clearly, the recruitment of teachers with the capacity to accelerate learning is even more important than previously understood. Raising teacher quality isn’t just a technical challenge in education, it’s critical to our future competitiveness and our ability to prepare young people for progression in education and employment," said Graham Stuart, the Chair of the committee.
"The current generation of teachers is the best ever," but we need to speed up our improvements in teaching quality and the systems which support it if we aren’t to be left behind by other nations who are driving up their standards at an even faster rate.
It's crucial that we have an educational system which celebrates great teachers, keeps more of them in the classroom, supports their development and gives them greater status and reward." Media coverage of the report has focussed on calls to extend performance related pay.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said the Government “welcomed the committee's report into this important area” and has asked the school teachers' review body to make recommendations on introducing "greater freedoms and flexibilities" in teachers' pay, including how to link it more closely to performance.
Performance-related pay for teachers was first introduced under the last Labour Government so that teachers at the top of the existing scale could increase their salary with merit-based rises. A study by the Centre for Market and Public Organisation, found the scheme improved pupils' results "by about half a GCSE grade" per pupil.
The MPs’ report acknowledged there would be practical and political difficulties in introducing a performance related pay system but concluded that “no longer should the weakest teachers be able to hide behind a rigid and unfair pay structure.” The Committee pointed to examples in Singapore, where starting salaries were broadly in line with those in Britain but high performing teachers are paid bonuses as an incentive and Florida where performance-related pay rises operate successfully.
However, the proposals were slammed by Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), who said: "Payment by results is total nonsense. Children are not tins of beans and schools are not factory production lines. Successful schools rely on a collegiate approach and team working.”
"Performance-related pay [PRP] is not only inappropriate but also divisive. Children and young people differ and class intakes differ from year to year, making it impossible to measure progress in simplistic terms.”
What’s your view? Will the Committee’s report improve the calibre of teachers and the quality of teaching? Is performance related pay a driver of success or a divisive measure that will undermine relationships between colleagues? How can Teaching Schools improve initial teacher training and CPD? Tell us by emailing: think@schoolsnortheast.com
